Latest news

Statement on events in Israel and Gaza

As an organisation focused on health, wellbeing and equity we urge the UK government to call immediately for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza and to speak up unequivocally for the maintenance of international law and protection and support of civilians, as well as aid and health practitioners.

a cartoon of two hands knitting together the areas of london

London Creative Health City: Building It Together - callout deadline 12 October 2023

CALLOUT FOR PROPOSALS FOR A ONE DAY EVENT EXPLORING LONDON AS A CREATIVE HEALTH CITY, THIS NOVEMBER. SAVE THE DATE: 27th November 2023, 10.30am – 5pm in-person at Battersea Arts Centre and online via Zoom.

artwork featuring the words Safe and Home and two birds

Creative Recovery

Seeking new members for Barnsley's Creativity & Wellbeing group

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance is recruiting new members to the Barnsley Creativity and Wellbeing Group The Creativity and Wellbeing Group is jointly led by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (BMBC) and the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance

Cover of the Creative Health Quality Framework, featuring a collage of colourful icons including a pen, an eye, a leaf, cogs and hands

Cover of the Creative Health Quality Framework; design by Jennie Ives

Creative Health Quality Framework Launched!

Ground-breaking tool launched to boost the use of arts and culture to support health The Creative Health Quality Framework, a ground-breaking new tool that clearly articulates what “good” looks like for

A group of women standing in front of Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

Jenny Harper

CHWA is Recruiting Regional Champions

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance (CHWA) is looking for people working within culture, creativity or social justice/community improvement, who are passionate about championing creative health work in their local area as volunteers. We particularly want to widen our demographic in terms of heritage and dis

Seeking an Evaluator for Working Together, deadline 16 October

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance is seeking an evaluator for Working Together, a partnership project with GEM to support 6 heritage/museum sites to develop their work with health and wellbeing.

CHWA and GEM: Working Together

We are currently seeking a Programme Lead (deadline 25 September) and an

CHWA and GEM: Seeking a "Working Together" Programme Lead, deadline 25 September

Job Description: Working Together Programme Lead Salary: £40,000 pro rata, 0.4FTE (2 days per week) for 22 months Application deadline: Monday 25 September, 12noon

Creative Recovery

CHWA Conference 2023: South Yorkshire Bursary Opportunity - deadline 15 September

Through generous support from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance is offering 10 free spaces to attend Making Change: Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance national conference to freelance creative practitioners who live, or whose practice, is based in the South Yorkshire Region. We particularly want to encourage applications from people identifying with any of the protected characteristics as defined in the 2010 Equality Act, or who are from less affluent socioeconomic backgrounds.

Launch of Our National Health Stories

Discover and celebrate the stories of the people that make up our NHS. Marking 75 years of our National Health Service, this powerful new artwork is an unprecedented collaboration between 19 hospital trusts and a creative team led by Kwame Kwei-Armah.

Creative Health Quality Framework Evaluation Brief

Fee: £8,000 including VAT and expenses Deadline: 5pm, Friday 28 July Project: September 2023-June 2024

A black graphic with squiggly blue grey lines formed into contours has acid yellow text overlaid that reads Changing Currents

Changing Current, Arts Catalyst new podcast series exploring climate perspectives and possible futures

Changing Current is a new podcast series by @artscatalyst exploring climate perspectives and possible futures featuring the voices of artists, growers, activists, local community groups, heritage workers and researchers across South Yorkshire.

picture of a young person's hand, drawing a detailed picture of a cat

42nd Street

Opportunity for young people to help shape the government's forthcoming Cultural Education Plan

Common Vision is working with Arts Council England to conduct research into young people’s views on culture, creativity and cultural education.

People clapping enthusiatically in an audience at an event - one clapping their hands over their head

Inspired Mae Photography https://www.inspiredmaephotography.com/

Creativity & Wellbeing Week 2023

Thanks to you, Creativity & Wellbeing Week was packed with amazing, catalysing events right across the country, and garnered huge interest on social media. Send us photos or videos of your event, and help us understand how the week is working for you...

Help shape the government's cultural education plan

Common Vision is working with Arts Council England to research young people’s views on culture, creativity and cultural education.

Arts & Culture programme officer for Birmingham's Public Health team

Deadline 26 April Birmingham City Council Public Health have an exciting new opportunity for a highly skilled individual to join the Public Health team as a Programme Officer – Arts and Culture. This full-time role will be based within the Communities team of the Healthy Behaviours and Communities sub-division of Public Health.

People flying their handmade Korean kites with Equal Arts under the Angel of the North statue against a grey sky

Equal Arts. Photographer, Dani Giddins

Freelance Opportunity - Help us grow CHWA in the North East

Freelance Contract (4 days across May and June 2023) Fee: £1k Deadline: 5pm on Friday 5 May Are you based in the North East and thrive on connecting the dots? Are you linked into the arts/ heritage and community sector? Do you want to be part of growing a North East culture/health and wellbeing community that is representative of the region?

Arts & Health Hub events, April to June 2023

Collaborations III: Artists & Social Prescribing (in person) 13th April, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Southbank Centre The Arts and Health Hub and the Southbank Centre present their next event focusing on the theme of collaborations. This event focuses on participatory artists working with cultural and health partners within a social prescribing context.

Curating for Change: resources and sector forum

CHWA is thrilled to be part of the The Curating for Change (CfC) Museums Strategic Disability Network – a supportive framework for museum sector organisations and those wit

Job description: Maternity leave cover, national coordinator

Salary: £35,420, full-time (Maternity leave cover) Maternity cover: June to December 2023 (inclusive) Application deadline: 5pm on Monday 24 April

Collaborative community research to tackle health inequalities funding opportunity

Apply for funding to create and test collaborative models for the integration of cultural, community and natural environment assets into health and care systems.

National Creative Health Survey - deadline 6 April 2023

Please complete this survey and send it on to your networks!

Brief for a Designer for a Creative Health Quality Framework - deadline: 5pm Thursday 16 March

You can hear this as an audio file here and download it as a pdf here.

Opportunity: North regional lead for the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance

Job Description: North Regional Lead, Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance Salary: £35,000 pro rata, 0.6FTE (3 days per week)

Opportunity: Administrator for Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance

Job Description: Administrator - Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance Salary: £25,000 pro rata, 0.6FTE (3 days per week) Application deadline: 5pm on Monday 27th February

A group of young people and staff stand in front of a wall with the words Creative Wakefield in coloured letters behind them

Our Earth Your Choice team at Festival of the Earth 2021. Photo by Ant Robling for One to One Development Trust.

The CHWA Awards 2022 Results

On Friday 25th November, we came together with award partners, panellists, shortlisted projects and people from across the sector to celebrate the CHWA Awards 2022 shortlist. We heard uplifting stories of creativity, innovation, compassion and community.

LGA publications on social prescribing

The Local Government Association has produced two significant pieces of guidance focused on the role of social prescribing - and culture and sport in particular in supporting local health priorities and improving health outcomes.

Funding news for the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance

We are acutely aware that along with some great news for socially engaged creative and cultural work, there have also been some We're delighted that Arts Council England has offered to fund us as an Investment Principles Support Organisation in the 2023-6 funding round. We’re proud to be recognised for working with the amazing collective of organisations and freelancers that drives the creative health movement. We are acutely aware that along with some great news for socially engaged creative and cultural work, there have also been some painful disappointments. We’d like to reiterate our offer of support for creative health organisations and freelancers; please get in touch with us direct if you'd like to discuss what might be most useful for you moving forward.

Creative Health Review

The National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing (APPG) Creative Health Review will highlight the potential for creative health to help tackle pressing issues in health and social care and more widely, including health inequalities and the additional challenges we face as we recover from Covid-19.

Creative Lives Awards 2020 and 2021 winners diverse group inside a cathedral celebrating

Tom Wren, Creative Lives

Creative Lives Awards are open for entries!

Calling all creative groups across the UK and Ireland: The annual Creative Lives Awards are now OPEN for entries!

Tomekah George mosaic of different artwork and images

CHWA Awards 2022 Artist: Tomekah George

Sheffield based artist, Tomekah George, to create bespoke artworks for the CHWA Awards 2022 winners

Practising Well Reflections on Conversation events 2022 in black text on a teal/turquoise background

Reflections on the Practising Well Conversation Series by Nicola Naismith

Nicola Naismith reflects on the Practising Well Conversation Series in collaboration with CHWA and supported by the AHRC earlier this year, which provided a vehicle to explore findings from her most recent research with the wider sector.

Artists' Represent Recovery Network poster with funder logos

Artists' Represent Recovery Network: New training programme for ethnically diverse practitioners in London

The Artists’ Represent Recovery Network is a professional development programme open to 10 London-based, freelance, ethnically diverse artists working in arts & health in a participatory or community setting.

Short-term fundraising / development manager for CHWA

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance (CHWA) is looking for a short-term Fundraising and Development Manager to support the organisation between December 2022 and February 2023.

NCCH works with CHWA and LENs to respond to Government mental health and wellbeing plan

The National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) has led a response to the Government’s recent consultation to inform a new 10-year mental health plan, working closely with CHWA and the LENs (lived experience network). The organisations together highlighted the vital role of creative health in preventing, managing and treating mental ill-health and recommended changes that could be made in the healthcare system to make it easier for people to feel its benefits.

Place Making or Making Place, from Age of Creativity

This partnership event was co-devised by colleagues at Keele University, Staffordshire University and Age UK Oxfordshire, as part of the Age of Creativity Festival 2022 and Creative Later Life 2025.

Videos from Creativity & Wellbeing Week (May 2022)

Creativity & Wellbeing Week ran from 16-22 May 2022. You can read about hundreds of organisations' work and events on the main site, here - and watch videos from some of our headline events below. See below for recordings of the following events:

Creative Health Quality Framework

The Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance (CHWA), funded by Arts Council England, is working with arts, health and wellbeing consultant Jane Willis to develop a Quality Framework with the Creative Health sector.

The art of.. Health, Arts, Research, People (‘HARP’)

Rosie Dow, Board Director of the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance and Programme Manager for ‘HARP’ at Nesta, explains what this arts and health innovation programme has been about, and what they’ve learned

Feels like Home ESOL Group, Barnsley Museums- skipping at Cannon Hall

Barnsley Creativity & Wellbeing Week 2022

To coincide with the national event taking place between Monday 16 and Sunday 22 May, Barnsley will be hosting its first-ever Creativity and Wellbeing week led in collaboration by Barnsley Council, the Creativity, Health and Wellbeing Alliance and other key partners.

a small group of people looks at a video screen hung in front of many paintings stacked in a storage space

CHWA Gather In event at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. Image by: Jenny Harper

How do community assets, creative health partnerships and social prescribing tackle health inequalities?

Exploring a new AHRC Research Programme led by Professor Helen Chatterjee The Covid-19 pandemic adversely and disproportionately impacted vulnerable members of society, and highlighted significant inequalities in the UK.

GEM Case Studies #29, Health and Wellbeing

Engagement with museums, heritage sites and other arts and culture organisations has been linked to improved health and wellbeing outcomes for visitors. Studies commissioned by the DCMS, Heritage Alliance, Arts Council and other sector organisations have particularly highlighted benefits for children’s social development, memory function in older age, and wellbeing improvements in adults.

Woman creating shadow shapes on a wall with her hands

University of South Wales

MA Arts Practice (Arts, Health and Wellbeing), University of South Wales

Places are available for the well-established MA Arts Practice (Arts, Health and Wellbeing) course in the heart of Cardiff.

Photo of two people shaking hands, with their hands covered in paint after an art workshop

Arts and Minds workshops in schools (Image courtesy of Sheila Ceccarelli)

Levelling up - how is culture, health and wellbeing connected to the new proposals?

In January 2022 the government released a Policy Paper called Levelling Up the United Kingdom. A response to the widening inequalities in the UK, the authors describe 'levelling up' as "a moral, social and economic programme for the whole of government". The paper sets out to describe a route towards creating "equal opportunities".

CHWA and partners respond to NICE depression guidelines

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance has come together with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing; the LENs (lived experience network), National Centre for Creative Health; WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts & Health; and University College London to submit comments on the new

Alan Howarth speaking to the House of Lords via zoom

Lord Howarth's speeches on amendments to the Health & Social Care Bill

“The cultural and VCSE sectors have a key role to play in reducing health inequalities”

Hidden Lives, Hidden Gems - call for contributions

Hidden Lives, Hidden Gems is looking for contributions from creative practitioners, researchers, artists, academics and others to a workshop symposium programme, which will take place over two days in a central London location.

image shows a group of older people in a radio studio posing with dramatic expressions. There are speakers and a mixing table, a clock showing 11.30am and some posters on the back wall.

Meet Me on The Radio poster, Entelechy Arts. Image credit: Roswitha Chesher

Entelechy Arts and QMUL report: remote arts programmes for older adults

The ‘Discoveries in Distanced Arts: The work, wonder, and wear of remote creative programmes’ report provides insights into the impacts of Covid-19 on cultural and creative sectors and shares learning on how to develop remote creative programmes.

Birmingham City Council Cultural Development Service team up with Birmingham Centre for Art Therapies to support local practitioners

Free support for Birmingham based lead artists and projects working with vulnerable clients when delivering activities against health and wellbeing outcomes in Birmingham.

Elaine Lim Newton

Seeking a co-chair for CHWA – deadline 1 November 2021

We are seeking applications from a health or social care practitioner or researcher with specific expertise in health inequalities, to support our strategic commitment to partnership and equity.

Focus on Black History Month

This month offers a chance to experience events, discussions and more around the country to mark Black History Month. You can watch CHWA's conversation with activist and art therapist Olatunde Spence here:

CreateSpace arts for wellbeing project, Birmingham Museums Trust/Creative Health CIC/Rita Patel

Call Out: CHWA West Mids Regional Champion (Arts) and Steering Group Members

Are you based in the West Midlands region? Are you passionate about culture/health/wellbeing and ready for a new challenge?

Hip Hop Heals Director Call-Out - deadline 8 November

Do you believe in the power of Hip Hop and MC culture to transform health and wellbeing?

SANE Creative Awards Scheme 2021

SANE have launched another round of awards for the SANE Creative Awards Scheme, which offers up to £300 to individuals with mental health conditions (and their carers) to develop their creative potential.

South Asian Heritage Month

Today is the final day of South Asian Heritage Month (18 July to 17 August 2021). As the month closes South Asian Heritage Month on twitter has been focusing on Afghanistan.

A woman and two children walk down a path in a park

Oxford Botanic Garden. Photo by Ian Wallman (2017)

In what ways can museums, gardens and libraries be good for our health?

Exploring how social prescribing within cultural spaces can support older people’s wellbeing: Interim summary report + invitation to end-of-study event on 20 September An interdisciplinary team of researchers has been funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council to carry out a study to address t

Shape of Change- Artwork by Shanali Perera

Call Out: Directors for The Lived Experience Network

For the audio description for this call out created by Mah Rana, please click here.

SICK! Festival Micro Commissions

In July 2021, SICK! Festival has a Micro-commissioning fund of £6000 for 1-3 projects by early career artists in Greater Manchester and the North West.

So Many Beauties- Intercultural Music Project

So Many Beauties Collective

Intercultural Music Showcase as part of South Asian Heritage Month- Thursday 5 August, 6pm - 7.15pm The So Many Beauties Collective weaves a rich tapestry of sounds, drawing on diverse cultural influences.

UKRI funding available for pilot study into cultural and natural assets and health inequalities

Apply for UKRI funding to carry out a pilot study for the Mobilising Cultural and Natural Assets to Combat Health Inequalities programme The study should focus on how to scale up small, local approaches for addressing health inequalities.

History, Health and Happiness Impact Report 2020/21

Victoria Ryves, Programme Manager for Heritage Doncaster, reports on the History, Health and Happiness Impact Report 2020/21 Download the full report here

Seeking a facilitator for conversations about the arts and mental health

Click here for an audio description of the role and application process As part of our Baring Foundation-funded work to understand more about what sustainable practice looks like in mental health and the arts, we are looking for a facilitator to manage and report on a series of meetings this summer.

Letters to the Earth COP campaign

In the run up to the UN climate summit in November, Letters to the Earth (LTTE) is gathering peoples' messages, stories and visions for a better future. Read about how to share your own letter here. LTTE has also built new toolkits for creating your own Letters to the Earth community or education workshop.

Responding to regional health priorities through collaboration in the North East

Zoe Brown and Sophie Mitchell from Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, and Michael Cunliffe from North Tyneside Art Studio discuss their work to tackle local health priorities, including supporting people's mental health through collaborative programmes to make the museums relevant and welcom

Advertisement for Red Earth Collective's Breakaway State event

Joyce Treasure / Red Earth Collective

Two Red Earth Collective events for June

Tuesday 15 June: A screening of a performance art video by Birmingham-based artist Joyce Treasure in response to the global pandemic and Black Lives Matter and Red Earth's Sandra Griffiths' interview with Joyce.

Call for responses: proposed cut to arts in higher education

An Office for Students' survey has been published to consult on government to proposals to separate "High-cost subject funding: performing arts; creative arts; media studies; archaeology", which are not deemed "strategic priorities", and reduce the government subsidy that tops up student fees by 50%.

New online arts festival, DISRUPT, launches 8-9 July 2021

Born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, DISRUPT will reimagine the role of the arts in our society.

Outside Edge Theatre Company’s Check-in/Check-out. Photo credit: Ali Wright)

CHWA 2021 Awards: The Results are revealed

Discover more about the winning, highly commended and shortlisted CHWA 2021 Awards projects and organisations

London Arts and Health launches social prescribing mythbuster and digital sandpit

London Arts and Health (LAAH) and the Mayor of London have launched a myth busting guide to help support the hundreds of grassroots organisations in London to become involved in the London recovery plan.

Covid certification and equalities

A number of groups – including the Museums Association, WhatNext? and David Tovey from Arts and Homelessness International – have drawn attention to the risks of exacerbating inequalities through the process of covid certification to access venues.

Free training using films from The Birth Project

The Birth Project uses the arts to explore the impact of birth, not only on new mothers but on obstetricians, midwives, doulas and birth-partners. The team at Derby University have funding to offer free training sessions/accompanied film viewings which can be tailored for different audiences, such as:

Crucible artwork for Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust (BSUH), commissioned as part of Connect, the 3Ts Hospital Redevelopment Public Art Programme.

New project brings together stories and shared experience of past patients and staff of the Royal Sussex County Hospital

Brighton-based arts collective Nimbus have created a new website and forthcoming permanent artwork to story-tell the rich tapestry of histories of

Responses to the budget from arts and health sectors

A summary of the 2021 Budget can be found here on the government's site.

Orchestras contribute £1.6m to health

The Association of British Orchestras, City of London Sinfonia & Orchestras Live have launched a report, Orchestras in Healthcare, which suggests that orchestras contribute more than £1.6m to the public health sector

image of an empty and partly broken eggshell

Just bounce back i by Sue Flowers 2020

Sustainable practice in mental health and the arts

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance led a 6-month project in 2021-22 funded by the Baring Foundation, to understand how we might help more people and organisations survive and thrive in mental health and the arts. Our advisory group is drawn from organisations around the UK using a range of approaches.

A woman holds a small figure she has made in response to the Beaney's collections

Janet inspired by the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge collections to make figures. Photo: Wendy Daws

Museums on Prescription: Call for Participants

A graduate research study investigating museums on prescription from the perspective of the museum practitioners involved in them. Museums on prescription is part of the rising social prescribing initiative aimed at linking patients with non-medical services and resources for the betterment of their overall health and well-being.

New ESRC Doctoral Studentship in culture-led wellbeing - deadline 5 March

Culture-led wellbeing: investigating the changing skills of the cultural workforce A new ESRC DTP Collaborative Studentship hosted by the University of Leicester and University of Oxford Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM)

National Centre for Creative Health

The National Centre for Creative Health has been formed in response to Recommendation 1 in the Creative Health

A group of people lean on a table and look at old animal bones being laid out by a museum curator

UCL Grant Museum (c) UCL

UCL MASc in Creative Health - launch event and Lecturer post

UCL’s MASc in Creative Health will create a new generation of socially engaged scholars and practitioners to meet the needs of a changing health, social care and voluntary third sector, where personalised care, social prescribing, health inequity and the patient experience are mainstreamed into public health. This programme is the first of its kind in the world, both in terms of the qualification (Masters in Arts & Sciences) and the academic field of study (Creative Health).

'Connection I' (detail) by Norie Hatakeyama. Part of the Paintings in Hospitals collection. © the artist

Calling all creative practitioners, community health professionals, link workers and nature connectors!

CHWA is a partner in the Community COVID Research Project and we would like to learn how you are connecting with people who are vulnerable, isolated, shielding, or from disadvantaged backgrounds. Your experience will help us understand how best to reach the most marginalised members of society.

Mental health during the pandemic

According to mental health charity Mind's analysis of NHS Digital figures, numbers for urgent and emergency referrals of people in crisis increased by 15% between March and July. Read more.

Design the official Christmas card for the Rugby League World Cup 2021

The Rugby League World Cup 2021 has teamed up with Community Integrated Care (a national social care charity) for a compeition – open to anyone who accesses social care – to design the official Christmas card for the tournament.

DCMS Tackling Loneliness Network survey - closing 22 November

Feed into the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Tackling Loneliness Network's task force, exploring how life can be improved for older people during the pandemic.

Hear and Now 2019 in Bedford, co-produced by Orchestras Live and the Philharmonia Orchestra © Beth Walsh

International Music for Social Impact research project - survey (deadline 30 November)

An invitation on behalf of the international Music for Social Impact research project fun

Crisis, Recovery, Reflection and Commemoration

A national arts programme for NHS hospital staff in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Branching Out, artwork by Ruth Flanagan

Call Out for Directors! Join The Lived Experience Network (The LENs)

Do you believe in the power of creativity and culture to transform health and wellbeing? Are you passionate about and committed to amplifying the voice of lived experience and challenging inequality? Do you have the time and expertise to guide a fledgling organisation with co-production at its heart?

Community COVID Survey: What have you been doing?

We are a group of researchers and organisations funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to understand how people have occupied themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Call for case studies: How have culture and creativity been supporting people in health, care and other institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic?

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance is working with partners across culture, health and wellbeing to build evidence of the work being done by creative and cultural practitioners and organisations around the country to support health and wellbeing during Covid-19. We are gathering this information with the following aims:

Submission to House of Lords covid-19 committee on “Life beyond Covid”

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance is a national membership organisation for everyone invested in the relationship between creativity, culture, health and wellbeing. Our vision is a healthy world powered by our creativity and imagination. We are an organisation driven by the collective power of our members.

a photo of equipment from a creativity kit - instructions, scissors, glue, a pencil and sharpener

Jasmine O’Hare for Cut and Stick Together, Arts Development Company

CHWA Annual Survey

We would like to ask you about whether and how you have found the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance useful since our last survey (April 2019).

Dancing in Driveways, Charlotte Armitage

Culture Recovery Funds from DCMS now open

Please see links to the available support and detailed information and guidance on who can apply below:

Singing for Health Network – Bridging Research and Practice and Supporting the Singing for Health Movement

This year will see the launch of a Singing for Health Network for practitioners, researchers and anyone interested or involved in Singing for Health and Well-being. The overarching aim of the Network is to bring Singing for Health intelligence under one roof and forge closer links between research and practice.

COVID-19 Artist Impact Report For Artists Working in Arts & Health

The Arts & Health Hub is a supportive and non-competitive network for artists interested in or working in the arts and health sector.

Artwork by Lorna Collins

Creative Well: A self-care programme for culture, health and wellbeing practitioners based in Yorkshire and Humber

During the Covid 19 emergency many professionals in the culture and health field have pulled out all the stops to support the communities they are close to. Others have lost some or even all of their work or have been disconnected through the furlough scheme. And now, the future is at best uncertain.

Arts, Creativity and Health: Call for Papers - deadline 30 September 2020

Arts, Creativity and Health: A Special Issue for the Journal ‘Public Health’

a woman discusses a picture at the Crocker Museum with a group of seated women

Crocker Museum, Sacramento, California

Can virtual museum experiences help reduce social isolation and chronic pain?

Seeking participants for new online study to find out.

Rising mental health issues in young people

The Royal Society for Public Health and Beatfreaks have both pointed to a rise in mental health concerns amongst young people during covid, based on surveys of 5,000 adults and 1,500 young people respectively. Beetfreaks also learnt that 1 in 5 young people are using creativity to support their mental health.

Call for chapter proposals for ‘Art Psychotherapy: Innovative practice and new perspectives’

‘Art Psychotherapy: Innovative practice and new perspectives’ (working title) aims to capture the range of current activity in the 

Ongoing results from culture, health and wellbeing survey

In April and May 2020, 220 culture, health and wellbeing organisations and practitioners responded to a survey about their work, coordinated by:

Join the What Next? steering group

by Lizzie Crump, What Next? National Strategic Lead

"What I've missed during lockdown" - a colourful image of a hand with words written onto each finger: "not worrying, hugging, feeling carefree"

"What I've missed during lockdown", Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Trust

Evidence we're gathering

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance is gathering evidence of the sector's response to covid. See this page for more information.

Culture, Health & Wellbeing Survey - deadline 9am, Monday 18 May

Results from the survey will be added to this page as we analyse them. --------------

A nurse wearing personal protective equipment

Performing Medicine responds to covid with new resources

Performing Medicine is a charitable organisation delivering creative training programmes for healthcare professionals and students. In the last few days Performing Medicine has published its Circle of Care – "a relational framework for care" – and new guidance for NHS staff wearing PPE, based on advice from actors used to working in heavy costume.

APPG for Creative Diversity call for evidence of what works

The APPG – co-chaired by Baroness Deborah Bull and Chi Onwurah MP – is working with King’s College London, University of Edinburgh and the Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre (led by Nesta) on a year-long project looking at ‘what works’.

Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance priorities (covid-19)

On 26 March we published a brief snapshot report on the culture, health and wellbeing sector and its immediate concerns for the short and longer term.

Recruiting for new Covid-19 social study

UCL Behavioural Science & Health has launched a study into the psychological and social effects of Covid-19 in the UK.

Marmot 10 Years On - What now?

The Health Foundation and the Institute for Health Equity have launched their report Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On, showing that health inequalities are increasing. Culture remains largely absent from its the recommendations, although the report

Invitation to take part in a research study: Alison O'Connor

While great strides have been taken in research into participant experiences of Arts in Health, there has so far been very little exploration of practitioners’ perspectives (Naismith, 2019). This study will investigate the experiences of Arts in Health practitioners/ artists working in health, social care and participatory settings.

Creative Potential CIC

Artist Commission: CHWA 2020 Awards

The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance in partnership with Derby City Council is looking to commission an East Midlands' artist to create artworks for the CHWA 2020 Awards

Bursaries for A Culture of Care

In partnership with Arts Development at Derby City Council we are offering 10 free spaces to attend A Culture of Care to freelance creative practitioners and carers who live, or whose practice, is based in Derby.

Photo by Charlotte Armitage for Creative Recovery

CHWA joins Accelerator programme

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance is joining forces with the Network for Arts, Heritage and Design in Hospitals, Arts & Health South West, and London Arts & Health to be on the new Julie's Bicyle Acceler

Creative and Credible: An Introduction to Arts and Health Evaluation

Summary: This workshop will explore key principles and methodologies for evaluating arts for health and wellbeing programmes, examining the opportunities and challenges linked to embedding evaluation best practice appropriately, creatively and robustly.

International survey of the arts in palliative care - deadline 20 December

The University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine is working with Ulster University to map the range of arts and cultural practices with patients in palliative care internationally.

3rd sector responses to manifestos

Please find responses linked below from: The Museums Association on all the parties' manifestos

A picture of a Parkinson's dance class, led by Pavillion Dance South West

Parkinson's dance class, Pavillion Dance South West

Two new creative ageing publications from the Baring Foundation

The Foundation has published two significant new resources for creative ageing: Around the World in 80 Creative Ageing Projects and

Call for culture case studies relating to early years and new mothers

Deadline: 16 December 2019 A new National Social Prescribing Special Interest Group is calling for case studies focused on activity to support the early years and 1001 days agenda and/or new mothers. The case studies will be used to compile a national handbook for commissioners on how culture can promote wellbeing in these contexts.

New WHO review of evidence published

A new review of evidence has been published by the World Health Organization. The synthesis report, written by Daisy Fancourt and Saoirse Finn "aims to close this awareness gap by mapping the current available evidence in the field of arts and health." The report focuses largely on the WHO European Region and collates results from over 3,000 studies.

Call for evaluations: Repository for Arts and Health Resources (deadline 15 Nov)

The Repository for Arts and Health Resources was originally created by Angus McLewin and Stephen Clift of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, on behalf of the RSPH Special Interest Group for Arts, Health and Wellbeing.

Illustration of a dicsussion about climate change. Key ideas include degrowth and carbon literacy.

Tom Bailey (Arts & Minds Leeds)

Climate and Culture at the Leeds Arts, Health & Wellbeing Network

The Leeds Arts Health and Wellbeing Network (LAHWN) hosted a vibrant and well-attended network event this October and generously offered us a workshop space to explore climate change with members of the network, following up on ideas generated by our

Music & Health: a short review of research and practice

Nick Ewbank Associates were commissioned by Voluntary Arts to produce this review for BBC Music Day 2019. The paper includes discussions of the physiological benefits of music; music and empathy; and the value of music participation for both personal wellbeing and social cohesion. Key findings the paper highlights include

Kyunghee Kwon (program coordinator of the educational community development team at the South Korean Arts and Culture Education Service) with Frances Chiverton and Mitch Robertson at the Beaney

Beaney House of Art & Knowledge

South Korean Arts and Culture Education Service visits the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge

Kyunghee Kwon, program coordinator of the educational community development team at the South Korean Arts and Culture Education Service (KACES), met the Health and Wellbeing team at the Beaney House of Art & Knowledge this September to learn more about their work.

Astronomy: a section through the earth, showing the atmosphere. Engraving. Credit: Wellcome Collection. CC BY

#CHWAdeclares Twitter Chat update

We're summarising here some of the discussions that took place during our first twitter chat – especially for those of you who are not on twitter (or you can find the chat on twitter here).

Graphic illustration of some of the outcomes from the Arts Council's workshops by Zuhura Plummer

Arts Council England / Zuhura Plummer

Response to final draft of ACE strategy

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance's official response to the final draft of Arts Council England's strategy is attached here.

Power and Privilege report from Museums Association

Power and Privilege in the 21st Century Museum was devloped through the Museums Association Transformers: Diversify programme. The report aims to provide practical tools for transforming museums.

Kima: Noise by Analema Group @ Maxilla Space, 2019

KIMA: Noise by Analema Group, 2019

'KIMA: Noise': An interactive installation exploring the effects of noise on wellbeing

How do urban noises affect our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing? From 6-8 September a new participatory art project ‘KIMA: Noise’ will explore the effects of noise on well-being through an interactive installation at Maxilla Space, North Kensington.

New Resource from Kids in Museums & call for museums' ideas

Produced in response to the growth of the youth climate strikes in the UK, this new guide from Kids in Museums is designed to help museums support youth climate activism and collaborate with young people on events, exhibitions and debates. It was produced in partnership with Climate Museum UK, the Happy Museum Project and Julie's Bicycle.

Arts and Minds workshops in schools (Image courtesy of Sheila Ceccarelli)

New briefing for STP and ICS planners

The APPG for Arts, Health & Wellbeing, Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance and Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network have partnered to publish a briefing for Integrated Care System planning.

Age UK Leicestershire & Rutland features Age of Creativity and Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance

The Directors of Age of Creativity and the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance have co-written a new article for Age UK's magazine, EngAGE. Read the article here (p.16)

Image by Ben Gregory

Art and activism project promoting calm in online public space launches on National Relaxation Day

The Slow GIF Movement seeks to make online space more inclusive with gently looping GIFs. Rhiannon Armstrong, supported by The Space and Unlimited, is pleased to announce the launch of The Slow GIF Movement on 15 August 2019, to coincide with National Relaxation Day.

New guide for working in criminal justice

The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance has published new guidance for artists and arts organisations interested in working in criminal justice settings, Enhancing arts and culture in criminal justice settings – a partnership approach.

Place-based health inequalities - a new toolkit from Public Health England

The Health Foundation has published an assessment of the Prevention Green Paper by David Finch.

Update on APPG for Arts, Health & Wellbeing, July 2019

The final regional dissemination events for Creative Health were held in Reading on 2nd May and in Ipswich on 16th May. You can watch the Reading event on YouTube and find out more about both in the APPG Annual Report (see below).

Arts and Minds workshops in schools (Image courtesy of Sheila Ceccarelli)

New collaboration for mental wellbeing in children and young people

"Fullscope" brings together seven organisations who support mental wellbeing in children and/or young people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Fullscope is a 3-year programme to improve provision, establish clearer opportunity pathways, and have national significance in influencing the sector as a whole. The Fullscope consortium is:

New guidance for STP/ICS planning

The APPG for Arts, Health & Wellbeing and Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance have produced new guidance for for STP and ICS Planning, available here.

cover of the new draft strategy for Arts Council England

ACE publishes new draft strategy - consultation opens 1 July

We envisage a country transformed by its culture and at the same time, constantly transforming it: a truly creative nation in which we all can play our part. (Shaping the Next Ten Years: Draft strategy for consultation, p.6)

Climate protests on Waterloo Bridge, April 2019

Climate Change: Our Emergency Declaration & additional resources

We invite members' comments on our draft declaration and resources. Read more here

Elaine Bedell, Chief Executive of the South Bank Centre, introduces the Creative Health conference

Thank you for Creativity & Wellbeing Week!

Over 500 events later and Creativity & Wellbeing Week is officially a national festival...

Culture, Health and Wellbeing International Conference: 21-23 June 2021

The Culture, Health and Wellbeing international conference (CHW21) is on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd June 2021. During the global crisis, the arts and creativity have helped us navigate uncertainty and been agents of hope. The conference will provide a space for exploring our individual and collective experiences and articulating a vision for the future. Our conference themes are Inequality, Power and Sustainability.

Joseph Mallord William Turner

Look at Paintings: a free-to-use website that combines Mindful meditation with Art Appreciation

'Look at Paintings', a free website which innovatively partners techniques of Mindful meditation with Art Appreciation, with the aim of producing immediate benefits to the viewer, has now gone live.

Creative Industries Federation logo

Public Investment, Public Gain report

The Creative Industries Federation and Arts Council England have together launched a new report, Public Investment, Public Gain. The report makes case for the central role that public investment in arts and culture plays generating commercial returns across the economy.

Close up Photo of a person drawing on a table as part of Creative Health CIC’s Still Lively Programme (Celebrating Age, ACE/Baring Foundation)

Creative Health CIC’s Still Lively Programme (Celebrating Age, ACE/Baring Foundation), image by Ming De Nasty

National Writing Day and creative writing survey

Wednesday 26 June is National Writing Day, led by First Story - a national literacy charity, working with 55 partner organisations. #nationalwritingday

The Life Zone Gallery at Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds

Museums and wellbeing - an untapped resource

The Art Fund's new Calm and Collected report has set out the ways in which museums could - and already do - impact our wellbeing. The report is based on a survey of over 2,500 adults in the UK, as well as a small number of in-depth interviews. It assesses rising levels of stress and anxiety across the UK, and the difficulties we have in creating space for ourselves.

New high street heritage fund

A new £62 million fund has been announced by Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright. The fund will support heritage in high streets. The funding includes:

Messages left on the grass wall in 'Nature Calls' - the finale exhibition of Paintings in Hospitals 'Art in Large Doses' project - Photo by Glenn Michael Harper

10th Hippocrates International Poetry and Medicine Conference and Awards

Friday 17 May, Newcastle Centre for Life

Call for papers: Creative Health through the Age Span

In January 2018, Perspectivesin Public Health published a Special Issue on Arts, Health & Wellbeing focusing on the content of presentations from the Culture, Health & Wellbeing International Conference held in Bristol in June, 2017.

Launch of NZ's Te Ora Auaha: Creative Wellbeing Alliance

Te Ora Auaha: Creative Wellbeing Alliance was launched launched in April 2019 by Carmel Sepuloni, New Zealand Minister of Social Development and Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage. Te Ora Auaha: Creative Wellbeing Alliance Aotearoa is made up of individuals, groups and organisations across the arts, health, youth, social and education sectors.

Mental health in the cultural sector

Creative Freedom has published a Manifesto for Mental Health in Arts Professional to address the difficulties of maintaining mental health in creative and cultural careers. Colin Beesting, founder of Creative Freedom, says

Breathe Arts Health Research, Melodies for Mums 2018 - photo by Leigha Fearon

Summary report from annual survey

A sincere thank you to everyone who filled out the Alliance's annual survey. You can find a summary report here. In total 99 people filled out the annual survey. We do not have permission to share comments publicly, so we have just included statistics here.

Responses to ACE strategic framework published

Responses to Arts Council England’s strategic proposals for 2020-2030 have been published by the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance, the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance, and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Arts, Health and Wellbeing. A number of the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance’s partners are also signatories on its response.

Framing the Future, Paintings in Hospitals

Framing the Future debate chaired by Ed Vaizey

What is the past, present and future role of arts in health? As part of Paintings in Hospitals' 60th anniversary celebrations, the organisation is convening a panel to consider the past pioneers and future innovations of visual arts in health and social care.

Susie Tate projects, photo by Carrie Calvert

New network for arts, heritage and design in hospitals

A new national network has been set up for anyone who takes responsibility for arts, heritage and design in hospitals. The group is being hosted by the NHS national performance advisory group and letters will be sent to all hospital arts managers in the UK and all NHS trusts for people to sign up.

A drawing by Fabric Lenny from the Cultures of Health and Wellbeing conference

Fabric Lenny (made for the Cultures of Health and Wellbeing conference 21-22 March)2019

First Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance annual survey

We are thrilled that over 3,600 of you have signed up to be members of the Alliance and receive this monthly bulletin. This is our first annual survey. To help us support you, please fill out this short survey, which covers general questions about the Alliance, its new website and the bulletin.

Tin Arts performing at Cultures of Health & Wellbeing (21-22 March 2019, Great North Museum: Hancock)

Cultures of Health & Wellbeing

The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance's first annual conference ended with a bang - a whole load of bangs in fact - on 21 and 22nd March at Great North Museum: Hancock, with a performance from The Lawnmowers Beat This!

David Shrigley

Update on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing for the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance – January 2019

Alex Coulter, Director of Arts & Health South West, continues to provide the secretariat and project management for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing (APPG), on behalf of the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance.

Errol Francis speaks about the meanings of the word 'culture'

Errol Francis delivering his keynote at Cultures of Health and Wellbeing

‘Cultures of Health and Wellbeing’ – Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums – 21-22 March 2019

The Alliance ‘s first annual conference, Cultures of Health and Wellbeing was held at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums in Newcastle on the 21st and 22nd March 2019.

David Shrigley, Sing Your Song

Creativity & Wellbeing Week 10-16 June 2019

London Arts in Health Forum and the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance are working together to expand Creativity and Wellbeing Week into a national event, building on its enormous success across London. Creativity and Wellbeing Week 2019 will run from 10-16 June 2019.