NL Creative Health Conference

09:30 – 09:45
Registration

09:45
Welcome & Introduction
Deborah McArthur, NLC Arts Development & Engagement Manager

10:00
Talk: HAPPY: Healthy Ageing Project Prioritising Yourself
Caroline Greenaway, NHS Senior Charge Nurse
Sara Allkins, Writer, Performer & Community Artist

10:15
Talk: NHS Partnership & The Musical Forest
Eva Hollinshead, NHS Health Improvement
Siobhan Argyle, Anam Alba

10:30
Talk: Why We Listen
Aaron Hawthorne, NLC Arts Development Officer (Music)

10:45 – 11:00
Comfort Break
Refreshments are available in the cafe area, next to the Lesser Hall.

11:00
Talk: Flip of the Coin
Lucy Campbell, CEO/ Founder of Flip of the Coin SCIO

11:15
Talk: From Stuck to Sustainable: Creativity, Health and the Practice of Change
Dr. Kath Jones, GP, Curator of Wild-Ness Learning Library and Convenor of The Sustainable Healer Conference

11:30
Talk: The REALITIES of Creative-Relational Pre-Prevention
Dr. Marissa de Andrade, Co-Director, Centre for Creative-Relational Inquiry, Co-Director, The Binks Hub, Programme Director, PhD Health in Social Sciences, PI, Measuring Humanity

11:45
Provocation: Art Cure (Daisy Fancourt)
Deborah McArthur, NLC Arts Development & Engagement Manager

11:50 – 12:20
Lunch
Available in the cafe area, next to the Lesser Hall

12:30 – 13:30
Workshops
Workshop information can be found on the reverse of your lanyard. If you have any questions, please ask a member of the team.

13:45
Closing Remarks & Call to Action
Deborah McArthur, NLC Arts Development & Engagement Manager

14:00
End of Conference & Time for Networking

This event is part of REALITIES (Researching Evidence-based Alternatives in Living, Imaginative, Traumatised, Integrated, Embodied Systems), which aims to understand how systems and organisations within communities can be strengthened to reduce health inequalities. To do this we are working with organisations in five regions of Scotland: Clackmannanshire, Easter Ross, North Lanarkshire, Dundee and Edinburgh.

Within each region we have identified an organisation who we are working with. These organisations are called our community hubs. Each hub is an organisation that provides activities and services for different groups of people for example young people, people who need support to get into work, or people with mental health issues.

These organisations will run some of their activities as part of the REALITIES project and will share the information that they gather about how these activities work, what impact they make, some of the challenges. This information will help to shape new activities in the community hub that can build on the understanding from the original activities. In this way we can learn about how systems and organisations can strengthen their connections and the impact that this can have on a community’s health related experiences.

REALITIES is one of twelve research projects funded by the UKRI’s Mobilising Community Assets programme, you can find out more information on their website.

The activity is NL Creative Health Conference, where creativity, wellbeing, and community come together. This unique event shines a light on why creative health is essential for thriving, resilient communities and how nature, artistic practice, and social connection can play a transformative role in people’s lives. By bringing together people from across North Lanarkshire and beyond who have an interest in this topic we can learn and develop together building stronger working relationships and a deeper understanding of Creative Health and its benefits.

All delegates will be requested to read a participant informatoin sheet and complete a consent form. You can download a copy for your own records below.

We are inviting you to participate in a 20-minute survey as part of our study on non-medical referrals. Our goal is to better understand how non-medical referrals operate and the types of community groups involved in the process. Non-medical referrals are recommendations or suggestions for services, professionals, or resources outside of healthcare.

• Deborah McArthur and Aaron Hawthorne, NL Arts Development
• Gabriela Mitas and Eva Hollinshead, NHS Lanarkshire Health Improvement
• Caroline Greenaway, NHS Senior Charge Nurse
• Sara Alkins, Writer, Performer and Community Artist
• Siobhan Argyle, Anam Alba
• Lucy Campbell, CEO and Founder Flip of the Coin SCIO
• Dr Marisa de Andrade, Co-Director, Centre for Creative-Relational Inquiry, Co-Director, The Binks Hub, Programme Director, PhD Health in Social Sciences, PI, Measuring Humanity
• Dr Kath Jones, GP in the Scottish Highlands, curator of the Wild-Ness Learning Library and convenor of The Sustainable Healer Conference.
• Sarah Burgess, Green Health Development Officer, Lanarkshire Green Health Partnership
• Cecile Taylor, Health and Social Care Researcher
• Dr Marina Wimmer, Associate Professor of Psychology, Edinburgh Napier University

Sustainability sits at the heart of the North Lanarkshire Council Arts Strategy 2023–28, which commits to weaving environmental responsibility through every aspect of arts development activity, ensuring creativity actively contributes to the Council’s ambition to be Net Zero by 2030. The strategy recognises the role that creative practice can play in responding to the climate emergency – both by reducing the environmental impact of how we work and by supporting more sustainable ways of thinking, connecting and caring for our communities and environment.

In line with Strategic Aim 7: Sustainability, the Creative Health Conference has been planned with a conscious focus on reducing waste, reusing resources, and minimising our carbon footprint where possible. We have prioritised the purchase of recycled stationery and compostable items, and materials such as clipboards and reusable equipment will be retained and repurposed for future arts development and community projects, extending their life beyond this event.

To further reduce paper use, we have introduced this digital conference pack, accessible via QR code. This approach has saved over 500 sheets of paper from being printed, supporting our commitment to more environmentally responsible delivery while maintaining accessibility to information for delegates.

These actions reflect the wider ethos of the Arts Strategy: embedding sustainability not as an add-on, but as a practical, values-led approach to how we design, deliver and evidence creative activity. Through small, intentional changes alongside long-term strategic commitments, we aim to demonstrate how Creative Health activity can model climate-responsible practice while continuing to support health, wellbeing and social connection across North Lanarkshire.

Thank you for attending the Creative Health Conference. Your feedback will help us understand the impact of the event and inform future creative health activity. Please fill in our feedback form at the end of the conference.