Creative Work, Healthy Minds: Creativity and Wellbeing Symposium

A cross-sector symposium, weaving together creativity, wellbeing, workplace culture, and systemic challenges such as funding and capacity

Join our half-day symposium at Arc, Hat Works in Stockport, to explore how creativity can support mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, for both staff and the people they work with.

Arc is one of the UK’s leading arts and mental health charities, with 30 years' experience in running successful arts for mental health programmes. We've seen a growing demand for our wellbeing programmes from across the private, public, and education sectors in recent years and strongly believe that creativity has a vital role to play in shaping healthier, more sustainable working cultures.

The Government's landmark Keep Britain Working Review (to be driven forward by Sir Charlie Mayfield) has learned that 1 in 5 adults of working age are off work sick (800k more than in 2019) and the cost of ill-health that prevents work is equal to nearly 70% of all income-tax receipts. As these sobering statistics show, it is vital that we provide colleagues with tools for resilience, recovery & healthier workplace culture.

This is not a conference, it’s the start of a conversation with the aims of sharing inspiring examples and evidence, generating ideas for sustainable, scalable initiatives and informing future funding bids and collaborative projects.

The event will feature short, thought-provoking presentations (15 minutes each), followed by group discussions and a shared lunch. Confirmed speakers include Dr Lucy Walker - Lecturer, Dept of Psychology, Mcr Met Uni; Dawn Prescott - Director, LIME Arts, Manchester Uni NHS Foundation Trust and Nicola Ryan - Director of Colleague Support, One+All (a Certified B Corp) with more to be announced.

We’re bringing together voices from health, education, business, local authorities, the VCFSE and cultural sectors to explore:

• The impact of creative practices on staff wellbeing and the experience of work

• Alternative approaches to promoting wellbeing and supporting employees

• Barriers to embedding creativity in stretched systems — and what enables it

• Practical, innovative ways of coping with busy and stressful environments

• Opportunities for collaboration, partnership, and future innovation

Who should attend:

• Mental health improvement enablers who want to implement real change
• Public health and mental health decision makers
• Mental health referrers interested in pilot projects
• Wellbeing champions - those responsible for improving wellbeing in their setting – hospitals, schools or businesses
• Businesses who want to improve the resilience of their staff, for reduced sickness and increased longevity
• Those who have worked with Arc, seen the benefits of our programmes and would like access to more support
• Academics and researchers working in this field

Core Objectives:

• Explore how creativity can support staff wellbeing and the wellbeing of those they serve (students, patients, clients).
• Identify barriers to embedding creativity in the workplace (e.g., time, funding, culture).
• Showcase successful models or pilots (e.g., MMU, NHS Trusts, schools, businesses).
• Co-create ideas for sustainable, scalable, and inclusive creative wellbeing initiatives.
• Generate insights and feedback to inform future funding bids and strategic planning.

Brief schedule:

9.30: Arrive, coffee & pastries

10 – 10.15: Welcome & intro

10.15 – 11.45: Presentations & provocations

11.45 – 12.15: Refreshments – drinks & light lunch

12.15 – 1: Discussion

1 – 1.30: Feedback & next steps

1.30: Close

There’s no commitment beyond attending and contributing to the discussion — but we hope the event will spark ideas for future collaborations, pilot projects, and funding bids.

Join us in advancing creativity to support health and wellbeing in the workplace.

This project is part-funded by the UK Government

Arc is 4 minutes walk from Stockport train station - see travel info here https://arc-centre.org/visit-us/