Our hearty congratulations to DanceEast!
“Congratulations to DanceEast, the Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board, and all partners on securing Arts Council England’s support for Norfolk and Suffolk: Region of Creative Health.
From Ipswich.love, we strongly welcome this investment and believe it is a vital step in embedding creativity as part of prevention, wellbeing and everyday health.
Here at Ipswich.love, we see culture as a powerful way to bring people together—building connections across our neighbourhoods and generations, strengthening belonging, and supporting the relationships that underpin a resilient place. This project speaks directly to that ambition by widening access to creative opportunities through health and care settings, and by helping more people—especially those facing inequality, isolation or long-term conditions—to take part. We’re proud that this work is being led from our Ipswich DanceEast team and across our wider region, and we look forward to seeing the benefits reach communities who will gain most from sustained access to culture and creative opportunities.”
Arts Council England has awarded £350,000 towards a two-year project, Norfolk and Suffolk: Region of Creative Health. This multi-partner project will work across cultural, creative, health, social care, education and innovation sectors to bring the health and wellbeing benefits of culture and creativity to more people.
Singing, dancing, visiting museums, galleries and theatres, writing, reading and making things, are fundamental to long term, healthy lives, and the prevention and management of long-term health conditions such as postnatal depression, asthma and Parkinson’s. This is supported by substantial evidence (see UCL Social Behavioural Research Unit).
Led by DanceEast and the Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board, the project will aim to embed cultural and creative opportunities within health and social care services, where they can be more easily accessed by a wider range of people. This will encourage, support, and enable people across Norfolk and Suffolk to build creative lives, including people managing long term health conditions, and those living in some of the most deprived communities in the region.
The approach builds on the excellent work of DanceEast, Suffolk Artlink, Creative Arts East, Suffolk Community Libraries and many others who deliver creative health activity. The 2-year project is part of a 10- year vision to establish creativity and cultural participation as core health behaviours for people in the region.
Anthony Missen, Creative Director & Chief Executive of DanceEast says:
“The award from Arts Council England provides a fantastic opportunity to build on existing partnerships and momentum so that we can embed culture and creativity within the lives of people in Norfolk and Suffolk. This investment has been awarded early in the NHS’s 10-year plan to move from cure to prevention: we see creativity and culture as playing a key role in achieving this. This project is unique nationally and will transform Norfolk and Suffolk into the UK’s leading region of creative health.”
With a total project value of £1million, £350,000 investment from Arts Council England will unlock a further £250,000 in funding and £500,000 in time, capacity, resource, and expertise.
Alongside cultural organisations, partners include Norfolk & Suffolk Integrated Care Board, Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Health Innovation East, University of East Anglia, Norwich University of the Arts, University of Suffolk and Norfolk & Suffolk County Councils. This will enable the connection into existing systems and approaches, such as social prescribing. The project will also create significant job opportunities for creative health practitioners, including freelancers.
“Our 2024 Creative Lives Report mapped regional activity, identifying needs, challenges, and opportunities for embedding creative health. Its recommendations have shaped our approach: workforce development, commissioning models, stronger health-sector leadership and value for the creative workforce sit at the heart of this project.
“The Norfolk & Suffolk Culture Board will use the evidence created through delivery of the Region of Creative Health project to advocate for the inclusion of creative health within plans held by the new Norfolk and Suffolk Mayor’s Office, and within health and social care service delivery.”
Some of the activities delivered through the Norfolk & Suffolk: Region of Creative Health project include:
- Providing training and qualifications for cultural, health and social care workers, to upskill the creative health leaders of tomorrow, including an apprenticeship with University of Suffolk
- Partners working together to develop creative health commissioning models and finding new ways to present data
- Developing new creative health information products, including NHS apps.
The project will include a programme of collaborative learning, development, and innovation. As it progresses, new ideas, ways of working and solutions will be shared through articles and events.
Photo Credits: Rachel Cherry, Anita Staff
DanceEast
Foundry Lane Ipswich IP4 1DW
We are one of the UK’s leading national dance organisations. Our mission is to remain at the vanguard of artistic, participatory and educational practice in dance.
Events with DanceEast
- Sat 9th May 2026
- Sun 10th May 2026
- Sun 10th May 2026
- Sat 16th May 2026
- Sat 23rd May 2026
- Sat 23rd May 2026
- Fri 31st Jul 2026
Who wrote this about Ipswich?
Sam Sherman
Sam is a Co-Founder of Ipswich.love. Passionate about Ipswich, Sam looks to see how we might jointly reverse some of the recent negativity and bring some deserved positivity back to our beloved Town.
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