2011
Dance for Falls Prevention evaluation
(Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire)
Dance group; photo: Eleanor Babb
The Dance for Falls Prevention group has been running at the Brewhouse Arts Centre in Burton on Trent for three years, led by professional dance artists and supported by an occupational therapist. The group is a partnership project between the Arts Development service of East Staffordshire Borough Council and South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT).
Participants are referred by the Falls Team of the PCT for 12 sessions and can then choose to stay if they wish, attending up to 40 sessions per year. The average age of participants is 80 years old.
I was asked to carry out an impact evaluation of the dance group and make recommendations for how it could be developed in future.
Download the evaluation: Dance for Falls Evaluation August 2011
See case study about the group on Creative Remedies: http://www.creative-remedies.org.uk/CaseStudy.aspx?cid=8
Wolverhampton Arts & Heritage, which supported the evaluation, has developed a speciality in working with the arts and social care in the West Midlands region. For further information, see their website: www.artsinmind.org.uk
2010
Arts on Prescription Project (Arts & Minds, Cambridgeshire)
Arts on Prescription exhibition
The aim of the Arts on Prescription pilot project was to establish whether there was a demand for the service in Cambridgeshire and whether it would be of benefit to participants experiencing mild to moderate depression, anxiety and stress.
It was set up by Cambridge-based arts and mental health charity Arts & Minds, an organisation with considerable experience of working with mental health service users to provide participatory arts activities in both the community and institutional settings.
Funding of £60,000 was received from the Transformation Fund, launched by Government to open up innovative informal adult learning projects in England.
I was the project researcher and completed an evaluation, a copy of which can be downloaded below.
See photos of the celebration event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36516115@N02/sets/72157623708191727/
Artwork and poetry produced by participants:
Download the full project evaluation: Arts on Prescription Cambridgeshire Final Evaluation
Download a leaflet about the scheme: Arts_on_Prescription_Leaflet
Download the referral form (for information only): AoP_Referral_form
A short video featuring staff and participants talking about the programme:
http://www.artsandminds.org.uk/programmes/community/index.html
2009
Orpington Hospital Canadian History Project
Artwork by Joyce Dennys
From 1917-1919 more than 15,000 wounded soldiers were treated at the Ontario Military Hospital, later the 16th Canadian General Hospital in Orpington, Kent, a collection of huts constructed by the government of Ontario. In its heyday, the Canadian Hospital in Orpington was one of the largest and most up-to-date military hospitals in the world; in 1919 the site was considered important enough to merit a visit from King George V and Queen Mary. The ‘temporary’ buildings were demolished in the 1980s and the site’s history survived only in names – Canada Wing, Ontario Ward, the ‘Canadian Corner’ in the graveyard of All Saints’ Church.
After carrying out a period of intensive fundraising, I worked with specialists Hospital Art Studio to produce a photographic history panel that tells the story of the Canadian Hospital.
Download press release (Word doc): Armistice_Orpington
Download project pdf: The_Canadian_Hospital_mural_text
Photos of the launch on 6th November 2009 on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodgate_design/sets/72157623845361142/
View the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news feature on the project: http://vimeo.com/7979870
Download map of the Canadian sites in Orpington: Ontario_Map
