All About Creative Minds

At Creative Minds, we are integrating creativity and the arts into mainstream health and wellbeing practice. We deliver and run projects for local people, to develop individuals’ and communities’ mental, physical and psychological wellbeing. Our approaches around creative activities, sports and hobbies are developed to:

. Boost confidence and self-esteem by providing opportunities to discover new, exciting activities and experiences.

. Develop social skills and social integration by offering chances to connect with like-minded people.

.Create a sense of purpose by creating communities around shared passions.

.Improve quality of life by making new friends at the events and activities hosted by us and our partners.

Take a look at the projects running today that you can join.

Since its launch in November 2011, Creative Minds has enabled over 500 projects inside and outside of  NHS services, alongside facilitating over 100 sports events. Together, and with our team’s dedicated work, this benefits over 6,500 people per year. We have around 130 Creative Minds partner organisations from across all our localities too.

Creative Minds and coronavirus – our new link service

Due to the current situation with  coronavirus, Creative Minds projects and partner organisations are operating very differently to ensure we are all keeping safe in line with government guidance around social distancing.

Many of our creative partners are keeping in touch with participants via social media, or through offering online creative activities alongside distance activities.

In order to support our work, we are launching a new service for people who use South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust services, alongside their carers. The new link service aims to link them into the virtual activities our partners are offering and also the broader activities and support locally, regionally and nationally.

This will include arts, recreation and physical activity you can do in the home or garden to keep you occupied, stimulated, connected, fit and well. We are also linking up with local community partners like Recovery Colleges to coordinate activities locally.

People that use South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s services, alongside their carers and health and care staff can ‘refer’ into our new link service. To make a referral, simply send the contact details of the person you are working with, or their carer, (e.g. name, address, telephone and e-mail) to the relevant Creative Minds coordinator:

• Barnsley: Dave.Watson@swyt.nhs.uk
• Calderdale\Kirklees: Alex.Feather1@swyt.nhs.uk
• Wakefield\forensic services: Arshad.Mahmood@swyt.nhs.uk

Please also remember to cc’ the Creative Minds inbox in your referral: Creativeminds@swyt.nhs.uk

If you are referring someone else, please make sure you let the person know you are making this referral and that they have given consent to share their information.

You can also keep in touch with everything Creative Minds by reading our newsletters, which can be found on our resources page.

Charity Information

Creative Minds is a charity hosted by South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust. Our charitable aim is to develop creative activities in partnership with community organisations that help improve the health and wellbeing of people who use Trust services. This must be provision that is an enhancement to regular NHS provision.

Our Charity number is 1055931-13. More information on charities commission website http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/showcharity/registerofcharities/RegisterHomePage.aspx   Enter 1055931 and click on Linked Charity button.