On Friday 18th May our Director of Wellbeing Douglas Noble, along with NW Project Manager Amy Hughes and LMN harpist Elfair Dyer, attended a Creative Health Conference supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Arts, Health and Wellbeing.
The conference in Shrewsbury was organised by a great friend of LMN and dynamic change-maker in arts and health Dr Jane Povey of Creative Inspiration Shropshire. It was a very positive event with arts and healthcare professionals from across the County (and beyond) discussing how to implement and work with the Recommendations made in Creative Health, the APPG Report. The Report which references Live Music Now found that the arts can:
- Keep people healthy;
- Help people face health challenges ; and
- Save money.
The Report can be read here:
www.artshealthandwellbeing.org.uk/appg-inquiry/Publications/Creative_Health_Inquiry_Report_2017.pdf
There was a keynote from Lord Howarth – Co-Chair of the APPG, fascinating and inspirational presentations from organisations running arts and health activity in Shropshire, as well as our own Musical Care Homes and A Choir In Every Care Home projects. Elfair delighted the participants with some beautiful playing (and converted at least one into a fan of harp music).
During the conference Lord Howarth and Dr Jane Povey presented Sabrina House with the Creative Inspiration Musical Care Home 2018 award. In August 2016 Sabrina House took part in the New Age Music project and have since taken part in the Musical Care Homes Programme – involving regular visits from LMN musicians alongside staff training and visits from local music students.
“Sabrina House have taken every opportunity to engage in our evolving arts for health programme for care homes – hosting Live Music Now musicians and local art and music students and enthusiastically participating in every training session we have offered. I was therefore delighted that the Rt Hon Lord Howarth of Newport CBE presented the Sabrina team with Creative Inspiration’s Musical Care Home 2018 at our Creative Health Conference on 18th May in Shrewsbury. It is always an inspiration to hear how much their use of music has transformed the lives of Sabrina’s residents, staff and wider community.” – Dr Jane Povey, Creative Inspiration Shropshire
Staff from Sabrina House being presented with their award by Lord Howarth and Jane Povey.
Staff at Sabrina House have thrown themselves into embedding music into everyday life at the home and are now leading their own regular musical activities including percussion improvisation workshops.
“The positive benefits are continuing even now. People join in the activities. Staff are much more willing to join in, including office staff, and myself, because we can all see the impact and benefit. We are carrying on with music but this applies to all activities. The staff and residents got to know each other better and are communicating better doing something that they enjoy doing together.” – Margaret Fobister Manager Sabrina House, Shrewsbury
Jane Povey (Creative Inspiration Shropshire), Margaret Frobisher and Sandra Robinson (Sabrina House) and Amy Hughes (LMN NW Project Manager).
Sandra, one of the care staff members, had this to say about their experience:
“If you let everyone sit and do nothing all day it makes your job easier, but if you don’t let them just sit and do nothing all day it makes your job happier.”
Congratulations to Sabrina House on their award, we look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.
To find out more about our work or to arrange a visit for your care home in the North West or West Midlands contact [email protected] / 07939013501.
