Helix Arts worked with a variety of North East artists and community partners to deliver Common Connections last year.
Common Connections was one of the national programmes delivered as part of the Department for Culture Media and Sport Loneliness fund. The DCMS Loneliness fund aimed to tackle loneliness in older adults. Many of these individuals were already relatively isolated before the pandemic. Covid-19 further isolated vulnerable and lonely people.
During this difficult time we were delighted to be able to co-create with adults 55 and over across North Tyneside. People worked alongside artist across a wide range of art forms from animation to creative writing. Sessions took place online, outdoors and over the phone.
The evaluation of the whole DCMS Loneliness fund has now been published. It is available to read here. As stated by Arts Council England the difference this work makes is heartwarming.You may also be interested in reading Rebecca Blackman blog post summarising the cultural sectors response to supporting communities during the pandemic here.
As part of our commitment to quality (which you can learn more about through our blog about the Momentum Quality Framework) we gave our associate artists working with older adults had peer to peer conversations about what best practice and co-production looks like. This continues to shape our future planning.
To find out more about our work with older adults or in North Tyneside please email info@helixarts.com