Creativity and Wellbeing Week returns to Suffolk with 'Critical Hope' theme
People across Suffolk are being invited to take part in Creativity and Wellbeing Week this week, with organisers framing the arts as essential to tackling the region's health challenges.
that Why it matters: Organisers say new national research shows that people in the UK are now living fewer years in good health than a decade ago, with many experiencing illness well before retirement age – and in the most disadvantaged communities, people can face up to 20 fewer years of good health than those in the wealthiest areas.
The theme: This year's Creativity and Wellbeing Week is built around the concept of "Critical Hope", which organisers say reflects the importance of finding practical solutions to difficult challenges. Local leaders argue that creativity is one of those solutions.
What they're saying: Natalie Jode, Executive Director of Creative Arts East, said: "We know that creativity changes lives. It brings people together, reduces loneliness and helps people feel more confident and connected.
"At a time when many people are facing declining health, creativity offers something incredibly powerful – a way to start well, stay well, and age well. That's what Critical Hope looks like in action."
The details: The week is being supported regionally by the Norfolk & Suffolk: Region of Creative Health programme, which brings together organisations from health, local government and the arts.
According to organisers, its aims are to:
- Help people stay well for longer
- Support those living with long-term conditions
- Reduce loneliness and isolation
- Make creative opportunities available to more people
By the numbers: Organisers say arts workshops with older people in Norfolk over the last decade – including those living with dementia, long-term conditions or loneliness – have shown evidenced benefits including improved wellbeing, stronger social connections and reduced isolation.
New research from University College London, published on 11 May, found that taking part in arts and cultural activities, such as making music or visiting galleries, can slow the pace of ageing, with benefits the researchers say are similar to regular exercise.
The bigger picture: The week sits within a wider £1 million project led from the Ipswich waterfront by DanceEast and the Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board, which is testing whether embedding creative activity into NHS and social care services can help prevent and manage long-term conditions across the region.
Oliver Rouane-Williams
In April, Arts Council England awarded £350,000 to the two-year Norfolk and Suffolk: Region of Creative Health project, which organisers say is the first of its kind in the UK. It forms part of a 10-year vision to establish creativity and cultural participation as core health behaviours for people in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Other partners delivering the wider programme include Britten Pears Arts, Creative Arts East, Suffolk Artlink, Suffolk Community Libraries, Suffolk County Council, the University of Suffolk and the Suffolk and Northeast Essex Integrated Care Board.
The bottom line: Creativity and Wellbeing Week runs from 18–24 May, with organisers across Suffolk using the "Critical Hope" theme to push the message that the arts are not just enjoyable, but essential to health and wellbeing.
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