LAHF Newsletter October 2009

Creative Ways to Wellbeing          

LAHF Event 

LAHF has come together with Wellnet, Well London's learning network, to present Creative Ways to Wellbeing , an event for those delivering arts for wellbeing projects to London communities. The event will take place at Sadler's Wells on the 16th November, 12.30-4pm, with speakers including Moira Sinclair, Director of Arts Council England, discussing Well London projects already taking place and what the future holds for community arts and wellbeing in London.

The event is free of charge but places are limited and must be booked in advance. For further information contact e: j.robb@lsx.org.uk

Changes to Grants for the Arts

 National News                                                   

The Arts Council have announced important changes to the Grants for the Arts application process including simplifying the information required for grants of £10,000 or less, online applications, more projects receiving a decision within 6 weeks and the assessment of applications and monitoring of grants by a new centralised Grants in the Arts team. There will also be a period between 18th January and 26th February 2010 when applications will not be received to allow for transition to the new processes. Eligibility criteria will remain the same.

For further information, visit: www.artscouncil.org.uk/grantsfortheartschanges

Arts and Health: The Way Forward

 Other Events                                                                                             

South East Arts and Health have organised Arts and Health: The Way Forward, an event where speakers Lord Alan Howarth, Damian Hebron, LAHF and Sue Taylor, Department of Health will consider the current state of arts in health in England and how local and regional partnerships can help take it forward. The event will take place on 11th November in London and include morning and afternoon networking sessions. Places are £30, including refreshments and lunch.

For further information, contact e: seahp@hotmail.co.uk

Communitybuilders £70m fund  

 Opportunities

Communitybuilders is a £70m fund providing loans, grants and business support to multi-purpose, inclusive, community-led organisations. Created to take forward the commitments made in the Government's'Communities in Control: real people, real power' White Paper, the fund is now taking applications.

For further information visit: www.communitybuildersfund.org.uk/home

Southwark Small Grants                             

 Opportunities

Southwark Council is inviting applications for funding from voluntary sector arts and culture organisations working in Southwark for the financial year beginning next April. The deadline for completed applications is Friday 23rd October.

For an application pack, visit: www.open4community.info/Southwark

The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing, Australia                              

Other Events

Australia's international conference on health and creativity, The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing, will take place from 7th-13th November. Over 70 speakers from Australia and overseas will discuss, inform, debate, network and share expertise in the important field of arts and health.

Highlights include the presentation ‘Heritage in Hospitals: Exploring the Potential of Museum Object Handling as an Enrichment Activity for Patients' by LAHF's own Chair Guy Noble, ‘Findings from the project New Leaves for people experiencing life-threatening illness' from Dr Jill Gordon, GP, associate professor at the University of Sydney and founder of the Medical Humanities Association of Australia and New Zealand, and pre-conference training and workshops in subjects such as Creative Ageing and Art & Dementia.

For further information, visit http://www.artsandhealth.org/

CoolTan Arts celebrates World Mental Health Day

Other Events                                             

CoolTan Arts are celebrating World Mental Health Day with both a sponsored walk on 10 October, and the exhibition Altered States at the Dulwich Picture Gallery from 3rd to 9th October. The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, and screen prints made by artists experiencing mental distress and explores the theme of altered states, while the sponsored walk will raise money to further the work of CoolTan to inspire the wellbeing and creative participation of a diverse range of people through the production of quality arts.

For further information, visit: http://www.cooltanarts.org.uk/

Building Better Healthcare Awards              

National News                                                                      

Three London hospitals have been shortlisted in the Best Interior Design category of the 2009 Building Better Healthcare Awards, winners to be announced at a London awards ceremony on 12 November. Other categories include Building Design, Patient Environment, People, Products and Estates and Facilities Management.

For further information, visit: http://www.bbhealthcare.co.uk/

Arts & Health Researcher                            

Opportunities

The Nordoff-Robins Music Therapy Centre in London are looking to recruit a part-time (4 days per week) Arts & Health Researcher to develop innovative studies in the areas of music and health, music therapy, culture and wellbeing. The researcher needs to have demonstrable knowledge of the Arts and Health research and practice fields, strong empirical research experience and quantitative research skills.

A salary of £27,956, depending on experience is being offered, the deadline for applications is 2nd October.

For further information contact, e: hr@nordoff-robbins.org.uk

Artist Commission in Lambeth                           

 Opportunities

Lambeth PCT is seeking an experienced artist / designer to produce artworks to enhance the reception areas of two separate departments within a new community health centre building. Some workshop involvement from local communities may be required in the initial design ideas and the finished work should not require ongoing maintenance. The deadline for submission of initial proposals is 5pm 16th October.

For further information, contact e: Tapartproject@yahoo.co.uk

Totally Totems     

 Other Events

To celebrate World Mental Health Day on 10th October, patients and staff from Bethlem Royal Hospital have created an art installation, Totally Totems, in the Bethlem Gallery. Open 8th - 30th October the exhibition explores the theme of totem poles using a variety of materials.

For further information, visit: http://www.bethlemgallery.com/

National Year of Music - music improves children's behaviour              

National News                                    

The Government has launched the first National Year of Music (September 2009 to September 2010) to encourage and provide access for young people to quality music opportunities. Findings from a Government-commissioned study show that learning a musical instrument at school improves children's behaviour, memory and intelligence. At the launch, Secretary of State for children, schools and families, Ed Balls, said: "We know that learning to play an instrument can improve both reading and writing. It is right that music should play an important role in school life and beyond."

For further information on the National Year of Music, visit: http://www.tuneinyearofmusic.com/

Arts Council Artistic Assessors

 Opportunities                                                                                      

Arts Council England is looking to recruit 150 people with knowledge and understanding of the arts to carry out paid assessments of the work of its regularly funded organisations. The assessors will report on the full range of artforms feeding into the Arts Council's ongoing artistic evaluation to provide a broader evidence base to help inform its funding decisions.

For further information, visit: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/

Writing in Health & Wellbeing course  

 Other Events                                                                                      

The National Writers' Centre in Wales is holding a residential Writing in Health and Wellbeing course from 16th to 21st November. The course will introduce the theory and practice of using the literary arts as an integral part of healthcare and wellbeing and will be of interest to, among others, writers, medical professionals and teachers. The course costs £495, some bursaries are available.

For further information, visit http://www.tynewydd.org/

Youth Music's Open Programme funding

 Opportunities                                                              

Youth Music's Open Programme is inviting applications from projects working to increase the number of children and young people with access to high quality and sustainable music making activities across England. The Open Programme will be providing grants of between £5,000 and £30,000 for 2009/2010, the deadline for applications is 10th November.

For further information visit: http://www.youthmusic.org.uk/

Moving Forward - Art in Mental Health

Other Events                                                                                   

Taking place in Leicester on 13th October, Breakthrough's Moving Forward event is aiming to bring together key people working in art in mental health to explore the possibility of a national strategy to promote joint working and share positive practice. Fees for the event range from £45 to £165.

For further information, contact e: breakthrough@mentalhealth.freeserve.co.uk

Arts on Prescription

Opportunities

Cambridgeshire's Arts and Minds is looking to recruit three new staff for its new Arts on Prescription scheme, an Admin & Finance Officer, an Arts on Prescription Manager and a Research Manager. Based in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the three new roles will help deliver an arts programme with mental health support, as an alternative non drug based intervention for people experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues at a number of sites across the county.

All three roles are currently part-time, fixed 6 month freelance contracts at £24-27,000 pro rata depending on experience. The deadline for applications is 2nd October.

For further information, contact e: info@artsandminds.org.uk

Get Moving and Dance on World Mental Health Day

 Other Events                                           

Get Moving and Dance is a day of free dance workshops, including Bollywood, Bellydancing and Capoiera, in London's Regent's Park to mark World Mental Health Day on 10th October. The event takes places from 1-4pm and is part of both Time to Change, England's largest ever anti-stigma campaign, and Get Moving, a week of physical activity events to challenge mental health stigma and promote the link between exercise and mental wellbeing (3rd-11th October).

For further information, visit: www.time-to-change.org.uk/dance

Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival  

Other Events

The third annual Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival will take place from 1st-22nd October offering nearly 200 affordable events ranging from dance performances to film screenings to transform social attitudes towards mental health through the arts. Taking place across Scotland in over 100 venues including, among others, miners clubs, cafes and hospitals. This year's Festival will focus on relationships and mental health, exploring gender and sexuality, language, bereavement, personal and public lives and under-represented communities.

For further information, visit http://www.mhfestival.com/

If you have any items you would like to be considered for the November issue of the LAHF newsletter please email them to info@lahf.org.uk by Monday 26^th October.