Creativity that supports your health and wellbeing

West Berkshire is one of the first six areas in England to receive  national Creative Health Leads funding, helping bring more creative wellbeing activities to residents.

Creative activities such as arts, crafts, music, gardening and walking already play a powerful role in helping people across the district stay healthy, connected, and confident. These enjoyable activities can support mental wellbeing, reduce isolation, build resilience, and help people manage long-term conditions.

Thanks to a successful joint funding bid with Reading Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council, local NHS partners, and the voluntary sector, the two‑year programme will fund a Creative Health Lead, employed by West Berkshire Council, to work across all three Local Authorities. They will work with neighbourhood teams and community organisations to expand creative health opportunities, particularly for people living with frailty, dementia, heart and lung conditions, cancer, and ongoing mental health challenges.

Creative health is already thriving in West Berkshire, with organisations offering inclusive activities that boost wellbeing for all ages. The Corn Exchange in Newbury runs popular arts workshops, school sessions, adult courses, and confidence‑building projects. Its dementia‑friendly Memory Café alone has supported more than 240 participants in the past year, offering relaxed creative spaces where people and carers can connect.

Councillor Patrick Clark, West Berkshire's Executive Member for Public Health, said:

"We're delighted to be part of this national programme, exploring how creativity can help people stay well. Linking arts, culture and health make enjoyable creative activities part of everyday support for our communities."

Dr Nick Broughton, Chief Executive Officer of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West and Frimley Integrated Care Boards, added:

"This funding is a welcome step in helping us build on the strong partnership working already happening across Berkshire West. Bringing creative health into our neighbourhood teams will give people more ways to stay well and connected, particularly those who don't always find traditional services easy to access. It's a practical way for us to support communities, ease pressure on services, and make creativity part of everyday health and care."

The new Creative Health Lead will help coordinate, expand and evaluate programmes like these across the district, ensuring more residents can experience the benefits of creativity as part of their everyday wellbeing.