We've long believed that Gloucestershire's charities, community groups and social enterprises are stronger working together than apart and we are delighted to share that we are one of nine VCSE organisations, alongside NHS Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire County Council, who've come together to launch the Gloucestershire Infrastructure Collaborative.

Ready to be inspired? Discover how a pioneering group in Gloucestershire is transforming the landscape of health through collaboration. The HCT Co-lab isn't just a programme; it's about building a fairer, healthier future, together.

The HCT Co-Lab is a personal development programme all about creating the conditions in Gloucestershire for fairer health. Amy Aitkens, one of the HCT Co-lab participants, reflects on her time on the programme.

Pippa, CG’s founder and director and Naomi Draper, CEO and Artistic Director of GL4, attended the Creative Health APPG ( All Party Parliamentary Group) hosted by Stroud MP Simon Opher. Read Pippa’s key takeaways.

Welcome to our new board members bringing a wealth of experience to the team. Anne has worked in broadcasting and journalism and led the University of Gloucestershire School of Creative Industries. Jacqueline is a coach and writer and will be our voice for nature, supporting innovative approaches designed to engage creative practitioners, community groups to address the intertwined ecological and climate crises that we are grappling with.

Pippa Jones, CG’s founder and director was speaking at the Culture, Health & Wellbeing (CHWP) Alliance Conference in Barnsley as part of a panel convened to discuss how arts organisations and the health sector can work better together.

Find out more about the Off we Go project and the impact joining in with the activities had on those taking part.

This is the question that sits behind our Create Health strand - a series of test projects to develop and understand how to live well.  Our experience in Gloucestershire and evidence drawn from practice across the UK and internationally, confirms that arts, creativity and culture are a fundamental part of living well.

Creative Age is an arts-based, social community project for people living with dementia and their carers who still live independently. Participants take part in focused creative group sessions facilitated by experienced artists, exploring imaginatively with collective story-making, seated movement, dance, music, visual stimuli and poetry, with content driven by the participants’ interests. Before the pandemic, creative sessions were followed by socialising over tea and cake, hosted and coordinated by Bethesda Church and committed volunteers (who also support the artist-led sessions).

Over the last year (both pre and post covid!) Ruth Davey has been running mindful photography courses across Gloucestershire to improve the mental health of the participants. This mindful approach to photography uses a blend of photography, mindfulness and being in nature to slow down, reduce stress and relieve anxiety and depression.

We were delighted to be part of the Arts & Health South West Conference in November 2020 and to be part of this podcast series of stories recorded on the day. The stories speak of the incredible challenges experienced during the last year from the Hospital, Medical School, & Care Home, as well as amazing examples of how artists & the cultural sector rose to those challenges

Collaborating with the University of Gloucestershire fashion design course, ex students, lecturers and course leaders, ACP, Create Gloucestershire, Dressing for Medics, and Emma Willis we quickly mobilised an efficient and skilled set of volunteers who could cut, sew, pack and deliver garments to approved NHS standards and fit.

Back in July, I attended the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance Meeting with 30 people from across the UK. Each of the organisations attending provided an update on their current projects from AHSW’s Art’s and Health mapping to social prescribing and the latest research into loneliness and social isolation. This blog provides a snapshot of the event with links to further reading and networks if you’d like to find out more about any of the organisations or projects discussed.

Hi I am Lucy Garrett and I manage the lead consortia partner Art Shape. I wanted to just briefly talk about how the Gloucestershire Co-production consortia model works.

I am watching with admiration as the food sector responds to the Covid-19 crisis. Top notch chefs, take away restaurants, food banks, community kitchens, street based teams of neighbours, van drivers all now working together in radical and innovative ways.

We caught up with Carrie Creamer to find out more about her role as Project Manager for arts on prescription - working alongside arts organisations delivering programmes in Glos - as well as her own chance encounter in a hospital setting which delivered a moment of joy amongst the worry and waiting.

This Arts & Health Creative Lab will explore Arts and Health and Arts on Prescription* with a focus on Gloucestershire’s delivery. We will share experiences from a number of different arts and health providers from the perspectives of practice and evidence.