A national research partnership has received £2.4 million to deliver a programme to build the systems, connections and skills to ensure that people in coastal towns have the best possible access to community cultural and creative resources. We know that creative community organisations, groups and activities greatly benefit our health, but these are not always embedded into health policy and commissioning in local government and the NHS.
The focus in the South East is on Hastings, which like many coastal towns, has a rich cultural and creative heritage but relatively poor health outcomes. Similar work will be taking place in Weston-super-Mare and Blackpool.
Professor Lindsay Forbes, Public Health Theme Lead for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex (ARC KSS) is leading the South East England arm of the project, with Dr Lucy Selman (University of Bristol) in the South West and Dr Barbara Mezes (University of Liverpool) in the North West. The collaborative team in the South East includes the University of Brighton, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, East Sussex County Council, Hastings Borough Council and community organisations.
We will promote health system change by generating what is needed to embed community creativity:
- increasing the visibility of creative and community groups and strengthening collaboration and shared purpose between them
- developing a shared understanding of local inequalities in health and wellbeing across all organisational sectors and the benefits of creative and community groups for health
- building ways of working between these groups, the NHS and local government
- enhancing skills and knowledge for creativity in the community and the organisations serving it.
The team plans to develop a ‘how-to’ guide to embedding creativity into coastal communities and local systems, leading to improved health and wellbeing.
The project is funded by UK Research and Innovation under Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities programme, which aims to improve health through access to culture, nature and community.
Professor Forbes said: ‘This is an exciting opportunity to build the framework that will embed creative community activities into the health system. It is important that cultural and creative activities are recognised as a ‘must-do ‘for health and wellbeing and that the system promotes access to these.’
