Creative Connections

Creative Connections is a three-way creative partnership project for our community, created by our community. It will bring together It' Not Your Birthday But... with Kingston Hospital and Anstee Bridge, an alternative education programme for young people aged 14-16. 

Our team of artists will work with over 60 students at Anstee Bridge to create a series of bespoke artworks for the Mental Health Emergency Department at Kingston Hospital. It will provide the young people with a focused project where their own creative ideas and skills will have a tangible impact on improving the hospital environment for patients and staff. 

As well as artistic skills, they will have the opportunity to develop their communication skills, work as a team and strengthen their confidence, self esteem and social skills. The artwork will be focused on transforming a stark, clinical space into a calmer, softer space that is more suited to patient needs. It will benefit the patients using the space as well as their families to make it less intimidating and a more relaxing, calming space. It will also benefit the well-being of the staff in the space by transforming the atmosphere into a more inspiring one. 

The project will run for 3 months and the artwork will stay up in the hospital for at least three years. We can't wait to see what the young people create!

This project is kindly supported by The National Lottery Community Fund, Achieving for Children and Kingston Hospital Charity.