Denbighshire Leisure Ltd’s Community Arts team are delighted to be announced as one of only 9 organisations to have been awarded funding from the new lottery funded Arts, Health and Wellbeing Fund.
The new Arts, Health and Wellbeing fund has been created to prioritise the support of better mental health and wellbeing through the Arts, to tackle health inequalities, support improved physical health following the pandemic, and support the wellbeing of staff within the arts and health sectors. Funding is open to organisations working together across the arts, health, social care and third sectors.
Arts Council of Wales Chair, Phil George said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, and the money they raise each week for good causes, we’ve been able to create this new fund which supports innovative responses to opportunities in arts, health and wellbeing. This is an area that is becoming increasingly important to the health sector and is a strategic priority for the Arts Council of Wales.”
The company’s Community Arts team will be using the funding to deliver two programmes within the Denbighshire area; Arts on Prescription, a programme for people living with complex mental health conditions and Creative Conversations, which will involve the creation of early intervention arts groups in community settings for those who are socially isolated and/or part of marginalised groups. Referrals will be via collaboration with social service, primary care and third sector organisations, and the team will work in partnership with Wrecsam Glyndwr University to evaluate the project and capture the benefits that taking part in creative activity can have on mental health and wellbeing.
Arts and Health lead and Arts Council Portfolio Manager, Sally Lewis said: “We were thrilled by the wealth of imaginative proposals submitted to our new fund and are delighted to be able to support nine excellent projects in all parts of Wales. We received 26 partnership applications for the first round of this fund in May, with the total requests far exceeding the available funds of £300,000. It highlights the growing interest in how the arts can contribute to improving people’s health and wellbeing in new and meaningful ways.”
Jamie Groves, Managing Director of Denbighshire Leisure Ltd said “We are thrilled to have been successful in our application for this brand new funding. Supporting vulnerable members of society through the Arts is a key priority for our Community Arts team, and the exceptional work they deliver has been highlighted as good practice within the Arts sector on a number of occasions. This funding will allow them to further develop their work within our communities, and to support residents of Denbighshire in improving their health and wellbeing, something that is at the forefront of our minds after the challenges of the pandemic.”
