The Difference We Make Annual Report 2022-23
Creative Lives is a registered charity established in 1991, that champions community and volunteer-led creative activity. We work to improve opportunities for everyone to be creative and, in particular, celebrate and promote people expressing themselves creatively with others, recognising the benefits this brings to both individuals and communities.
This report highlights some of our activities from the year 202223, according to our three strategic priorities:
To find out more about our work, please see our web www.creative-lives.org.
Headline achievements
England
In 2022, Creative Lives partnered with Pub is The Hub and CAMRA to launch a national Pubs Welcoming Creativity campaign. This campaign saw publicans across England opening their doors to regularly host a variety of creative activities run by local groups - anything from knitting circles to ukulele groups or poetry corners! To kickstart this campaign, Creative Lives produced a Welcoming Creativity Toolkit for Publicans. 66 pubs across England self-certified as a ‘creativity-friendly venue’.
Wales
Unearthing Creativity was a collaborative project between two lead artists, Marion Cheung and Naz Syed, Creative Lives and Age Cymru. The project aimed to engage people who were creatively inactive, and surface the diverse but under-recognised creative activities that take place in communities, in order to provide relevant and affordable local models for people to start participating in the arts. Supported by 7 additional commissioned artists, the project engaged over 2,000 participants in over 153 creative sessions and workshops, in communities in South Wales. The partners also developed 20 ‘Gateways into Creative Activity’ - a series of worksheets, videos and audio guides, developed with and tested by community groups.
Headline achievements
Scotland
In May 2022, we visited the Isle of Mull, Isle of Skye, Inverness, Aberdeen, Shetland and Dundee with Glasgow-based orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, to display a selection of mixed-media artwork made by amateur and semi-professional artists in each location. A digital exhibition was then produced and shared.
Ireland
In 2023 we launched a Creative Lives On Air project in partnership with the Red FM radio station in Cork. The project aimed to promote local creativity to improve wellbeing across communities in Cork in partnership with a local commercial radio station through audio campaigns that highlighted the benefits of taking part in creative activities and the promotion/development of local events in communities. 9 pieces of audio were produced about local creative groups, each with an accompanying live broadcast on Red FM, reaching an estimated audience of 100,000 listeners across the city and county of Cork.
Creative Lives Awards
The Creative Lives Awards are an annual celebration of the creative activities that enhance people's lives in villages, towns, and cities across the UK and Ireland.
A total of 36 groups were shortlisted for the 2022 awards. In early 2023 we announced the winners at a ceremony in Leeds.
England Winner - Dadesley Crafting
England Runner-up - Bristol Beacon's Different Beginnings
Ireland Winner - Fatima Groups United
Ireland Runner-up - The Kindness Postbox
Scotland Winner - Sewing2gether All Nations
Scotland Runner-up - Newstead News
Wales Winner - Oasis One World Choir
Wales Runner-up - Urban Circle Newport
People's Choice Award Winner - Jubilation
Peer Award for Excellence Winners - Mental Inkness and Bristol Beacon's Different Beginnings
Celebrating Diversity Award Winner - African & Caribbean Elders in Scotland
Local Hero - Angela Gabriel, volunteer at Beeston in Bloom, Beeston Festival, and more
1. Strong Networks
Our first strategic priority is to create a movement, in which people, groups, organisations and networks involved in everyday creativity come together, along with government and policymakers, to connect, share and learn from one another, in order to create a more supportive environment for creative cultural activity.
Creative Network - London
We established the Creative Network sessions in March 2020, just prior to the first lockdowns, as a series of online get-togethers open to anyone involved in culture and creativity to connect and collaborate. They have developed into a series of thematic conversations.
Creative Network - London is a peer support network open to anyone involved in creative participation across London to support each other now and build foundations for the future.
Creative Network - London began as Creativity and Inclusion network in 2019, with the intention pre-pandemic to meet in person several times a year in a different London borough. The Network has developed into a monthly online gathering, connected creatives across London.
“I've made good friends and met people that I've now worked with professionally.”
“Hearing about different people's projects really excited me!” www.creative-lives.org/creativenetwork
Creativity Map
Creative Lives wants to make opportunities to be creative available to anyone, regardless of location.
We established the Creativity Map and listings so that people could find a range of ways to be creative in their local area, and so that existing creative groups to attract new members to participate in their activities.
By the end of March 2023, there were 656 groups listed on the Creativity Map.
www.creative-lives.org/creativity-map
Creative Citizens
We launched a new consultancy service intended to help public bodies with:
engaging with local voluntary creative groups; improving health and wellbeing through cultural participation; demonstrating the need for investment in local cultural economies; developing the use of empty shops and unused public spaces for cultural activity; supporting the development and implementation of cultural or health and wellbeing strategies.
In 2022, we were commissioned by Calderdale Council to conduct an analysis of everyday creativity and culture within communities across Calderdale. Our research was timed to coincide with the publication of Calderdale Council’s new Cultural Strategy (2022-2032) and to reflect the wider ecosystem for creative cultural activity within localities, acknowledging regional and demographic inequalities.
2. Social connection
Creative Lives’ second strategic priority is to develop projects and gather evidence to show that regular creative practice with others can reduce loneliness and isolation, in order to deepen public understanding of how and why being creative with other people can decrease loneliness and increase wellbeing.
BBC CWR Mental Health
“The arts are linked with dopamine release, which encourages cognitive flexibility, and they reduce our risk of dementia.”
Dr Daisy Fancourt, University College London’s MARCH mental health network (2018)
During World Mental Health Week 2022, Creative Lives On Air Producer and BBC CWR Presenter Rachel New produced a programme about the inspiring people behind Arty-Folks and the participants in their creative workshops.
“Doing this gives you that moment of serenity where you’re not actually thinking about work, about school…”
“I was depressed and I was recommended to join Arty Folks. It’s been a life saviour for me, with all the arts and crafts, because it calms me down, keeps me sane.”
Dadesley Crafting 2022 England winner
The Creative Lives Awards are an annual celebration of the achievements of voluntary and community-led creativity, a scheme which has been running since 2010. A total of 36 groups were shortlisted for the 2022 awards.
The England winner in 2022, was Dadesley Crafting. Founded in September 2021 by three volunteers in South Yorkshire, it began as a crochet group and a free yarn group once a week. The group’s aim was to bring people together, using craft to combat loneliness and improve mental health and wellbeing. This volunteer-led, inclusive group allows everyone from the community to join, so people with dementia can be found crafting alongside those with anxiety.
In 2022, they opened a dedicated craft room at a second site and are now open six days a week, with a growing membership of more than 100 people aged between 18 and 90. They offered 65 different craft workshops, all aimed at beginners, providing support in every session from threading a needle to simply holding someone’s hand and listening. They also work with other local groups such as Fun-filled Days, who provide social activities for adults with mild learning disabilities, and Circles, who help older people connect with their community.
“The input, ideas and views of volunteers are invaluable to us, with each one bringing their own unique skill set," says Michelle Dunn of Dadesley Crafting. "People help to make tea and coffee, sort donations, and create things for us to sellwhich helps raise much-needed funds. We are determined that everyone who comes to Dadesley Crafting, both volunteers and members, will flourish in this community group. We're looking forward to the exciting times ahead.”
3. Creative Spaces
Our third strategic priority is to work with others to protect and promote spaces for creative activity, by providing information and guidance, sharing innovative examples, and connecting the people who need a place to be creative with those who own/run them, in order to ensure that available space is well-used and people looking for a suitable place to be creative feel connected and informed.
Pubs Welcoming Creativity
In 2022, Creative Lives partnered with Pub is The Hub and CAMRA to launch a national Pubs Welcoming Creativity campaign. This campaign saw publicans across England opening their doors to regularly host a variety of creative activities run by local groups - anything from knitting circles to ukulele groups or poetry corners!
We know that there are lots of creative activities that already happen in pubs, as a great way to make use of quieter nights and bring in new customers. We also know that there are many volunteer-led creative groups who have lost their regular meeting spaces during the pandemic, and will be looking for a warm space to gather, have a drink together and practise their craft as the evenings start to get darker.
The Bevy
The Bevy is a community-run pub in Brighton. It has been open for eight years and provides a vast number of creative activities and community engagement, working extensively with many Brighton-based partners. The Bevy has twice been awarded Britain's best community pub, made it to the short list for the Great British Pub Award and has been commended for being the heart of its community.
Big Conversation 2022
I love being back. It's so important to my sense of wellbeing and I missed it so much during the pandemic.
Creative Lives ran its fourth Big Conversation survey in late 2022, seeking to undertake a detailed analysis of the voluntary-led creative groups which operate across the UK and Ireland. We wanted to compare the current attitudes to creative activity with those during the pandemic in 2020, and with the views from our pre-pandemic surveys in 2018 and 2017.
Our survey found that a majority of volunteer-led creative groups are struggling with increased costs, although around half are also doing something to help their communities with these difficulties, e.g. providing warm spaces, free hot drinks and waiving costs.
We know that voluntary creative groups meet in a variety of different venues across the public, private and voluntary sectors, and this year’s responses reflected this diversity, with activities taking place in libraries, community centres, church halls, village halls, shops, cafes and pubs; with a few groups meeting in their own homes or outdoors. Just under a fifth (18%) of groups still had an online element to their activities.
Despite the increased cost of living and the lingering effects of the pandemic, optimism about the future of voluntary creative activity is now at the highest level since 2017.
Big Conversation 2022 survey.
Creative Places Edenderry
Creative Lives is the lead partner for Creative Places: Edenderry, a three-year project which aims to put culture and creativity at the heart of everyday life in the County Offaly town. The project is one of The Arts Council’s new flagship placebased initiatives across Ireland.
In 2022-23, Creative Places, Edenderry organised an array of different arts-based activities, workshops and events. There were explorations into visual arts, music, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting and creative writing; a Lego clinic, creative movement, dance, ceramics, drama, radio, photography and more.
Towards the end of the year, a more collaborative way of working emerged and different members of the community began to come together and respond to the ethos of the project. For example, a collaborative network was formed between the ASD Friends for Life group, the Parkview Residents Association, the Rainbow Room (parents group at St. Patrick’s Primary School), Edenderry Library and others.
Creative Places, Edenderry funded six Creative Grants of €500 each in the community and three Artist Commissions ranging from €4,500 to €12,000. In the last year, the project has seen significant growth in confidence of the community, realising that this is an all inclusive project where all creative ideas are welcome and supported in a safe, positive environment.
Places Edenderry
Creative
Embedding Diversity
“There is no template for building trust. Developing meaningful relations demands taking the time to identify what that means to each person –looking at the implicit value in the varied cultural expressions that communities explore and create.”
David Bryan, Chair of Creative Lives
Throughout our work, Creative Lives has a particular focus on areas of inequality. We work to address inequalities in access to creative participation, promote inclusivity, connect people and communities, and seek to increase awareness of the links between creativity and wellbeing.
Since 2016, Creative Lives has embarked on a programme of work which has moved us to a position where we are more confident that we’re developing a new approach to diversifying our charity and our work. We became the first arts organisation to win the Board Diversity & Inclusivity award at the Charity Governance Awards.
This year we published a review of our work to date in diversifying our charity and our work: Embedding Diversity.
Creative Lives' Vice-Chair Bobsie Robinson and Wales Director Gareth Coles were invited to speak about our approach to embedding diversity at the Governance Now Conference in Birmingham, 8 February 2023.
We also published Gender and Creativity: a research project by Creative Lives’s PhD intern Anna McEwan, which investigates the relationship between gender and creativity in gender-specific creative groups across the UK.
Embedding Diversity
African Caribbean Elders in Scotland - winners of the Celebrating Diversity Award at the Creative Lives Awards 2022.
Founded in 2019, African and Caribbean Elders Scotland (ACES) is an organisation for African and Caribbean over-60s living in Scotland. Members from around the country meet regularly online, providing mutual support, companionship and fun.
During 2022, ACES planned and facilitated three free, public oral history events online to mark Doors Open Days, Black History Month and International Men's Day.
During the events, speakers reflected on a variety of topics ranging from love, education and parenting to immigration, the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement and fighting injustice. Sharing their experiences and knowledge with new listeners reinforced a sense of community while recording this important part of Scottish history, heritage and culture for future generations.
Attendees at these events hailed from home and abroad - Kenya, Barbados, Coventry, the Gambia, Dumfries & Galloway, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The youngest storyteller was six and the oldest was 95. As well as personal reminiscences, short stories and poems inspired by their lives have also been shared, covering topics such as displacement, racism and ancient African history.
“African and Caribbean Elders in Scotland has never recorded lived experience stories before," says Harriette Campbell of the group, "nor have we hosted online events, and we would like to do this again in the future. As one speaker, Chief, remarked, ‘when we listen, we find solutions to challenges’.”
Strategic Framework Outcomes
Creative Lives works to a 5-year Strategic Framework, which sets out our overarching priorities and the outcomes we are working towards:
Building strong connections and relationships to support participation in creative cultural activity
2.
1. Demonstrating how taking part in creative cultural activity improves social connectedness
3.
Opening up more spaces for creative cultural activity
We track our progress to achieving our intended outcomes in each of these priorities through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Creative Lives almost always works through partnerships: we believe collaborative action is more likely to generate effective sustainable positive change.
Our Values
The following values inform all our activities:
We value creative groups whose activities are shaped and directed by the people who take part in them.
We value situations where everyone is treated equally and feels included, and are actively working to increase opportunities for people to be creative.
We value the pooling of knowledge, skills, contacts, venues and equipment to enhance creative cultural activity, for the common good.
Strategic Framework Outcomes
Key outcome 1
A more supportive environment in which the people involved in cultural policy and practice work together constructively
We established 5 new self-sustaining networks, e.g. the creative partnership between St Radigunds Community Centre in Dover and a local primary school which is ongoing as an outcome of our Development Officer Dover Residency. We supported and contributed to collaborative action as members of self-sustaining networks, e.g. the community radio stations in Coventry that we brought together through our Sound of Cov project jointly applied for a DAB radio licence for community radio stations in Coventry, led by Plus Radio which was successful in June 2022. The ‘Sound of Cov’ network is still working together to share programming and practice. In November 2022 the new International Everyday Creativity Network in which Creative Lives is a partner secured funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council for two years of development work, led by Helen Johnson, Co-Director of the Centre for Arts and Wellbeing at the University of Brighton.
We achieved positive changes to legislation, regulation and policy relating to creative cultural activity, e.g. in December 2022 Creative Lives convened online discussions which brought together the Chief Executives of Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, The Arts Council of Wales, The Arts Council of Northern Ireland and The Arts Council of Ireland to share and explore how we can better encourage everyday creativity and support endeavours across the UK and Ireland. We talked about the role that everyday creativity can play in addressing the challenges of loneliness and isolation, particularly as we emerge from the pandemic, and the need for more community spaces for everyday creativity. We discussed how to realise the under-realised potential provided by tens of thousands of local, volunteer-led creative groups whose activities often go unnoticed by their wider communities. We noted that the availability of very small grants can act as a valuable incentive to encourage groups to develop and extend their activities.
Strategic Framework Outcomes
Key outcome 2
Media and policymakers shaping a deeper public understanding of how and why being creative with other people can decrease loneliness and increase wellbeing
We produced and shared 13 case studies demonstrating how regular creative practice with others can reduce loneliness and isolation, e.g. Creative Lives and BBC CWR ran a special day on World Mental Health day to encourage taking part in creative activity which resulted in a blog and social media piece focused around mindfulness. We produced and contributed to 5 research outputs demonstrating how and why regular creative practice with others can reduce loneliness and isolation, e.g. 'Gender and Creativity' - a research project by Creative Lives sponsored by the Scottish Graduate School for the Arts and Humanities which investigated the relationship between gender and creativity in gender-specific creative groups across the UK.
Our evidence was used in broadcast and print media, and by Arts Councils and Governments, to raise public awareness of the role regular creative practice with others plays in strengthening social connectedness.
Our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) Creative Network met every month for peer support and discussion on a range of issues including self-care, confidence and economic sustainability.
Strategic Framework Outcomes
Key outcome 3
More voluntary arts groups making innovative use of spaces not previously used for creative cultural activities in order to broaden participation in the arts
We developed/revised and promoted 15 definitive resources about interesting use of spaces for creative groups, eg the ‘Spaces for Creativity’ report, based on a survey to gather evidence about the issues facing creative groups and venues in the UK and Ireland.
We developed 4 campaigns / initiatives in partnership with networks of venues, eg the Pubs Welcoming Creativity Campaign - developed in partnership with Pub is The Hub and CAMRA: 66 pubs signed up to be a Creativity-friendly venue, and received a Welcoming Creativity Pack including a creativity-friendly window badge and poster.
We identified significant evidence of creative groups making more and different use of spaces for creative activity, eg as a result of our Creative Network - Old Kent Road, the Avalon Cafe now offers free wall space to artists in their cafe: Creative Network member Jané Mackenzie’s ‘Drawing Talking, Talking Drawing’ was the first show at Avalon.
Funders
We are extremely grateful to the following funders for their support for our work throughout the year.
Arts Council England
Creative Scotland
The Arts Council of Ireland
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
The Arts Council of Wales
Big Lottery Fund
Historic England on Air
Scottish Community Alliance
Kent Community Foundation
Coventry City of Culture Trust
Scottish Ensemble
Oak Foundation
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
Age UK
AMATEO
Photo credits
Creative Lives Charity Limited is registered in Scotland as Company No. 139147 and Charity No. SC 020345.
Registered office: The Melting Pot, 15 Calton Road, Edinburgh EH8 8DL.
Creative Lives acknowledges funding from Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Ireland, Creative Scotland and the Arts Council of Wales