We want to enable the community to develop their creative health & wellbeing offer by working with groups grown out of the Kirkham Futures Health & Wellbeing project. We will deliver new creative health workshops, which will be led by the interests of community groups & inspired by the cultural heritage of the area; both the built & natural environment. We will meet fortnightly in heritage and cultural venues in the town and arrange at least three group study visits to cultural venues in Lancashire such as the Lancashire Archives & Queen Street Mill, Burnley. We will work with voluntary and community wellbeing groups in the town to provide mentoring and support, enabling individuals to take on key roles in order to take this work to another level. Ensuring our partners take the lead we will organise a celebratory Creative Health & Wellbeing Festival for the town and showcase the wealth of talent in the area through an exhibition and the publication of a Kirkham Thrives book.

What we'll deliver:

• Regular creative health workshops
• Mentoring and support for volunteer group leaders
• Visits to heritage and cultural sites
• A Creative Health & Wellbeing Festival
• An exhibition of new artworks produced by participants
• A new book about the creative health & heritage of the area

Why it's a great idea:

Based on consultation & evaluation of the pilot Phoenix Rising project in Kirkham, & evidence from other similar creative health projects; the Kirkham Thrives project will foster community spirit & individual wellbeing through: • increased regular & meaningful access to arts, cultural & heritage opportunities, & develop & sustain existing assets & spaces • enable greater ownership, advocacy & self-determination, led by the interests, involvement & shared endeavours of the community • increase volunteering, confidence, skills & learning opportunities • provide social & intergenerational creative health opportunities for people to connect, come together & help to reduce isolation & loneliness. It will build on the successful work of the Phoenix Rising & Kirkham Treasures programmes. It will help towards addressing the urgent need for affordable & accessible spaces for creativity for local communities made by the Creative Lives Charity in their Spaces for creativity 2024 report.

Steps to get it done:

• Community workshop delivery & training
• Community cultural visits
• Creative Health & Wellbeing Festival
• Publication of Kirkham Thrives Book

The National Centre for Creative Health defines Creative Health as 'creating the conditions & opportunities for arts, creativity & culture to be embedded in the health of the public'. This project builds upon successful work delivered by the Phoenix Rising partnership as part of Kirkham Futures. The project will be led by community volunteers who have already shown that they are keen to learn and develop their understanding & practical use of how art & culture can support community wellbeing. In 2023 a consultation on what Kirkham needs to thrive: 'Our Community Inheritance' was held, this helped the community to decide what happens next to support community & individual wellbeing in the area. One of the key interests shown by the community was working towards developing a local hub; this will support the steps needed to move towards this. We hope this project will have a catalyst effect & provide an anchor of sustainability for cultural health and wellbeing delivery in the area.