Bradford 2025 unveils creative health and wellbeing projects

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture is supporting a series of creative projects aiming to tackle health and social challenges in the region.

It has unveiled 30 social prescribing projects as part of its Creative Health programme to take place during the city’s year-long creative calendar.

The projects, to be funded by Bradford 2025, will be delivered in collaboration with local healthcare partners and are designed to support some of the region’s most underserved communities.

Among the projects will be one-to-one creative workshops, live performances and art exhibitions for homebound older adults to reduce isolation, delivered by Bradford-based theatre company Bloomin’ Buds.

A project by Bradford Community Broadcasting will run a community radio platform to empower marginalised groups, while Bradford Friendship Choir will run a choir for refugees and asylum seekers.

Artist-led organisation Cecil Green Arts is running a 12-week art therapy class for people experiencing depression, while touring theatre company Displace Yourself Theatre will deliver a trauma-informed theatre programme for refugees and asylum seekers.

Health development charity HALE is planning an arts-based health and emotional resilience programme, incorporating multilingual support and local heritage exploration, while Karmand Community Association will host art therapy, creative writing and cultural activities for people with dementia.

Other projects featured include Pinnacle Performance 4 All’s dance programme for people with disabilities, Pioneer Projects and Celebratory Arts’ creative workshops for vulnerable young people that will culminate in an exhibition, and Unity Builders West Yorkshire’s wellbeing singing group that will deliver a musical addressing creative responses to mental health.

A full list of the funded projects is available on Bradford 2025’s website.

‘Truly impressive’

Organisers are calling the announcement the biggest single local authority, single-year investment made in social prescribing in the UK.

“Through this programme we hope to further highlight that not only is art and culture for everyone, but it can lead to a better quality of life too,” said Bradford 2025 creative director Shanaz Gulzar.

Bradford Council’s head of public health, Tim Howells, says the programme of events provides a platform to ensure that reducing health inequalities is at the heart of City of Culture, as well as 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,” Howells added.