Case Study: Space to Grow / Lle i Dyfu
Authors(s), Creator(s) and Contributors: Melanie Wotton
Publication Date: 02/07/2024
Categories: Case Studies
Partner(s): CVUHB Paediatric Services; Urban Veritical, Down to Earth,
Funder(s): Arts Council of Wales & Cardiff & Vale Health Charity
Introduction
The focus of the project was an exploration of a variety of innovative art forms to communicate and express our connections and relationships the natural world, with food and with each other. Working with our partners we developed new pathways to improve access to the arts, developed new skills for our participants + a adopted a broader definition of creative opportunities to maximise engagement, and build resilient, creative, green communities for the future. We worked with CAVUHB partners to demonstrate how the creative arts can positively impact on participants confidence and self-esteem, enable people to better manage their health, raise awareness + address the stigma of long term conditions. As the project developed we were able to build new connections +partnerships. Partners include:- Urban-Vertical CIC, the Paediatric Diabetes Service, CAVUHB, Down to Earth, Cardiology services, CAVUHB, Spoken Word Poet, Duke Al, Flossy and Boo, Safer Wales and Dewi Tannatt Lloyd. We were able to deliver art workshops across a number of venues in Cardiff and the Vale including Railway Gardens in Splott with the support of Green Squirrel, Vale of Glamorgan Libraries, Penarth Maker Space, Safer Wales in Cardiff, Noah’s Ark Hospital, UHW and a number of community parks and green spaces. Our project was delivered through: Urban-Vertical CIC, Safer Wales, Flossy and Boo, Spoken Word Poet Duke Al, Ryan Evans Media, Dewi Tannatt Lloyd, Kate Denner, Down to Earth, Rachael Humphreys and Sian Jones, CAVUHB, Women Connect First, Pedal Power, artists Bryony Goffin, Kate Broadhurst, Amanda Turner, Lucy Dickson, Eleri Crudgington, CAVUHB, Mike Fulthorpe, MA Music, Think Differently Ltd, Coffee #1, Walk & Talk & Penarth, Outside on Sunday’s -walking groups.
The Challenge
Social prescribing has emerged as a crucial approach for healthcare professionals to tackle the non-medical factors contributing to ill health through non-medical interventions. The Green Recovery Task and Finish Group (2020), Welsh Government, highlight the need to transform socio-economic systems + improved food system connections, reducing food poverty, and improving access to green activities. The Sage Publication, Perspectives in Public Health, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov shows distinct biopsychosocial effects of the participation in combined arts a+ nature-based social prescribing activities on participant wellbeing. The WoFG Act + CAVUHB's Shaping Our Future Wellbeing address inequality within our communities and the need to support wellbeing for vulnerable or marginalised groups.
The Approach
We delivered 77 workshops across a variety of media including spoken word poetry, song writing, belly dancing, ceramics, painting, nature journaling, mandala making, cyanotype printing, banner making, producing dyes from food waste, recycled film, podcast creation and script writing. Sessions ranged from 1.5- 2 hrs We engaged 195 community members over 14 separate projects, 520 participant places were made available for these programmes across a number of different venues across Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. Approximately 1500 members of the public have engaged with performances and an end point exhibition in the Hearth Gallery, University Hospital Llandough, which ran for 8 weeks. We worked with 15 artists, 8 volunteers and 10 CAVUHB staff members, collaborating with Paediatric Diabetes (PD) service, Adult Congenital Hearth Disease service, and Public Health Wales Dietetics. The project ran from May 23- April 24, and was delivered across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan at several venues including the Railway Gardens in Splott with the support of Green Squirrel, Vale of Glamorgan Libraries, Penarth Maker Space, Safer Wales in Cardiff, Noah’s Ark Hospital, UHW and a number of community parks and green spaces. Total Project cost, £57,990 Grant Received, £49,620
The Impact
The project evaluation was conducted by Kate Denner, Down To Earth + a mixed-methods approach, incorporating surveys, interviews, participant + workshop observations, + impact monitoring analysis was used. Data was collected from project participants, facilitators + project leaders to fully evaluate the project's effectiveness in achieving its objectives. Reflective Thematic Analysis was used to identify themes in the qualitative data to determine what outcomes were + whether the project met its aims and objectives. Five participant groups were targeted for referral to this project + each group had stated outcomes to achieve. All programmes managed to achieve between 70-90% of set target outcomes. Quantitative feedback analysis identifies the main themes of increased confidence, improved social connection, new creative skills development and improved happiness + wellbeing. This change is reported throughout each programmes delivered as part of the Space to Grow project. “Poetry here is about your actual life. I like writing about my own reality”- YP with T1D “I liked talking to others and having something creative to do.” We saw increased school attendance for YP with T1D We developed learning guides for schools for T1D https://cardiffandvale.art/space-to-grow/
Lessons Learned
Regular meetings and an end-point exhibition provided reflection opportunities. Learning: - support networking events at an earlier stage. The exhibition afforded an excellent opportunity to make new connections + partnerships, therefore a networking event should occur earlier in the project - regular meetings with the much wider team to meet all partners - Expanding provision for participants to provide feedback and contribute to program themes and content, using The Power of the Pen project as a model.
The Legacy
A synergistic arts/nature/food approach maximised partnerships +outcomes + is a replicable model. PD Staff reported improved relationships + increases in confidence + school attendance for participants. Information cards for schools created Staff are committed to embedding this work, to addressing associated conditions + scaling up to increase numbers of participants 'It’s really helped with my self-esteem. People ask me what’s this and what’s that (about T1D) but here, people just know.”-YP with T1D Digital Project Legacy created
Website and Social Media Links
@cavuhbarts, Instagram, Facebook https://cardiffandvale.art/space-to-grow/ The evaluation report can be found on this webpage together with the Power of the Pen video and T1me for Me podcast Please visit urban-vertical.org.uk to learn more about Urban Vertical CIC's projects including The Art of Eating Well, Urban Winter Walking, Belly Dancing for Menopause, Life Cycles, Digital Dinners, Pop up Indoor Vertical Farm, Decorate and Celebrate Please visit http://dewitannattlloyd.co.uk/a-space-to-grow/ to see an interactive project digital installation populated by the project artworks, ongoing
Contact Details
Melanie Wotton, Arts & Health Coordinator - Melanie.Wotton@wales.nhs.uk
Tags: #spokenwordpoetry #poetry #creativewriting #songwriting #music #ceramics #painting #naturejournaling #podcasts #scriptwriting #soundeffects #textileprinting #creatingnaturaldyes #dyesandfoodwaste #mandalamaking #bannermaking #healthydigitalrecipes #bellydancing #microgreens #microgreenfarm #taichimandala #staffmembers #nhsstaff #peoplewithlongtermconditions #diabetestype1 #adultcongenitalheartdisease #mentalwellbeing #mentalhealth #confidence #selfesteem #havingavoice #reducingstigma #newperspectives #schools #communityhub #libraries #makerspaces #community #greenprescription #socialprescribing #artsforwellbeing, #arts, #connections #isolation, #inequality, #urban-verticalcic, #wellbeingoffuturegenerations (WoFG), #sustainability, #affordablefood, #nature #food, #greenspaces, #artsinhealth, #artsandhealth,
