Sue Williamson (Head of Library Services, St Helens Council) and Cath Shea's (Arts Development Manager, St Helens Council) presentation at CILIP 2017 Conference in Manchester #CILIPConf17 Sue and Cath will outline the value of a vibrant Arts in Libraries programme in delivering on the agenda of health and well-being. They will describe their journey to a strong partnership with Public Health and Adult Social Care and Health and the lessons learnt along the way. They will also talk about how they secured support from organisations such as Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery in cementing the strong bond between Arts and Culture and Libraries and the huge benefits of working together to deliver a focused programme offering support to marginalised groups.

1. #CILIPConf17
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2. #CILIPConf17
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Using the arts in libraries to
benefit health and wellbeing
Sue Williamson, Head of Library Services,
St Helens Council
Cath Shea, Arts Development Manager, St
Helens Council

3. Using the Arts in Libraries to
benefit health and well-being
Sue Williamson
Head of Library Services
Cath Shea
Arts Development Manager

4. Overview
• Libraries and Health: the links
• 5 SCL Universal Offers: includes Health
• Addition of a 6th: Culture

5. Current Organisational
Structure in St Helens
• Library Services = Libraries, Arts and Culture
and Adult and Community Learning
• Part of the department of Public Health and
Well-Being
• In the People’s Directorate, includes Adult
Social Care and Health and Children’s Social
Care and Health

6. Developing links to Health
• 2010: Grant from ACE to deliver an
action research programme
• Role of Arts for socially excluded and
• Potential impact on personalised
budgets

7. Role of Commissions
• Other Ways of Telling: Arts and Mental Health (Collective
Encounters - theatre for social change)
• Other Ways of Seeing: Arts and Physical and Sensory
Disabilities (Visual Arts with Aspire Trust)
• Other Ways of Being: Arts in supporting recovery from Alcohol
Abuse and in raising awareness (Theatre with Geese Theatre)

8. Collective Encounters –
Mental Health Focused commission

9. Collective Encounters –
Mental Health Focused commission

10. Collective Encounters –
Mental Health Focused commission

11. Impact Analysis
Central Themes
• Being seen & being in demand
• Being safe & supported
• Freedom, distraction & release
• Joy & inspiration
• Being valued & respected

12. Impact Analysis
Benefits of taking part:
• Improved relationships & social skills
• Increased creativity & productivity
• Recovery of self & self-worth
• Improved confidence & empowerment
• Sense of achievement
• Increased acceptance & appreciation of self and others

13. Impact Analysis
• “…the deep depression that I suffer from … I’ve learned how to
cope with that. The group here has helped me to take it a step
further. I know how to cope even better with my condition. Even
though it doesn’t lessen the condition I can cope better with it.
Because of the group.”
• “One of the things that I’ve noticed is that a lot of people who’ve
had the addictions […] they’re incredibly creative people who
just haven’t been able to be creative. […] This is essential work
[…] this is about allowing people to live proper lives.”

14. Cultural Hubs
• Audience established
• Major target group: ASCH users
• ACE: Grants for the Arts in Libraries
fund
• 5th year; 3 successful applications

15. Comedy Trust –
Stand Up to Stigma

19. Relationship with Public
Health
• Expanded and Grown
• Arts on Prescription
programme
• Commissioned and funded by Public
Health
• Exceeded expectations, 2nd programme
commissioned

20. Creative Alternatives –
Arts on Prescription (led by Alef Trust)

21. Creative Alternatives
• SWEMWBS evaluation - an average improvement of 5.2 points
at programme exit.
• Lifestyle evaluation indicates improvement particularly in the
following areas:
o Physical activity: 70% of participants improved / much improved
o GP visits: 50% of participants reduced / much reduced their visits
o Social activity: 62% of participants increased
o Mental health: 70% of participants improved / much improved
o Additionally 42% reported uptake of volunteering, 55% uptake of education and
77% reported accessing cultural activities in St.Helens.

22. Creative Alternatives –
Arts on Prescription
• “Before joining Creative Alternatives I felt like I’d lost sense of
who I was and like I was trapped in a dark place. Since taking
part I can now see light again and have gained confidence in the
person that I used to be. The creative process has helped me do
that and I get lost in drawing and painting for hours on end. I
now also feel confident that I can join new groups and meet new
people. Without Creative Alternatives I honestly think I would
still be at home feeling lost and alone in the darkness.”
Creative Alternatives participant

23. Cultural Hubs 2
• Delivered a range of arts performances in Libraries
• Supported artists
• 2 Arts in Libraries Conferences
• Spoken at other conferences
• Case Study for Ambition
• Shortlisted for CILIP award 2015
• Won National Lottery Award 2016
• Gained NPO status for our library service
• Key shaper of new SCL Cultural offer

24. Cultural Hubs 3
• Aims and Objectives
• Why Libraries?
• 44% Facebook Friends
• 44% Cultural Hubs audience from that
cohort
• 37% from lowest SOAs in the Borough
• National expected maximum: 20%

25. What next?
• Potential of Libraries
• Cradle to Grave Service
• 1 in 2 people regularly visit a library
• 224.6 million visits
• Saves NHS 27.5 million per annum

26. Funding through Arts Council England
• The Arts Council are interested in Art
• Focus on the Art and not on social
agendas
• Find good arts partner or partners

27. What can the arts partner
bring ?
 Bring Arts specialism
 Help with the creative idea based on your priority
 Help to write commission brief (if needed)
 Help you to select artists
 Be the Creative Producer or recommend one
 Help with costings /budget
 In-kind match funding?
 Give Arts Council confidence in your delivery
 Help you to focus on the ART

28. Finding Arts Partners
• Speak to other Libraries - Who has already been
funded?
Listed on website
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/grants-arts-
libraries-fund
• Arts Council specialists through Relationship
Manager for Libraries

29. And finally…
Any questions?