A health and wellbeing organisation is partnering with Community Hubs across Cornwall to enable better access to creative activities, bringing a wealth of benefits. 

Arts Well CIC is working with nine Community Hubs throughout the Duchy to deliver creative activities to improve people’s health and wellbeing. 

Alongside other services already offered by the Hubs, Arts Well’s Community Hubs Partner Project will enable opportunities for people to meet and connect with others, learn new skills and build confidence through arts-based activities. Sessions are designed to support people experiencing mental or physical ill health, as well as other challenges, in order to improve health and wellbeing through creative workshops.

Olivia Beckwith, development director for Arts Well UK CIC based in Penryn, explains: “Creative health practitioners will deliver regular sessions across Cornwall through our Community Hubs Partner Project. They will include mixed age groups, youth groups, groups for older people and groups for families, all with the aim of improving health and wellbeing in areas with highest deprivation.

“There is a huge amount of evidence to support the positive impact that creative activities can have on people’s health. We want to reduce loneliness, isolation and improve mental wellbeing, by enabling connections and strong relationships to be built through art-based activities.” 

Arts Well is aiming to deliver 248 sessions, recruiting and supporting 20 volunteers, across 13 groups and reaching 200 beneficiaries. 

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for economy, said: “The Community Levelling Up Programme is focussed on helping communities tackle deprivation and work together to include and involve all our residents. This project will enable more people to access arts and culture activities which research shows are important for our health and wellbeing.” 

Group creative activities will run weekly or monthly with creative practitioners sharing ideas, materials and learning, via a range of creative media – to include arts, crafts, music, theatre, writing and digital media. 

Community Hubs with activities already underway include Bosavern Community Farm in St Just, Camborne Cluster of Churches St Martin and St Meriadoc, All Saints, as well as Downderry Methodist Church in Deviock, Launceston and Hayle Libraries, Dracaena Centre in Falmouth and CN4C in St Austell and Redruth.