Helix Arts awarded significant funding from the Legal and General Health Equity Fund to help 400 more residents in North Tyneside

Image courtesy of Tynesight Photography.

Helix Arts has been awarded a significant grant from the Legal and General Health Equity Fund to develop its Creative Health programme and increase its opportunities through its Better Connect initiative in North Tyneside. The arts charity is one of 43 successful organisations from more than 1,500 applicants and the only arts organisation in the North East of England to receive a grant.

This funding will enable the arts charity to work with dedicated partners who support culture, health and wellbeing across North Tyneside, and build evidence to demonstrate how Creative Health interventions can improve joint planning between the NHS and local partners to identify and respond to local needs.

Helix Arts will now develop and expand its successful Better Connect programme. This will help satisfy increased demand, and provide much needed, targeted, creative ways to improve local people’s health and wellbeing.

Image courtesy of Saya Rose Naruse, 2024

Cheryl Gavin, Director of Helix Arts, explains why this work is so important to the borough:

“I’ve always valued the purpose of creativity and wellbeing. That’s why I’m so passionate about Creative Health. For us, this is about making sure as many people can have the chance to improve their health and wellbeing through creativity. This is more than just taking part in the arts and enjoying it. We are serious about its vital role and about how specific creative approaches can improve health - like dance helping falls prevention, music for lung health, or creative journalling leading to better mental health.

Demand for our work exceeds what we can deliver, especially since our Better Connect pilot in 2021. Our health needs should be supported in many different ways - not just in short-term blocks, but in long-term and progressive ways. I want ongoing Creative Health opportunities all year for people across North Tyneside. I hope to see this built into the North East Combined Authority and local council plans and commitments too.”

The £3 million Legal and General Health Equity Fund is part of an ongoing partnership with Legal and General, Sir Michael Marmot and the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE). It supports place-based initiatives across the UK which directly address the social determinants of health: non-medical social and economic factors, including housing, education, infrastructure, and quality of work, which have an influence on local and national public health.

Creative Health is about people engaging in arts, creativity, and cultural activities to improve their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, as well as a sense of identity, purpose, and social connection. It’s not clinical, but can have a significant impact on wellbeing and prevent many developments of poor physical or mental health.

Steve, a regular Better Connect participant shared how he began coming to the sessions having just moved to the North East in the middle of lock-down:

“I knew nobody and was still stuck inside for 6 months here. I wanted to meet people, find some friends and help with my isolation and loneliness. [They] introduced me to some new friends and through them, a wider group of people.

I did no 'art'-type activities since primary school, so this has all been very new to me and has widened my horizons and interests and has helped me in other areas and I am now a "published" poet. My mental health has improved, I look forward to going out, and overall my quality of life has improved.”

Helix Arts’ Creative Health approach is person-centered and recognises how creativity can support personal healing, resilience, and encourage social connections, so people feel more included in their community and less isolated.

The charity can now respond to the growing demands for its work and increase its Creative Health provision, as well as tackling more specific needs with a targeted project focused on social isolation across North Tyneside. Social isolation is a major factor in poor health and wellbeing. The UK Government Community Life Survey (2023/ 24) found that the North East had the highest levels of social isolation in England and also recognised that people from protected characteristic groups and people from poorer backgrounds were significantly more likely to be affected by loneliness. Legal and General Health Equity Funding will enable the arts charity to help people from these communities build new friendships and relationships - reducing social isolation.

The grant will significantly increase access to Helix Arts’ Creative Health programme Better Connect, enabling 400 people with health issues to take part in Creative Health activities. And, adding resources to the Culture Health and Wellbeing Network will mean Helix Arts can look to enable and support shared investment approaches with partners will support long-term growth and sustainability.

Wendy Burke, Director of Public Health at North Tyneside Council, said:

“The work of Helix Arts aligns closely with our Health and Wellbeing Strategy – ‘Equally Well’ which is focussed on health inequalities and addressing the underlying social determinants of health. We look forward to continuing to work together with Helix Arts to ensure all residents, regardless of background, have the opportunity to live well, maintain good mental health, and stay connected to their communities through Creative Health.”

Other quotes

Pete Gladwell, Group Social Impact & Investment Director at Legal & General said:

“A stable economy and healthy society go hand in hand, and businesses and investors can help support both. With regional prosperity depending on people’s health, reducing disparities in social determinants of health should be a priority for investors and government. Grant funding is just one way businesses and investors can help improve health outcomes, empowering initiatives that deliver more vibrant, healthier, and happier communities across the UK.”

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, CH, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, said:

“The response from organisations across the country applying for this grant funding was both incredible and depressing. Over 1,500 applications were received, reflecting the desperate need caused by government budget cuts to organisations committed to improving lives. Yet the response also fills me with hope, as it shows how many understand that closing widening health gaps starts with improving people’s social circumstances.”