Annual Review 2024

Suffolk Artlink annual review 2024

Our values

Inclusion – ensuring everyone has equity of access and is welcomed, supported and valued

Shared experience – celebrating everyone’s contribution and the positive connections made through being creative together

Agency – developing skills and confidence that support people to feel in control in all areas of their lives

Collaboration – using a strength-based approach to making alliances with communities, artists and across sectors through exciting partnerships

Our highlights from 2023/24
267 Activities delivered
2351 Project participants
96066 Audience reached
52 Artists employed
9 Volunteers supported

Impacts of our programme

“I never used to have many friends and now I do thanks to Curious Minds. I look forward to things now and feel so much better.”

Increased health and wellbeing

“Being here makes me feel less stressed and more happy and proud”
“I am slowly reducing my medication now as I am starting to feel so much better. I want everyone who has ever felt the same as me to have a place on a course like this”
“It’s like therapy, it gets me using my mind, it makes me think, and it reminds me of all sorts of things I used to do.”

Reduced isolation

“Welcoming and comforting. I would not normally see or talk to anyone all day.”
“Seeing my friends again made me feel ten out of ten”
“This has been such a big change for me. It has also inspired me to get in touch with my old friends.”

Improved skills

“This course gives me the dedicated space and time just for me! It has brought back my love of digital photography and helped me to engage with technology and creativity again.”
“My social skills are definitely improving through being at the group and I just want to continue improving my health with courses like this!”
“I’ve learnt to work slower and take my time and do more thinking. It’s made my work more ‘stand out-able!’ It’s been really enjoyable.”

Creative Health

Our social prescribing arts and heritage programme supports the wellbeing of people living with long-term health conditions. It is a partnership with Ipswich and East Suffolk Alliance, Suffolk Libraries and The Food Museum. Over 30 people took part in artist-led courses in Eye, Felixstowe and Woodbridge, taking inspiration from museum collections and learning new skills in photography, digital art, sculpture, illustration and movement.

Creative Progression

Visual art sessions for learning disabled and neurodivergent people to explore and develop their creative practice in a supportive group environment, facilitated by an experienced team of staff, artists and volunteers. We piloted this new way of working with over 30 people at Bury St Edmunds Library, The Kirkley Centre in Lowestoft and Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich. People embraced their creativity; making futuristic sculptures, installations, collages and stop frame animations.

Creative Communities

Artist-led workshops and resources support community groups to learn new skills, grow their networks and develop their confidence in being creative together. Creative sessions with carers groups took place across Suffolk, including Stowmarket, Felixstowe and Haverhill, along with inspiring online sessions. We also worked with Suffolk Rape Crisis, Suffolk Chinese Family Welfare Association, Rural Coffee Caravan, Home Instead (Memory Lane) and South Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone.

Creative Heritage

Our intergenerational project uses material from Suffolk Archives and county museums to inspire shared creative activities focused on Suffolk’s rich footballing heritage. We worked in Lowestoft to explore the stars and stories of its footballing past with teams from Britten Court Care Home and Roman Hill Primary School and then Hildesley Court and Pakefield Primary School. Sporting Memories groups in Ipswich and Lowestoft and other contributors offered their recollections for new digital memory boxes that are a new resource to share and enjoy.

Creative Beginnings

Our partnership with Magic Acorns, Britten Pears Arts and Suffolk Libraries is developing a vibrant place-based network for early years music providers, facilitators and musicians in Lowestoft. The programme offers early years practice development with musicians to develop and deliver activities with 0-5’s and their families. We supported Red Oak Primary School to develop its musical delivery, teamed up with the National Literacy Trust to offer musical storytelling sessions, worked with St Andrew’s Tot’s group to facilitate community sessions and developed the musical offer with Family Hubs. In addition, we supported the development of a new interactive play scape for early years children and their families.

Creative Clowning

Clown Doctors visit young people in hospitals and hospices and engage them in clowning, storytelling, music, magic, circus skills and improvisation to bring happiness and confidence and help with anxiety and feelings of isolation. Over 10,000 children have been supported by Suffolk Artlink’s Clown Round programme since 2010. Last year our team visited children and young people at Colchester, Ipswich, James Paget and Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals and EACH Hospices in Suffolk and Norfolk.

Be Creative, Make Friends & Live Well

“Thank you to our wonderful participants whose achievements continue to inspire our commitment to the charity’s mission. Our programmes enable people of all abilities to fulfil their potential through participating in creative activities and learning new skills; making friends and building social connections; and improving their wellbeing, health, and resilience.”

Sarah Bardwell and Jeni Draper, Co-Chairs

Suffolk Artlink is a participatory arts charity that brings creativity into the heart of communities. We develop and deliver inclusive arts programmes that support peoples’ health and wellbeing.

We collaborate with partners, artists and communities to provide a diverse range of programmes, helping people transform their lives by bringing skills, support networks, confidence and joy to people in Suffolk. Our artist-led projects take place in residential homes, schools, hospitals and hospices, libraries, museums and community venues.

Alongside our participatory programme, we work strategically to develop the participatory arts and creative health sectors regionally and nationally, sharing our expertise with a wide range of stakeholders.

Support Us:

Suffolk Artlink relies on donations to support our work. Help us continue to fill community spaces with creativity and collaboration – be the difference and donate to help us bring creative opportunities to those who need it most.

Donate once: Every penny makes a difference.

Give monthly and become a Friend of Suffolk Artlink.

Fundraise through events and sponsored challenges

Giving £5 buys arts materials to bring distraction and laughter to children in hospital and hospices.
Giving £10 a month for a year pays for a professional artist to lead a creative workshop.
Giving £25 a month enables us to plan and deliver work that changes people’s lives profoundly.

www.suffolkartlink.org.uk/support-us

Suffolk Artlink
www.suffolkartlink.org.uk
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Charity no. 1110898 / Company No. 05354844. Registered office: Units 13 & 14, Malt Store Annex, The Cut, 8 New Cut, Halesworth, IP19 8BY