What have you been doing today?
The day started as always with getting two children to two different schools early doors - always extremely hectic. When I get home I like to spend a few minutes making a cuppa and setting up my workspace, maybe put a bit of relaxing music on, a bit of a ritual to get myself into the right headspace. This morning I attended a really interesting meeting with a hyper-local creative health partnership group, beginning to make links, meet more people, and see ways that my role can support work both in these local pockets as well as linking in to the broader strategic work that’s so essential to support the sector into the future.
We’re developing a systems-change approach to our work which is really interesting, and new to me, so this afternoon I was beginning to get to grips with that too. Other than that I’ve been firing off lots of emails to introduce myself within my new role, hoping to get out to meet lots of different people across Derbyshire over the coming weeks. Many of the people I’m contacting I’ve known a long time through my previous roles in Derbyshire, but there are lots of new people to meet as well and I’m also really keen to broaden my networks and hear a wide range of voices. And now I’m writing this! Off to get the kids soon and the usual evening chaos will commence. We’ll probably go to the park, it’s a lovely day.
Is that a typical day for you?
At the moment, in the early stages of settling in to this role, yes. At every turn I’m furiously writing down ideas, threads, connections, pulling together evidence and good practice. I’ve also been reading up on other models of development for creative health systems, and making sure I’m aware of and building on all the fab work done so far by Laura (Phillips, previously in this role). I want to really get to the heart of what the sector, and Derbyshire communities, need, and to figure out how we can best support and embed that through the strategic work with health people and systems – and at the core of this will be good relationships and partnerships. I really believe we are stronger together. It’s a really interesting challenge and I find myself really motivated by all the brilliant and life-changing work people are doing on the ground. Soon I will be zipping around Derbyshire a lot more - there will be events and gatherings, and advocacy and development work – so even though it feels busy right now, I suspect this is the calm before the (exciting!) storm.
When did you start working with culture, health and wellbeing, and how?
Officially or unofficially? Like many people I was working in creative health long before I knew it was even a thing. I’ve always been passionate about culture and how it changes lives and minds. I started out as a French and Spanish teacher - culture is a huge part of these subjects - all language is culture, really. Learning how people work, what makes them tick. You get the kids to A-Level and they are reading literature which speaks to a time and a place and some really big, philosophical or real-world themes which you can unpick and then relate to our lives here and now... Schools are microcosms of society and you see it all. I had kids who only had a pack of crisps for breakfast, who were safer at school than at home, and who had experienced things no child should in the country they’d travelled from. It’s not ok and you really want to help. My ongoing other professional life is as a musician and music/dance teacher – sharing music, teaching harmony song, or getting a whole room up and dancing. It’s always magical to feel that energy in the room, how it brings people together, soothes souls, creates a pocket of joy that stays with you long after the moment has passed.
Having organised folk events and festivals for years, I made a sideways move out of teaching to be Education Officer at a small folk arts company in Yorkshire. In one project we partnered with inner city schools and artists to produce cross-cultural music and dance celebrations - designed to give young people and their families pride in all our heritages, bringing the whole community together. Through creativity, understanding and sharing becomes community, resilience and hope. After that I found myself in creative health work - North East Derbyshire District Council as Arts Development Officer, then to Arts Derbyshire as Creative Health Manager, which was how I got involved with developing CHWA back in 2012. And now to CHWA as an employee.
What was the last project you came across that inspired you?
I’m very busy looking after my kids so I don’t get out much, but I do love to take them along to cultural events wherever possible. I love the chaos of community happenings. In the holidays I took them to Lichfield Cathedral, where there was the beautiful juxtaposition of the National Geographic Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition (some words we used were ‘cute’, ‘wow’, ‘yuck’, and ‘what on earth is that!’), and across the road they were running a craft morning for kids – all for free. They’d linked into council support for families so we found out about local funding for struggling families, the kids could help themselves to free breakfast, and my craft-loving pair were super happy with the really high-quality crafts and came home with painted metal fish, a t-shirt and bag they’d designed, and more. My eldest even managed to bag what he called a ‘retro’ Beano annual (from 2005 – I know!) from the free books pile. All while I had a brilliant conversation with the facilitator about creative health and CHWA, who was just getting on with what she does so well without knowing much about the wider sector… I guess I never really do take my ‘work’ hat off, I think it’s a way of life really.
So you’ve got a world-class exhibition alongside community support, food, advice, and activities, all for free (or a small donation for the exhibition for those who can). Brilliant. And there was even a sandpit! There are thousands of these small and vibrant community-based activities going on, but not everywhere, and not everyone can access them for so many complex reasons – and the organisations are often working hand-to-mouth. If only everyone had access to this kind of thing.
Helena has over 20 years’ experience of arts project management and strategic development. Since 2008 she has been working in Derbyshire, honing her special interest in creative health – first at North East Derbyshire District Council and then as the Creative Health Manager at Arts Derbyshire. She started out as a French and Spanish (and sometimes music) teacher in both secondary and primary schools. At the heart of all her work is her desire to help to create a better, fairer world in which everyone can thrive.
Helena is also a traditional folk musician, singer and dancer. She has toured with various bands around England, continental Europe and Canada, performing concerts, playing for dance, and teaching music, harmony singing, and English and European folk dance. She plays the violin, 5-string viola and English half-long border bagpipes - yes, English bagpipes do exist! In her spare time Helena has started up and run 3 traditional dance community groups, and has helped to organise national folk festivals. She doesn’t have any spare time any more, as she has two young children, with whom she lives in Staffordshire - but she still gets out to play fiddle for the Morris whenever she can.