Creative Health Stories is a platform and consultancy led by Laura Bailey and Associates based in Faversham, Kent. We showcase the transformative impact of creativity on health and wellbeing through engaging audio stories, community projects, and workplace initiatives. Our services aim to increase understanding, access and investment in creative health.
In each podcast episode we explore why creativity, art, culture, nature and design are important to public health. Conversations with health professionals, artists, cultural practitioners, academics, policy makers and people with lived experience reveal how creativity supports our general health and wellbeing and chronic, long term conditions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Creative Health Stories is a platform and consultancy led by Laura Bailey and Associates based in Faversham, Kent. We showcase the transformative impact of creativity on health and wellbeing through engaging audio stories, community projects, and workplace initiatives. Our services aim to increase understanding, access and investment in creative health.
In each podcast episode we explore why creativity, art, culture, nature and design are important to public health. Conversations with health professionals, artists, cultural practitioners, academics, policy makers and people with lived experience reveal how creativity supports our general health and wellbeing and chronic, long term conditions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode of Creative Health Stories is a little different. Host Laura Bailey takes the podcast outdoors to the Whitstable seafront for a conversation with artist Liz Atkin.
Liz shares her lived experience of dermatillomania (compulsive skin picking disorder) and how charcoal drawing became both a recovery tool and a powerful creative practice. Together they explore how creativity can transform personal health and support others in clinical and community settings.
It’s a candid and inspiring conversation about vulnerability, play, and the therapeutic potential of creativity.
Key Points:
Links:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this conversation, Laura and Kate Valentine explore the transformative power of singing for mothers through the Singing Mamas programme. Kate shares her journey from nursing to leading community singing sessions, emphasising the emotional and mental health benefits of singing. They discuss the integration of creative health into the NHS, the challenges of funding, and the importance of community support. The conversation highlights how singing can foster connection, healing, and confidence among mothers, ultimately advocating for a shift in how health professionals view and utilise creative practices in healthcare.
Takeaways:
Singing together creates a sense of community and belonging.
The act of singing can significantly improve mental health.
Mothers often struggle with mental health, and singing provides support.
Creative health initiatives can be integrated into the NHS.
Funding for community singing programs is often inconsistent.
Singing helps build confidence in one's voice and expression.
Community leaders play a crucial role in promoting wellbeing.
Singing can be a powerful tool for emotional processing.
The benefits of singing extend beyond the individual to the community.
Creative practices are essential for the resilience of health professionals.
Links:
Socials:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of Creative Health Stories, host Laura Bailey speaks with Sarah Ticho, a multidisciplinary artist and entrepreneur, about her journey into immersive technology and its applications in health and wellbeing. They discuss the various forms of immersive technology, including XR, VR, AR, and MR, and how these technologies can be used therapeutically in areas such as pain management, mental health, and community building. Sarah shares her experiences with her project Soul Paint, which aims to help individuals express their emotions through immersive art. The conversation also touches on the challenges of funding, the need for diversity in the field, and the importance of creating inclusive spaces for all.
Takeaways:
Links:
The Growing Value of XR in Healthcare in the UK report
Socials:
Creative Health Stories Instagram
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode host Laura Bailey is joined by artist, researcher, art psychotherapist and community leader Thahmina Begum. Based in Leeds, Thahmina shares her extraordinary 20+ year journey at the intersection of creative health, art therapy and community development, rooted in her Bangladeshi heritage and unwavering commitment to social justice and health equity.
From the early influence of youth clubs and play schemes in Leeds, to art therapy programmes that address racial and intergenerational trauma, Thahmina’s work spans psychiatric wards, schools, community centres and galleries. She reflects on her personal story of resilience and the power of art to create safe, transformative spaces for people from underrepresented communities.
She also discusses the importance of trauma-informed practice, the ethics of care for artists and practitioners, and the urgent need for leadership, infrastructure and investment to sustain a creative health workforce. With infectious warmth and clarity, Thahmina offers a vision for an equitable future where art is embedded across health services—from GP surgeries to national institutions.
Links:
Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance (CHWA) – Thahmina is Co-Chair
The Tetley / Yorkshire Contemporary
Yorkshire Sculpture International
Up Projects – Thahmina is a Trustee
Global South Arts and Health Week
Socials:
Get Involved:
If you’d like to use audio stories in your work, or explore collaborations, visit our website and get in touch.
💬 Rate, review and subscribe to help others discover Creative Health Stories.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this rich and energising conversation, host Laura Bailey speaks with Tony Cealy, an acclaimed theatre practitioner and cultural producer, about the transformative power of drama, improvisation, and play in community and justice settings. Tony shares how he moved from an initial career in accountancy to working with some of society’s most marginalized groups through creative and participatory theatre.
We explore how Tony uses forum theatre, psychodrama, and improvisation to promote behavioural change, community empowerment, and policy advocacy. From working in prisons to shaping health systems, Tony's work challenges injustice, champions unheard voices, and inspires change from the ground up.
If this episode resonated with you, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing Creative Health Stories — it really helps others discover the podcast.
Links:
Socials:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dan Hopewell is a lifelong advocate for social justice and community empowerment, whose work spans international public art, grassroots activism, and pioneering community-led health models that integrate creative health.
In this episode we have a rich conversation about Dan's life, work, and philosophy around community, creativity, and health. He discusses his early belief in social justice and activism and the 15 years he spent in Nicaragua developing community-based public art, which led to education reform and built a legacy that continues today. Upon returning to the UK, Dan joined Bromley by Bow Centre, where he contributed to the development of its arts and community programs. He talks through the Centre’s evolution from a dilapidated church into a pioneering, thriving community hub reversing traditional top-down approaches, integrating arts, employment, and social support services.
Dan helped shape the UK's social prescribing model, aiming to address the root causes of health issues through holistic, community-based support. We discuss its successes and challenges, along with the state of the NHS.
Links
Socials
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The third and final episode of a mini series of audio stories I've been creating as part of a Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant from Arts Council England is about the health and wellbeing benefits of singing.
I spent time with 3 different community singing groups, capturing their singing sessions and interviewing participants about how it makes them feel and what benefits it brings to their lives.
Monday Music was set up by Grenville Hancox to promote the benefits of singing for general well-being. Its 65 or so members are mainly residents of Folkestone and its surrounding areas who meet once a week, during term time, to sing together. Grenville describes the sessions as a physical, mental and spiritual workout!
Canterbury Skylarks is the founding Sing to Beat Parkinson's group and part of the Canterbury Cantata Trust which supports a network of singing groups for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions. The programme’s origins are rooted in the work of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health (SDH centre) and since 2018, more than three hundred practitioners have participated in Sing to Beat Parkinson’s training programmes.
Singing Mamas is a grassroots movement of women committed to improving wellbeing through singing. It was set up by nurse Kate Valentine to help manage stress, find connection and joy. There are Singing Mamas groups all over the country supporting women through pregnancy and motherhood, and with symptoms of postnatal depression.
This story isn't about new scientific evidence, it re-confirms and celebrates how singing creates community, a sense of belonging and identity along with supporting mental health, other neurological conditions and a range of physical health conditions.
If you'd like to commission an audio story about your work, organisation or group. Please get in touch.
Links:
Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health
Socials:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The second in a mini series of audio stories I've been creating as part of a Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant from Arts Council England comes from The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge in Canterbury, Kent.
The Beaney describes itself as a 'pioneering therapeutic museum' which uses its unique building and collections to create a ‘tonic’ to enhance a visitor’s experience and improve their health and wellbeing. Its been at the forefront of wellbeing in museums for over a decade. I spent time capturing the sounds and stories from four of its wellbeing programme activities, tailored for a range of people with different needs including: blind and partially sighted people, people living with dementia and their carers, people struggling with loneliness and social isolation, older women and an artist working with science exhibiting in their Front Room gallery.
This story demonstrates how much public cultural spaces like museums and galleries can play a significant role in public health and are a lifeline for many people. Technically this story was challenging as sound echoes in big gallery spaces with hard floors and big glass cases, but it captures the great work The Beaney staff, volunteers and creative practitioners do.
Links
Moving Memory Dance Theatre Company
Socials
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guests in this episode are leading nature-based wellbeing opportunities for communities in South West England. They joined me for a fascinating conversation about how their services operate, some of the challenges they face and the wide-ranging impacts of being in green spaces.
Laura Tween is Director of Able Hands Together, a CIC based near Salisbury focussed on therapeutic farming for the benefit of the community and providing safe, accessible but life-changing long-term opportunities for adults who have learning disabilities, called “Co-Farmers”.
Roy Goddin is Founder of The Root Cause Project, a non-profit organisation supporting veterans and serving personnel in North Devon to rest, reflect, and enhance their wellbeing and mental health, using the restorative force of nature.
Marie-Claire Henon is Green Care Lead at Birdie’s Farm, Glastonbury’s Food & Regenerative Farming Centre which is a safe and impactful space for connection with others and educational opportunities to enhance the local area.
This episode has been commissioned as part of the Creative Health Associates Programme with the National Centre for Creative Health.
Links:
National Centre for Creative Health
National green social prescribing delivery capacity assessment: final report
Socials:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
During 2024, I started further developing my skills and experience in recording, producing and editing sound as part of a Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant from Arts Council England. I've been working with a range of organisations, professionals and participants who put health and wellbeing at the heart of their creative and cultural practices, to capture the stories and impact that being creative has on everyone involved.
The first in the series comes from Abbey Physic Community Garden in Faversham, Kent - where I live!
Abbey Physic Community Garden (APCG) is an inclusive, accessible community resource providing companionship, therapeutic activities, training and skill building for people with mental health issues and those who are socially isolated. It has over 400 members with between 70 and 95 people taking part in activities each week, including: gardening, art, poetry, singing, cooking, men's shed, and so much more!
In June 2024, the garden celebrated its 30th anniversary of supporting people with mental health issues. I was lucky enough to be able to capture some of the stories from people who have been involved in the garden from its inception, along with current staff, members and volunteers. I'm hugely grateful for them sharing and trusting me with their stories.
Suzanne Campbell, Manager of the garden says: "Wow, what an incredibly beautiful piece of work you have produced....You have absolutely captured the essence of the garden. It`s like you have used magic thread to weave together the many different life journeys /stories that bring people together at the garden. It`s wonderful., amazing and very emotional. Thank you."
Thank you to Jane Pitt and Kevin Grist who have been mentors in this project, supporting me in developing my technical audio and storytelling skills.
I hope you enjoy listening. If you'd like to commission an audio story about your organisation, project, participants or to bring learning and impact to life, get in touch.
Links
Socials
This episode was supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sir Michael Marmot has been Professor of Epidemiology at University College London since 1985 and is Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity. He has led research groups on health inequalities for nearly 50 years and in 2000 he was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen, for services to epidemiology and the understanding of health inequalities. More recently, Marmot was appointed a Companion of Honour in recognition of his services to public health in the King’s 2023 New Year Honours.
In this episode, Sir Michael Marmot describes why he switched his medical focus to prevention and embarked on what has become a lifelong commitment to studying how social circumstances impact people's health. He explains what the social determinants of health are, and why they are fundamental to addressing health inequalities.
He talks through the recommendations he made in his landmark report ‘Fair Society, Healthy Lives (The Marmot Review)’ and shares some of the evidence, and his thoughts, on why the follow up ‘Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On’ showed that health inequalities in the UK increased during that period.
We go on to discuss why he thinks the arts, culture and creativity are important to live a life of meaning and purpose and how he wants them to be available to everyone in their everyday lives.
It was an honour and privilege to have this conversation.
Links:
The Institute of Health Equity
Fair Society, Healthy Lives (The Marmot Review)
WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health
The Health Gap: the challenge of an unequal world (Bloomsbury: 2015)
Status Syndrome (Bloomsbury: 2004).
Socials:
UCL Institute of Health Equity LinkedIn
Creative Health Stories socials:
Instagram: @creativehealthstories
LinkedIn: @LauraBaileyCreativeHealth
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Grenville Hancox MBE is a musician, teacher, performer and conductor who has been at the forefront of initiating and researching music and health activities throughout his career. In 2003 he was a co-founder of the Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health and later in 2012 founded the charity Canterbury Cantata Trust which developed a collection of singing groups including Sing to Beat Parkinson's, all demonstrating the principle of caring through singing. Grenville was awarded an MBE for services to Music in 2005.
Grenville shares his story of growing up with music at home and at school and how he recognised its therapeutic benefits from an early age, through to leading on formal research on arts and health, and his continuing singing for health groups where he lives in Folkestone.
Links:
Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health
Socials:
Creative Health Stories on Instagram
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guests in this episode came together through a puppetry and mask making project commissioned by West Kent Mind called The Forest Project. Cath Jackson is a Wellbeing Worker and Counsellor with the charity, Dani Thompsett is a guardian and big sister who joined the course as a participant and Russell Dean is the Artistic Director of Strangeface Theatre Company.
The four of us had a lovely conversation about the work of West Kent Mind and Strangeface Theatre Company, why puppetry and mask making are beneficial to our mental health and expressing emotion, the process of making and the experiences of participants on the programme.
Links:
https://westkentmind.org.uk/i-want-help/creative-minds/creative-showcase/
https://www.strangeface.co.uk/
https://www.strangefacemasks.com/
Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/westkentmind/
https://www.facebook.com/WestKentMind
https://www.linkedin.com/company/west-kent-mind/
https://www.instagram.com/strangeface3/
https://www.facebook.com/strangefacemasks/
Creative Health Stories on Instagram
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ash Nugent is a celebrated artist, writer and founder of RiseUp, a charity that uses creative arts to work with people in prisons and communities. In this episode he discusses his own journey from experiencing racism in the leafy suburbs of Liverpool, finding school unsatisfactory and uninspiring to becoming a disruptive youth and ending up in a Jamaican prison at 17.
His turning point came through being open about his love of writing, finding like-minded souls and pursuing an education. This all led to starting a CIC called RiseUp to help people who find themselves on the same path as he was.
RiseUp has a team of dedicated people who use creative arts and the Hero’s Journey to help people find self-worth and a better path in life.
Ash is an excitable, passionate storyteller dedicated to supporting others and I loved our conversation!
Links:
LOCKS by Ashleigh Nugent published by Picador, June 2023
Socials:
Ash on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn
Creative Health Stories on Instagram
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Professor Kevin Fenton is a senior public health expert and infectious disease epidemiologist, who has worked in a variety of public health executive leadership roles across government and academia in the UK and internationally, including taking a leading role in London’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was awarded a CBE in the 2022 New Year honours list for services to public health.
Kevin is so articulate and generous with his knowledge about what 'public health' is in its widest sense and how it affects us on a daily basis. We run through 10 essential concepts Kevin believes can help improve health, save lives, and reduce inequalities in communities around the world and he provides really helpful connections to creative arts and his own experiences. Along with Public Health and Creative Health, the concepts are: Equity, Racism, Wellbeing, Resilience, Mindfulness, Mental Health, Self Care and Gratitude.
Kevin demonstrates his passion and belief in the role that the arts and culture have on our individual and community lives.
Links:
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
Kevin's socials:
Instagram: @ProfKevinFenton
LinkedIn: @ProfKevinFenton
TikTok: @ProfKevinFenton
Creative Health Stories socials:
Instagram: @creativehealthstories
LinkedIn: @LauraBaileyCreativeHealth
If you want to share your own creative health story, you can now do so on the website. Visit https://creative-health.co.uk/stories/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Creativity and Wellbeing Week is a festival led by London Arts and Health and the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance and funded by Arts Council England.
This is a special commissioned episode reflecting on the festival week past and present to help understand the value of it to the creative health sector. I spent time listening at online events and interviewed a selection of people representing a range of organisations and perspectives about their work, how and why they get involved, and how they think the festival could evolve.
All my guests were generous with their time, offering unique, thoughtful and insightful conversation about Creativity and Wellbeing Week, and about the power of creativity for our health and wellbeing in different contexts.
Guests:
Anna Woolf, London Arts and Health
Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health London
Sam Beal, Norwich Theatres
Daniela Nofal, Counterpoints Arts
Nafeesa Arshad, Hospital Rooms
Julie Tolhurst, Barnsley Council Public Health
Links:
Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance
Socials:
@culturehealthwellbeingalliance
If you would like to commission a podcast episode or audio stories for your organisation, please get in touch via the website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I'm taking a short break over April. In the meantime, I want you to send me your creative health story!
Do you have a creative health story you'd like to share which could inspire other people? Send me an audio recording, no more than 5 minutes long, about how you're engaging with creativity for health or wellbeing to include on the podcast. Or write it down in no more that 750 words and I may read it out.
Tell me about you and what you do:
Your name (anonymous is fine too), maybe where you live, your age, your gender, your ethnicity, your job, anything else interesting about you (all optional).
Describe what creative activities you do and the impact they have on your health or wellbeing.
You don't have to be professionally trained and your creative activity can be anything from cooking and gardening through to dance, writing, body art and everything in between. Anything creative!
Record your story on your phone (e.g. Voice Memos on iPhone or Voice Recorder app on Android) and send it via email with the subject 'My Creative Health Story' to: laura@creative-health.co.uk
By sending me your audio recording and images you agree for them to be edited and published in part or full on my website, podcast, socials or part of an associated project.
Creative Health Stories website
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mark Kilbey is former police officer and detective who retired from the force after 20 years through mental ill-health after which followed a long period of mental illness including suicide attempts. He set up the peer-led mental health charity Take Off to support people in similar situations. Sarah Winn is a theatre maker who works with young offenders, vulnerable adults and diverse communities . After the loss of her cousin by suicide, Sarah set out to create a piece of verbatim theatre to highlight the issues around male mental health and suicide.
In this episode Mark and Sarah share their own stories and how they came together to make the play called 'No one Here Is Me', the impact of the process and the performance, and how the process has forged an incredible friendship between them.
*** Please note, the episode includes discussions around severe mental illness and suicide ***
Links:
Socials:
If you're struggling with your own mental health, or you're having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone else who is, please seek help.
Places you can contact include:
Mind - Seeking help for a mental health problem
National Suicide Prevention helpline: Call 0800 689 5652
SOS Silence of Suicide Call 0300 1020 505
Samaritans Call 116 123
Childline (under 19s) Call 0800 1111
If you fear for someone's immediate safety, guide them to Accident and Emergency or dial 999 for immediate assistance
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Amal Lad is a GP and musician from Birmingham who has made a career out of exploring the intersection between art and medicine. His ability to reveal the connection between music and well-being has been recognised by the BBC and TEDxNHS, as well as countless listeners around the globe. He is the host of the Creative Medicine podcast, which also explores how people use creativity to improve health and wellbeing. Along with being a GP and podcast host Amal composes and releases his own music and is studying for a Masters in Performing Arts Medicine at UCL.
Our conversation covers 'self medicating', the role of a GP and the challenges faced in general practice and the wider NHS, along with Amal's own passion for the healing power of music and the arts. He's a super motivated and compassionate human being.
Please consider supporting the making of this podcast via Patreon
Links:
Website: https://www.amallad.com
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/amal-lad
Socials:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amalladmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amal.lad
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/AmalLadMusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amal.lad.music
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AmalLadMusic
Edited by @podcastpenny
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Christopher Bailey is the Arts and Health Lead at the World Health Organization and a co-founder of the Jameel Arts and Health Lab.
Educated at Columbia and Oxford Universities as well as the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, after a career as a professional actor and playwright, Christopher worked at the Rockefeller Foundation before joining the WHO.
Christopher has also performed original pieces such as Stage 4: Cancer and the Imagination, and The Vanishing Point: A journey into Blindness and Perception.
Our conversation covers Christopher’s journey to his current role (which he created), philosophy, theatre, and how arts and health fit into the aims of the WHO. We talk about the effects of art from neuroscience, public health, and preventative perspectives, along with the effects of awe, shock and wonder and the deep aesthetic experience.
We cover the UK’s influence in this field but also the lack of investment. Christopher shares how the WHO influences health policy around the world to be inclusive of the arts and lets us in on his own creative health world.
Please consider supporting the making of this podcast via Patreon
Links
Socials
Podcast Patreon
Edited by @podcastpenny
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.