Bradford 2025 announces projects to improve health and wellbeing through culture
Published February 21, 2025
Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture has today unveiled over 30 innovative projects as part of its Creative Health programme, harnessing the transformative power of culture and creativity to tackle some of the district’s most urgent health and social challenges.
In collaboration with local healthcare partners, including the Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, Bradford District & Craven MIND, The VCS Alliance (Voluntary and Community Sector), and Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Bradford 2025 will take a pioneering approach to improve both mental and physical wellbeing in the region’s most underserved communities.
Bradford 2025 is set to deliver what is believed to be one of the largest social prescribing initiatives of its kind, with this being the biggest single local authority, single-year investment made in social prescribing in the UK.
The following projects will be at the heart of this programme:
Bevan: A support programme for marginalised men offering woodworking, gardening, cooking and mindfulness workshops, promoting mental wellbeing and reducing social isolation.
Bloomin’ Buds: One-on-one creative workshops, live performances and art exhibitions for homebound older adults to reduce isolation and build community connections.
Body Image Coach: A video animation project tackling body dissatisfaction, eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder, with workshops focused on storyboarding and motion graphics in Bradford.
Bradford Care Association: Co-produced creative activities at cultural sites and care settings to connect people in receipt of care and support with cultural experiences through reminiscence workshops, virtual tours and a resource activity pack.
Bradford Community Broadcasting (BCB): A community radio platform empowering marginalised groups, reducing stigma and promoting mental wellbeing through storytelling and confidence-building.
Bradford Friendship Choir: A choir for refugees and asylum-seekers that uses singing to reduce stress, foster social connections and support trauma recovery through creative health workshops.
Bradford Refugee Forum: Creative sessions for refugees to combat isolation and improve mental health through writing, dance and crafts.
Cecil Green Arts: A 12-week art therapy programme for those with depression, allowing participants to create 3D artworks and express mental health experiences.
Creative Flare Yorkshire CIC: A community café offering art and music therapy to combat mental health issues in Lowergrange and Allerton, providing a safe space for social interaction.
Demi-Lee Davies: Printmaking workshops aimed at improving mental health by providing inclusive spaces for creative expression and community-driven support.
Displace Yourself Theatre: A trauma-informed theatre programme for refugees and asylum-seekers using theatre, music and movement to address mental health and reduce isolation.
Friends of Silsden Town Hall: Storytelling workshops for older individuals to build confidence, challenge stereotypes and document local histories.
Get Out More CIC: A nature-based initiative supporting dementia patients and carers through outdoor activities that promote social interaction and independence.
Get2Gether: An arts and culture initiative addressing mental health and social isolation, fostering connection, cultural pride and belonging through creative workshops.
Girlington Community Centre: A project offering music, cooking and crafts to improve wellbeing and promote social inclusion, focusing on emotional expression within Bradford’s Arab community.
Glusburn Community & Arts Centre: A social singalong project that supports mental health, reduces anxiety and fosters community connections, particularly for people with dementia.
HALE: An arts-based health and emotional resilience programme that incorporates multilingual support and local heritage exploration, co-produced with communities to address health inequalities.
Happy Healthy You: A programme reconnecting South Asian communities to their heritage through arts, crafts and yoga, aimed at addressing prevalent health issues in South Asian women.
Ilkley & District Good Neighbours: Creative arts activities for people with dementia, helping them reconnect with local heritage and improve communication and emotional well-being.
Karmand Community Association: Art therapy, creative writing and cultural activities for people with dementia to enhance wellbeing and reduce isolation, with a focus on early diagnosis and healthier lifestyles.
Katie Shepherd: Monthly art journaling workshops for LGBTQ+ individuals with chronic illness, disability or neurodivergence, offering emotional support and creative expression.
Keighley Creative: A creative exploration of green (forests, parks and grasslands) and blue (rivers, canals and lakes) spaces to reduce isolation and improve health through outdoor excursions and community group collaborations.
Mind the Gap: Creative workshops and storytelling to improve mental wellbeing in Manningham, featuring a ‘Mindful Manningham Map’ highlighting art, stories and wellbeing walks.
Nell Bank Charitable Trust: Open Gate, a nature-based initiative for dementia patients and carers, fostering independence, reminiscence and emotional wellbeing through outdoor activities.
People First Keighley & Craven: A creative arts project for adults with learning disabilities to express emotions, build confidence and address mental health challenges through music, writing and visual arts.
Pinnacle Performance 4 All: An inclusive dance programme promoting physical and emotional well-being for people with disabilities through movement and self-expression.
Pioneer Projects and Celebratory Arts: Creative workshops for vulnerable young people culminating in an exhibition, promoting mental health and fostering connections with local cultural venues.
Shine (West Bowling): A visual arts programme offering therapeutic support for mental health issues such as identity and loss, helping participants reduce anxiety and foster personal growth.
United Art Project CIC: A creative expression project using art and psychotherapy to explore identity and life challenges, fostering emotional healing and community connection.
Unity Builders West Yorkshire: A wellbeing singing group that uses music to reduce isolation and boost confidence, culminating in a musical that addresses creative responses to mental health.
Yorkshire Millennium Trust: Creative workshops set in natural environments, combining art therapy and environmental engagement to enhance mental wellbeing and inclusivity through collaborative outdoor art installations and storytelling.
Bradford 2025 will establish a collaborative initiative bringing together local artists, healthcare professionals, academics, community leaders and voluntary sector organisations. This will focus on supporting connections, building capacity and driving innovation in Creative Health by encouraging cross-sector collaboration.
In addition to these impactful projects, Bradford 2025 is also collaborating with partners on the Healthy Minds Partnership, which will train 100 creatives to work effectively in mental health settings. A newly established access fund will also support a buddy scheme, travel assistance, and accessible sessions within the Bradford 2025 events programme for individuals living with severe or complex mental health conditions.
Hollie Smith-Charles, Director of Creative Health and Change at Arts Council England, says: “I’m delighted to see the announcement of the 30 social prescribing projects that will be taking place across the year as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Taking part in creative and cultural activities has a transformative impact on our health and wellbeing and it is so fantastic to see that each project is tailored to the individual needs of the communities that make up the district. I look forward to following the journeys of the people engaging with these projects and seeing the benefit this will have on their lives.”
Tim Howells, Head of Public Health at Bradford Council, says: “The Creative Health programme provides a platform to ensure that reducing health inequalities is at the heart of the UK City of Culture, and provides a unique opportunity to use the medium of arts and culture to tackle some of our most pervasive health inequalities. The breadth of community groups, charities and projects that are involved is truly impressive and it will be exciting to see the impact they will have on the health and wellbeing of our communities.”
Sam Keighley, CEO of the VCS Alliance, comments: “It was a real honour for the VCSA to work alongside Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, Healthy Minds, and Bradford Metropolitan District Council to facilitate a participatory grant-making event where communities made decisions about which projects should be funded across Bradford District and Craven. Together we ensured that creative health is transforming the lives and health outcomes of our diverse communities. I am really looking forward to seeing the outcome of these projects and the impact they have for our communities across Bradford District and Craven.”
Ailsa Lewer, Project Lead at Keighley Creative, says: “Keighley Creative is delighted to receive this award. Creative Health is integral to what we do as a visual arts organisation. We can now build on the success we’ve already achieved through our Arts for Brain Health programme and embark on an exciting new venture with our partners Broughton Sanctuary, the National Trust, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust and Get Out More to improve access to outdoor spaces for our clients and improve their connection to nature.”
Fiona Busfield, Green Futures Manager at Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, comments: “We would like to say a huge thanks to Bradford 2025 for their support in enabling us to build on our strong connections with Bradford communities. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Intercultured Festival and Malham Climate Resilience Services to deliver a series of nature based events, creative workshops and residentials, engaging refugees, asylum-seekers and other marginalised communities in Bradford. We know that time in nature is a great equaliser, offering a neutral space free from the pressure and challenges of daily life. However, access to green spaces isn’t equal, and so this funding gives us an invaluable opportunity to create a renewed sense of optimism, connection and belonging.”
Louise Bestwick, Chief Executive at Bradford Care Association, states: “We’re over the moon to be partnering with creative and cultural attractions across Bradford District and Craven to develop creative connecting and reminiscence opportunities for adults who access care and support services. The Creative Health funding means we can work together with some of the most vulnerable members of our communities to shape an inclusive programme of activities tackling social isolation and improving wellbeing.”
Bradford 2025 is a celebration of Bradford city and district, taking place across its city, towns, villages and green spaces. It will have a lifelong impact through its reshaping of the local curriculum, skills and training programmes, creative health initiatives, investment in existing and new creative spaces, and by opening up opportunities for cultural participation.