Sophie O’Connor is one of the key people involved in a new Arts Council England-funded project, Norfolk & Suffolk: Region of Creative Health – the first of its kind in the UK. Here, the Producer for Creative Health and Communities at DanceEast explains how the project will transform how creativity is viewed and approached in health and social care services
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Sophie O’Connor and I’m the Producer for Creative Health and Communities at DanceEast.
How long have you been in the role and what does it entail?
I’ve been at DanceEast for just over 7 years I’ve been in this role almost 2 years. It means I get to oversee all our programmes that relate directly to health outcomes (such as Dance for Parkinson’s and Care to Dance – our dementia dance programme). Also, I oversee all our community outreach and engagement work, which often means a lot of relationship building, partnership working and creative problem solving! The real pleasure is that I often get to work with people who don’t see themselves as ‘dancers’ but go on to discover so much joy through movement and dance.
What can you tell us about the new Region of Creative Health project you are involved with?
It’s an exciting and ambitious project that will transform how creativity is viewed and approached in health and social care services. It will work strategically with multiple partners to make real, systemic change, by ensuring that everyone can access the benefits of living a creative and cultural life.
We have known for so long that engaging with arts and culture improves health and wellbeing, but in recent years there has been ground-breaking research and robust evidence that demonstrates just how impactful it can be. We now know how fundamental activities like singing and dancing, visiting museums and theatres, reading, writing, and making things are to living long, healthy lives, and to preventing and managing long-term health conditions (such as postnatal depression, asthma and Parkinson’s).
Put simply, this project will embed cultural and creative opportunities within health and social care services, placing more value on the creative workforce, as well as developing the health workforce through education. It will change how creative health activities are commissioned and advocate for the inclusion of creative health within Local Government and devolution plans.
What part will DanceEast play within that and who are the other partner organisations?
DanceEast is the project lead, so we’ll be making sure everything stays on track and we achieve what we set out to, working closely with our core delivery partners (who include Suffolk Artlink, Creative Arts East and Suffolk Community Libraries, Norfolk & Suffolk Integrated Care Board, Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, University of East Anglia, Norwich University of the Arts, University of Suffolk and Norfolk & Suffolk County Councils).
The incredible thing about this project is that it is the first of its kind in the UK – bringing together a wealth of talent and expertise from cultural, creative, health, social care, education and innovation sectors.
Where will the project cover?
The project works across Suffolk and Norfolk and aims to establish this as the first “Region for Creative Health”.
Where can people find out more?
Head to the news section of the DanceEast website to find out more.
Visit DanceEast.
Featured image of Sophie O’Connor – supplied
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