​ENRICHING LIVES WITH CREATIVITY...

Co-ordinated by OutPost Arts, 'DG Creative Wellbeing' is a ground-breaking regional programme of artistic and cultural opportunities, events and activities that enhance people’s wellbeing, communities, and healthcare environments. 

In 2021-22, following the successful delivery of a pilot creative prescribing project in Langholm during lockdown, and with support from SOSE, NHS Endowment Fund and Holywood Trust, OPA carried out a 6-month research and development project to map existing creative wellbeing strategies and stakeholders, scope opportunities, and potential partnerships and identify and co-design next steps via engagement and consultation.

The project marked a significant step forward for creative wellbeing in D&G, with key strategic and delivery partnerships formed as a result. Through these new relationships, we accessed target participant groups – allowing us to pin-point needs, understand barriers and inequalities, and create responsive programmes of activities. 

This work resulted in ‘DG Creative Wellbeing’ – a ground-breaking programme of impactful arts activities, projects events, and interventions across D&G, working in communities, care and healthcare settings, with support from an alliance of funders – National Lottery Community Fund, The Holywood Trust, The Robertson Trust, Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund and Dumfries & Galloway Health Board Endowment Fund.  

OutPost Arts have formed an important partnership with NHS D&G, coordinating an embedded Art in Healthcare programme across various healthcare sites supported by D&G Health Board Endowment Fund. A regional cross-sector Creative Wellbeing Network has also been established – creating an accessible platform to share and discuss creative wellbeing themes, nurture collaboration, and amplify art and culture’s important connection to health and wellbeing in our region. 

At a glance, DG Creative Wellbeing - 
  • Opens up access to arts/culture opportunities for people experiencing barriers and inequalities, such as disability, poor mental or physical health, isolation, trauma, and poverty or low income – enhancing health and wellbeing and building confidence and resilience.
  • Embeds art into healthcare and residential care environments, supporting the wellbeing of people giving and receiving care.
  • Gives voice to people with personal experience of disability, stigma, exclusion, poor mental or physical health, isolation, poverty or low income, and/or trauma.
  • Works in partnership with stakeholders (including people with lived experience) to form a connected vision for creative health and wellbeing in D&G, increasing opportunities for cross-sector and partnership working.
  • Promotes learning, skills-development, creative enterprise and employability.
  • Generates and disseminates creative health and wellbeing news, opportunities and resources
  • Inspires new ideas and approaches, connecting D&G’s art and culture sector to creative health and wellbeing opportunities.
  • Raises awareness and understanding around art’s positive impact on health and wellbeing.  

READ OUR PILOT CARE PROJECT REPORT!

READ OUR MANIFESTO FOR CREATIVE WELLBEING IN d&g!