Bloom
Creative Wellbeing
Our Approach and Impact
At Bloom, we know creativity has the power to transform lives and strengthen communities. Our work is rooted in evidence-based approaches to wellbeing, ensuring that every workshop, group, and project we deliver is safe, inclusive, meaningful, and impactful.
A Robust Framework for Quality & Impact
We design and deliver our work using the Creative Health Quality Framework as a guide; a national best-practice model for creative health. The Creative Health Quality Framework, developed by the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance, sets out eight core principles for delivering high-quality creative health initiatives:
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Person-Centred – We value lived experience and empower individuals.
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Equitable – We work to ensure access and inclusion for all.
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Safe – We prioritise emotional and physical safety in all our spaces.
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Creative – We harness the arts to inspire and empower.
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Collaborative – We work alongside communities, partners, and experts.
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Realistic – We set achievable, meaningful goals.
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Reflective – We continuously evaluate and improve our work.
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Sustainable – We aim to create lasting positive change.
The Evidence Behind Creative Wellbeing
Our work is inspired by research that demonstrates that creativity improves mental health and wellbeing. A growing body of evidence highlights the significant role of arts and creativity in wellbeing, recovery, and community connection.
Arts Council England's Creative Health & Wellbeing Plan
This strategy outlines how the Arts Council collaborates with health and social care sectors to promote the integration of creative practices into health initiatives. It emphasises the importance of creativity in enhancing quality of life and supports the development of partnerships between cultural and health organisations.
Creative Health: The Arts for Health & Wellbeing (APPG AHW)
This landmark report presents extensive evidence on the benefits of arts and creativity for health and wellbeing across all life stages. It highlights the role of creative engagement in mental health recovery, social prescribing, and community wellbeing.
The National Centre for Creative Health
Building on the APPG's inquiry, the NCCH advocates for integrating creativity into health and social care, ensuring that creative health is embedded in policy and practice.
Social Prescribing & Creative Health (NHS England)
The NHS actively promotes arts and creativity in social prescribing initiatives, recognising them as effective, non-medical approaches to improving mental and physical wellbeing.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing (NEF)
This widely used framework aligns closely with creative engagement:
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Connect – Creativity fosters social connections.
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Be Active – Dance, drama, and movement-based arts contribute to wellbeing.
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Take Notice – Creative mindfulness and expression enhance self-awareness.
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Keep Learning – Exploring creative skills builds confidence.
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Give – Sharing creativity contributes to community wellbeing.
Cultural & Creative Industries Policy & Research (WHO)
The World Health Organization conducted a major study on the role of the arts in improving health and wellbeing. It found strong evidence for arts-based interventions in mental health, dementia care, and trauma recovery.
These reports, along with real-world experience and community feedback, reinforce what we see every day at Bloom: creativity transforms lives.
Measuring Impact
It is important that we understand and demonstrate the impact of our work. To ensure what we do is effective, we evaluate our work using a combination of recognised wellbeing measures and creative approaches, including:
WEMWBS (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale)
A leading tool used to measure mental wellbeing before and after engagement in our activities.
Creative Evaluation Methods
We encourage participants to express their experiences through reflective exercises, creative feedback, storytelling, and visual tools to capture the impact of our work in a meaningful way - that doesn't reply on words alone.
Participant Feedback
We listen to those who take part, and those you want to take part, ensuring their voices shape what we do.
Our evaluation methods allow us to not only measure change but also adapt and improve our work, ensuring Bloom continues to provide meaningful and transformative creative wellbeing experiences.
