Developing More Creative Ways to Improve Health

Residents across Reading are already benefitting from ways to improve their health through getting involved in creative activities – and now a successful funding bid is set to see opportunities extended across the area.

People’s health can be affected by many different factors – ‘creative health’ seeks to benefit health and wellbeing through activities such as the visual and performing arts, crafts, cooking or working in the great outdoors.

Creative health can contribute to the prevention of ill-health, promotion of healthy behaviours and management of long-term conditions.

Reading Borough Council has teamed up West Berkshire Council, Wokingham Borough Council, the local NHS and the voluntary sector to become one of only six health and care systems in the country to be initially selected for the National Centre for Creative Health’s Creative Health Leads programme. This is eventually likely to be extended to up to 30 systems.

The programme will provide two-years’ funding for the new role of a Creative Health Lead who will be able to oversee the development of creative health activities in the area. Funding for the programme has been provided by Arts Council England and The Baring Foundation.

Rachel Eden, Lead Councillor for Public Health at the Council, said:

“It’s so exciting to be one of the first areas in the country to take part in this project to explore the opportunities presented by the arts and culture to improve health. We know that art and culture can make a huge difference to people’s health, whether it’s visual and performing arts, crafts, film, literature, cooking and gardening.

“The new Creative Health Lead will be able to work across our neighbourhoods to better connect arts, culture and health, making creativity part of everyday support for people whether to improve their mental or physical health.”

Reading has already hosted several creative health schemes – these include Creative Lives, the Creative Business Hub and CODE urban theatre. Partners in creative health schemes include Create Reading: The Cultural Education Partnership, the Museum of English Rural Life and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Reading). Part of the new programme funding will enable the Creative Health Lead to assess the impact of such projects.

Dr Nick Broughton, Chief Executive Officer of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West and Frimley Integrated Care Boards, adds:

“This funding is a welcome step in helping us build on the strong partnership working already happening across Berkshire West. Bringing creative health into our neighbourhood teams will give people more ways to stay well and connected, particularly those who don’t always find traditional services easy to access. It’s a practical way for us to support communities, ease pressure on services, and make creativity part of everyday health and care.”

Media Contact: Jonathan Cross: jonathan@bluelozenge.co.uk