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).

Aimee is currently on a creative leadership programme with Gloucester Culture Trust, working for Gloucestershire Libraries and for two days a week at Strike A Light. She helps engage with people through creative projects based in libraries across Gloucester. 

We caught up with her 3 months into her traineeship…

In March 2019, Gloucester Culture Trust launched the Creative Leadership Trainee Programme. The aim: to nurture the future creative leaders of today.

The programme has created four full-time, year-long jobs within four of Gloucester’s creative organisations, all of which are fully funded by the Creative Entrepreneurs strand of the city’s Great Place project. This area of our work, which we call JOLT, is about creating opportunities and a supportive space which enables people to work and make a living in the creatives industries, right here in Gloucester.