Amy Knowles, Arts Administrator at darts.
The conference manifested how creativity, wellbeing and inclusion are done. Amazing! – Attendee
The buzz of conversation, the clatter of coffee cups and the sense of anticipation about what might unfold throughout the day – the first South Yorkshire Creative Health Conference didn’t just start with a packed agenda; it began with a sense of purpose.
Turning evidence into impact
The evidence that taking part in art, culture, and creative activity can improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities is abundant and compelling. In the short term, it can reduce pressure on health and care services through effective and cost-efficient non-clinical interventions. In the longer term, Creative Health plays a crucial role in an upstream approach to care – creating the conditions for people to live healthier lives. What remains less clear is how we amplify this message and ensure it reaches those with the power to embed Creative Health within our health and care services.
On 7th May 2025, over 80 delegates from across South Yorkshire, including Health and Social Care professionals, strategic leads from Arts Council England, Creative Practitioners, researchers, students, and individuals with lived experience, gathered at The Point in Doncaster to explore exactly that. By the end of the day, the ambition was not only to foster a shared understanding of Creative Health, but to inspire belief in its impact to drive meaningful change and start important conversations about the roles we all play in making it a core part our health systems and communities.
The conference was delivered by the Creative Health Boards project – a consortium of leading community organisations, academic institutions, and health and care professionals including Cast, darts, Heritage Doncaster, Sheffield Hallam University, and the University of Sheffield. Together, these partners bring a wealth of experience in delivering creative activities in communities and conducting research in partnership with people with lived experience of ill-health – threads that ran strongly throughout the day’s programme.
A conference with a difference
Rachel Leslie, Executive Director of Public Health at City of Doncaster Council and Chair of the South Yorkshire Creative Health Board, opened the day with an inspiring exploration of how Creative Health fits with Public Health agenda. This was followed by an informative presentation by Dr Helen Chatterjee on the Mobilising Community Assets UK wide research programme that explores the system change needed to support community-based approaches to health equity, of which the Creative Health Boards project is a part.
Alongside the classic conference ingredients of presentations, discussions and networking opportunities, a golden thread of creative activity was woven throughout the day. Hidden under chairs in colourful envelopes were postcards featuring handwritten testimonials from people with lived experience of Creative Health. During a moment of connection and reflection, people reached for the postcards and shared the impactful quotes with their neighbours.
In another surprise moment, Chair of the Doncaster Creative Health Board and Director (Creative Health) at darts, Lucy Robertshaw, was interrupted by a poetry performance by Creative Health Connector David Cartwright and Facilitator and Creative Communications Specialist Val Holland, examining a ‘prescription for Creative Health’. After the break, delegates returned to find their own Creative Health prescription waiting for them on their seats, informing them that:
Creative Health has not just been prescribed for you only. Pass it on to others. It may improve their health and wellbeing, even if their signs of illness aren’t the same as yours!
Delegates also had the opportunity to take part in two participatory workshops. The first, led by Val Holland, encouraged those in the room to examine the barriers to accessing Creative Health and imagine what it might look like if Creative Health were to be completely embedded throughout South Yorkshire in every way. A Sociodramatist, Val used theatre techniques to encourage people to experiment, listen hard and get out of their comfort zone. In a remarkably short time, groups of strangers came together to form imaginative metaphors that captured the complexity of the challenges and the power of unity. A solar system symbolised the need for coordinated movement; a forest of trees symbolised growth and strength; a kitchen of cooks, the importance of shared responsibility; an orchestra, the importance of playing your part; and an octopus with many, many tentacles, the far-reaching impact of Creative Health when multiple arms work together!
It shows how effective creativity is. We didn’t know each other but as soon as we started being silly it immediately bonded us really quickly. – Delegate
As well as opportunities to play, delegates were invited to reflect on their individual roles within the broader Creative Health movement. This was guided by a thought-provoking Q&A session with David Cartwright. In his role as Creative Health Connector for the Creative Health Boards programme, David fosters collaboration between community organisations, researchers, and individuals with lived experience of ill health, encouraging active participation in the project. This involvement might include accessing creative activities, contributing to action research projects, or both. A dynamic conversation with Professor Chris Dayson from Sheffield Hallam University prompted delegates to consider their own position within the Creative Health landscape and explore how they might embed its principles more deeply into their own professional practice.
Moments of impact
Perhaps the most moving and impactful moment of the day came during a structured conversation led by Nicola Doyle, Community Engagement Manager at Cast, and Emilie Taylor, Artist and Embedded Researcher at Sheffield Hallam University. Together they introduced Cast Ambassadors Ady, John, Ondy and Graham. Speaking as members of the Doncaster People’s Theatre and Cast Community Board, these individuals shared how participation in projects like the Public Arts initiative with the National Theatre has not only uplifted their confidence and increased their resilience but fundamentally changed how they see themselves and their place in the community. Their reflections were brave, deeply personal and rooted in lived experience, and left a lasting impact on everyone present.
Bringing more voices into the conversation
It was the most ‘human’ conference I’ve been to, lots of warmth and connection and a feeling of working together. – Attendee
This sentiment was echoed throughout the conference feedback, where attendees praised the deep sense of community, shared purpose, and the thoughtful balance of creativity, policy, and research. The combination of important information, hands-on participation and beneficial networking made the event not only engaging, but joyful.
At the same time, it was apparent that many attendees already understood the value of Creative Health. The challenge now is reaching those who haven’t yet encountered the transformative impact of arts and culture on health and wellbeing – or aren’t aware that they have! That’s why planning for the next event in our three-part series is already underway. This event will be focused on spotlighting participant voices and co-created with lived experience at its heart, and we’re excited to see how it develops.
We’d love you to stay connected with the work of the Creative Health Boards project. Visit our website for a variety of case studies providing examples of Creative Health in action, as well as articles, resources and all the latest developments: Home – Creative Health Boards. You can also watch the recording of ‘A prescription for Creative Health’. Please let us know if it inspires you and who you would invite to join the Creative Health conversation.
