New creative health commissions announced for Medway

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Over the last year, Medway’s Creative Health Place Partnership Programme, has been supporting artists to develop their skills and support wellbeing in our communities. The programme has run professional development workshops as well as offering grant funding and mentoring to creatives looking to make the leap into delivering creative health activities.

Evolve is an 11-month action-learning programme for a small cohort of practitioners to take their practice to the next level through mentoring, guidance and seed funding.  Following a competitive application process, seven creatives were selected to receive up to £10,0000 to deliver a project supporting their professional development objectives and addressing local health or wellbeing challenges. You can find out more about this exciting new generation of creative health practitioners and their projects below.

Paramjot Kaur is a talented visual artist, specialising in drawing detailed photorealistic art. Since starting an organisation dedicated to supporting elders from the South Asian community, she has become interested in how creative practices can support health and wellbeing. Paramjot’s work responds to a critical need to support those living with dementia. In her project, Paramjot will learn from dementia-specialists and creative health practitioners to plan and deliver creative arts workshops with older people, focusing on those living with dementia.

“I’ve learned to design multi-sensory experiences that ensure everyone can engage in their own way.”

Paramjot Kaur 

Kate Mechedou is known by many for her work with Mrs Baker’s Medway Theatre Company. She also runs the Arches Local weekly community singalong. Kate’s project offers singing workshops for those living with COPD. She has been learning techniques for sharing the joy and benefits of singing for those with this respiratory disorder from Singing for Health, and exploring rigorous evaluation techniques with Music4Health.

Libbie Watson is a freelance artist and workshop facilitator with over ten years of experience working and engaging with young people and community organisations. Her Evolve project employs visual arts techniques to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people living with long-term health conditions including those in hospitals. Her engaging approach is designed to empower young people and create social connections for young people who often feel very alone.

“I co-designed a project with young people aged 11–25 to support their mental health and improve their resilience through creativity. Taking part in this programme has also confirmed that creative health is where I’d like to focus my practice.”

Libbie Watson

Philly Rose Scott is a Guyanese-British Cultural & Creative Producer, Writer, and Director based in Medway. Her work focuses on underrepresented stories and mental health. Her new project Nine offers a powerful platform for women to share their experiences of motherhood, addressing themes of trauma, healing and growth. The project invites mothers and their children to take part creating a unique intergenerational creative expression.

“The Evolve programme gave me space to create freely. It provided me with the support I needed to be able to support others, and most importantly it gave me the opportunity to produce meaningful art with a group of mothers whose voices are too often left unheard.”

Philly Rose Scott

Nadia Perotta’s passion for socially engaged practice drives her work as a filmmaker, writer and visual artist. She is Art Director of House of Stars, a creative hub for storytelling and visual arts. She specialises in manga and comics, using these to empower individuals through storytelling and creative expression. Nadia’s work focuses on exploring identity, fostering emotional resilience, and amplifying underrepresented voices.

Jay M Patel is a Gillingham-raised, Community Artist-Educator and Public Health Medway Champion. Jay M. Patel’s passion to help elevate Medway resulted in her vision for her first creative health pilot, Nature Bubbles, designed to engage local people of all ages and abilities to improve their social, emotional, mental and physical health, through an innovative blend of art, craft, group exercise and nature connection. Jay initiated this new creative partnership between herself as an inclusive, cross-cultural practitioner, Medway Council’s Physical Activity Team and Medway Libraries, to promote a greater sense of togetherness, counter social isolation and enhance overall wellbeing. Jay led weekly, summertime walks and process-based, environmental art activities at Gillingham Library. The small group of participating British-Hindu senior citizens felt “uplifted by this inspiring, transformative experience!”. Jay is planning to reach more residents and grow Nature Bubbles across the Medway Towns.

“The elders really loved the project, by the end they had started planning their own walks!”

Jay M Patel

Hannah Whittaker is an interdisciplinary artist specialising in interactive and participatory projects. Her work blends digital art, installation, animation and performance, nurturing conversation, creativity and connection. Illustrating Lives is a collaborative storytelling and illustration project that brings together diverse community groups to share and visually explore each other’s stories. It will culminate in a public exhibition celebrating the power of shared narratives and creativity to build community.

You can find out more about Medway’s Creative Health Place Partnership programme here and read about other aspects of the programme on our last blog.  To stay up to date with programme news and for future opportunities follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter.