The National Centre for Creative Health Health (NCCH)'s symposium on Creative Health in Neighbourhoods
The National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) team was very pleased to be involved in Healing Arts Birmingham which ran from Monday 22nd June to Friday 26th June, the first city-wide Healing Arts activation in England. Building on the success of the second Healing Arts Scotland, the week before it was lovely to hear from Catherine Cassidy-Dedics at the launch event in Birmingham. Catherine trained as a dancer and started her arts and health journey in Birmingham before returning to Scotland to work for Scottish Ballet and from there to taking on her current role as Global Director of Healing Arts. At the launch we were introduced to the wonderful poet laureate for Birmingham, Ayan Aden. Ayan went on to create a poem in response to the whole week which she performed to great acclaim at the closing ceremony on the Friday. It was very joyful to hear, and participate in, performances by the Halas Homes Sing and Sign Choir, Sampad South Asian Arts and Heritage, and B:Music's 'Tea and Jam' group, which offers music making activities for unpaid carers and vulnerable adults. They set the scene, and the tone, for a week of inclusive and celebratory activities and events that aim to tackle health inequalities and embed creative practice at the heart of public life.
On the Monday afternoon, NCCH Director, Alex, co-chaired a roundtable with Stephen Stapleton, Director of Jameel Arts and Health Lab, to discuss the policy briefing and recommendations from a recent parliamentary roundtable with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Creative Health. On the Friday, NCCH delivered an event supported by the Public Health team at Birmingham City Council, which explored 'Creative Health in Neighbourhoods'. Following a panel, Q&A and presentation about Birmingham-centre research from the Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities (MCA) programme, the audience were invited to break out into discussions on topics ranging from Equity and Inclusion in the Creative Health workforce, to Tackling Health Inequalities across the city. The breakouts were led by local pioneering Creative Health leaders, Sandra Griffiths, Laura Breakwell, Zoya Ahmed, Sophie Beckett, Regan McDonald, Tom Jones, Gurminder Sehint, and Jasmine al-Azawie who we thank for their support. These discussions will help inform the second phase of the MCA research and, we hope, support the Council in its development of a Creative Health Framework for the city. For anyone who was unable to attend the event, the research project is also inviting contributions from creative health providers from Birmingham via an online questionnaire.
The festival also provided an opportunity to see colleagues from the MCA programme, Dr Elaine Ryan-McNeill and Uisce Cooney Newton, present their work on health economic evaluation for creative health, highlighting the growing importance of demonstrating value alongside lived experience and practice-based evidence.
Between the Monday and Friday other members of the team joined events including a webinar exploring the contribution that creative health can make to public mental health. It was encouraging to hear such a strong evidence base for what many of us see every day: that creativity can help people build confidence, connect with others, express difficult emotions and find new ways forward through challenging times. Alongside inspiring examples of creative writing supporting recovery from workplace trauma and projects using lived experience to promote hope and suicide prevention, there was thoughtful discussion about the importance of quality, safety and ensuring people receive the right support at the right time. The webinar was a timely reminder that as creative health continues to grow, our greatest strength lies in combining the power of creativity with strong partnerships, shared learning and a commitment to high-quality practice that benefits everyone.
At the Creative Health in Action: People, Practice and Partnerships event, discussions explored what it takes to make creative health genuinely inclusive. Speakers shared practical insights from work with LGBTQ+ communities, learning disabled dancers and community arts programmes, highlighting the importance of belonging, autonomy and creating environments where people feel welcomed rather than simply invited. Alongside powerful creative performances, a second panel turned attention to the wellbeing of the creative health workforce itself, recognising that supporting practitioners is essential if creative health is to be sustained and scaled.
The Creative Health Region: Policy and Practice event considered how creative health can move from inspiring local projects to becoming part of wider systems. A keynote from Dr William Bird MBE reflected on health creation, outdoor environments and the contribution that dance and arts can make to healthier places. Panel discussions then brought together perspectives from regional government, public services, and charities to explore how creative health can influence policy, commissioning and delivery. The conversation then made space for practitioners and artists to reflect on the realities of delivering this work, discussing both the barriers they encounter and their ambitions for the future of creative health across the West Midlands.
National Arts in Hospitals Network at Healing Arts Birmingham demonstrated the continued importance of creativity within healthcare settings, while also acknowledging the financial pressures facing hospital arts programmes nationally. Presentations showcased the diverse work taking place across Midlands Metropolitan Hospital and Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, illustrating how artists contribute to patient experience, staff wellbeing and the creation of welcoming care environments. A presentation from Hospital Rooms introduced the importance of visually dynamic built environments in care spaces, their upcoming arts in mental health framework, and the use of methods such as photovoice to co-create with patients. The session concluded with a powerful Forum Theatre performance, developed with community researchers from the University of Birmingham, which invited participants to reflect on inequalities in maternity care and consider how creative methods can help surface lived experience and stimulate meaningful dialogue around change. It came on the same day as the release of the Amos report into maternity and neonatal services, which made for a timely and provocative discussion.
These events represent only a small sample of a packed programme, which also included Punjabi folk singing, a men's health performance evening for fathers and sons, arts in prisons, CreaTech showcases, collaborative stitching and conversation sessions, story exchanges, brain health events, Windrush-themed activities, faith, arts and healing discussions, and much more. Across the week, a recurring theme was that creative health is built through relationships, and we believe that Healing Arts Birmingham provided countless opportunities for those connections to grow.
