Arts & Culture

Continuing the cultural impact of London 2012 by funding inclusive arts projects which improve individual and community wellbeing.

Arts and cultural participation has a significant role in creating happier people and happier places, but how?

And how can we create opportunities for the people who would most benefit, but are most commonly excluded, to participate as equals? Our funding has focused on the social impact of events, from UK City of Culture to Women of the World and Eurovision, with projects that explored how we can remove barriers to access for marginalised groups such as disabled people and carers. We’re learning what works about the long-term impact of cultural events in promoting inclusion, improving wellbeing, and creating a sense of belonging.

The London 2012 Opening Ceremony and Cultural Olympiad demonstrated the power of events to bring us together. In our Inquiry into the Power of Events, we recommend that more events should be designed to build common ground across divides.

Music Research & Learning Wellbeing

Music and Wellbeing: The impacts of 17 participatory music-making projects

A review of 17 participatory music projects and their effectiveness in enhancing wellbeing and social connectedness.

Research & Learning Wellbeing

Arts and wellbeing: review of the social value of place-based arts interventions

A report and briefing from What Works Centre for Wellbeing reviewing evidence on the effect of place-based arts on wellbeing.

Arts & Culture Disability Project evaluations Wellbeing

Music Challenge Fund: Creative Directions

An evaluation report of Creative Directions, a participatory music project aimed at improving wellbeing.

Cohesion Connected Communities Loneliness Project evaluations Wellbeing

Creative Arts East: Our Day Out

An evaluation report from Our Day Out, a participatory arts project which brought wellbeing and connection to people in Norfolk with dementia and long-term heath conditions.

Cohesion Connected Communities Inclusion Integration Research & Learning

The role of major cultural and sporting events in celebrating the UK’s national identity – evidence from Spirit of 2012

Research from British Future looking at how club football can be a force for social cohesion, connection and shared local identities.

Arts & Culture Connected Communities Project evaluations

Warwick Arts Centre: Playing Out

Evaluation from Playing Out, a participatory inclusive arts programme based in the West Midlands run by Warwick Arts Centre.

Arts & Culture Project evaluations Wellbeing Young People

Music Challenge Fund: My Pockets Music

An evaluation report of My Pockets Music, a participatory music project focused on improving young people’s mental health.

Arts & Culture Legacy of Events Project evaluations

Jack Drum Arts: Moments To Connect – Year Of The King

Insights from the intergenerational inclusive arts community project inspired by the Coronation of King Charles III.

Arts & Culture Connected Communities Project evaluations Young People

Emerge: Verbal Arts Festivals

Emerge delivered a series of verbal arts festivals across the Midlands over the course of three years. The festivals were designed by young people, for young people, and in collaboration with young artists.

Arts & Culture Connected Communities Loneliness Project evaluations Wellbeing

Whitley Bay Big Local & Barnardo’s: Bay Create

Evaluation report from Bay Create, an intergenerational art project which improved wellbeing through creativity and connection.

Arts & Culture Connected Communities Legacy of Events Project evaluations Wellbeing

Eurovision 2023

A study into the impact of Eurovision cultural content on the health and wellbeing of the residents of Liverpool, both in the short and medium term.

Arts & Culture Disability Inclusion Project evaluations Wellbeing

Streetwise Circus: Circus Aurora

Arts & Culture Disability Inclusion Project evaluations

Stockton Arts Centre & Little Cog: Cultural Shift

Music Research & Learning Wellbeing

Carers Music Fund

On June 23rd 2021, Spirit of 2012 hosted a virtual summit to share practical guidance on how to design and implement music programmes which improve wellbeing and reduce loneliness for unpaid female carers

Disability Inclusion Project evaluations

Beacon Films CIC: Viewfinder

Spirit of 2012 awarded £120,000 for the three-year Viewfinder programme, a talent development initiative supporting filmmakers with disabilities, autism and additional needs.

Community cohesion Volunteering

Shared Cultural Futures

Bradford England Leeds

A partnership between two major events organisers to share knowledge and insights and create a guide for other cities hosting events.

Arts Wellbeing Young people

Eurovision 2023

England Liverpool

A £200,000 grant to support a schools engagement programme and an evaluation to measure the impact of Eurovision on the health and wellbeing of Liverpool’s residents.

Arts Volunteering

Bay Create

England Whitley Bay

Bay Create was an intergenerational arts project, based in Whitley Bay, which brings older & younger locals together to participate in arts activities.

Arts

Playing Out

Coventry England

£200,000 has been awarded to Warwick Arts Centre to create a new, inclusive art and culture project linked to the Commonwealth Games, following a collaboration between Olympic legacy funder Spirit of 2012 and Birmingham 2022.

Arts

All Roads Lead To Alexander

Birmingham England

£200,000 has been awarded to the north Staffordshire charity Caudwell Children to create a new art and culture project linked to the Commonwealth Games, following a collaboration between Spirit of 2012 and Birmingham 2022.

Volunteering

Creative Lives

Nationwide

Creative Lives works to improve the environment for arts participation across the UK, and as an umbrella body provides information and training to thousands of groups and individuals who take part in creative cultural activities.

Arts Disabled people

Viewfinder

England Newcastle upon Tyne

Beacon Film’s Viewfinder programme was a talent development initiative that supported filmmakers with disabilities, autism and additional needs

Older People Wellbeing

Our Day Out

England Norwich

Spirit funded Creative Arts East to deliver Our Day Out, a unique dementia-friendly programme of creative arts for rurally-isolated older people in Norfolk.

Young people

My Pockets Music

England Hull

My Pockets CIC delivered their song-writing project My Pockets Music to young people in Hull and East Riding to support them in creating, recording and playing songs about their own lives and experiences.

Older People Wellbeing Young people

Music For Health

England Morecambe

Music for Health was a programme developed by More Music to help improve mental health and wellbeing using music.

Disabled people Sport and physical activity

Critical Mass

Birmingham England

A major part of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 Cultural Festival, Critical Mass saw nearly 250 disabled and non-disabled young people from diverse backgrounds take part in inclusive dance and perform to a worldwide audience.

Young people

Creative Minds

Methyr Tydfil Newport Swansea Wales

Creative Minds supports young people aged 11-21 across 4 Creative Wellbeing Hubs in South Wales to become Creative Wellbeing Champions.

Arts

Creative Directions

England

Through rousing folk music, Creative Directions offered localised opportunities for residents with and without lived experience of mental ill health to devise new songs and compositions that celebrate and journey through the past, present and future of Doncaster’s rural communities.

Arts

Coventry City of Culture

Coventry England

Spirit of 2012 awarded a major £1m grant to Coventry City of Culture Trust to rollout a community programme of cultural activities that address the city’s most significant social issues.

Arts

Carers’ Music Fund

Nationwide

The Carers’ Music Fund put women and girls with caring responsibilities front and centre, providing opportunities for fun, creative expression and self (re)-discovery through music making.

arts cohesion community Coventry City of Culture Hull City of Culture volunteering wellbeing

Ten years down the line, the UK City of Culture has much to celebrate

Like Spirit of 2012, UK Cities of Culture is celebrating its 10th birthday this year. Spirit was too late to get in on the action in Derry-Londonderry, but we knew…

arts Birmingham 2022 Critical Mass disability

Can a mass dance project light the way for inclusive arts? Welcome to Critical Mass…

There’s a viral challenge doing the rounds. You know the one, you face a wall, lift your foot up to the wall, pivot, put your hands on the floor, lift…

carers Carers’ Music Fund loneliness music wellbeing women and girls

Music-making increases happiness and reduces loneliness for carers: new report shows

A ground-breaking trial, funded by the DCMS Tampon Tax Fund and Spirit of 2012 has concluded that participating in group music activities helps improve the wellbeing of unpaid female carers….

arts Coventry City of Culture events Research wellbeing What Works Centre for Wellbeing

New research looks at how arts and cultural activities increase impact of major events

The What Works Centre for Wellbeing has received a research contract from Spirit of 2012 to carry out a review of evidence for the wellbeing value of arts and culture…

Creative Arts East dementia mental health music older people Our Day Out wellbeing

Our Day Out: A dose of happiness in Cley-next-the-Sea

Spirit funds Creative Arts East to deliver Our Day Out, a unique dementia-friendly programme of creative arts for rurally-isolated older people across Norfolk. Former Grants and Learning Manager Helen Killingley talks about…

dancesyndrome disability sport and physical activity

Dancesyndrome: The Story Of A Charity Founder & Dance Leaders

Spirit of 2012 is a proud supporter of DanceSyndrome. Formed by dancer Jen Blackwell, who has Down’s Syndrome, they provide creative and fun learning opportunities for anyone who wants to…

canolfan gerdd william mathias covid-19 darts loneliness more music music challenge fund My Pockets wellbeing

Music Challenge Fund projects tackle Covid isolation

On a daily basis the Spirit of 2012 team has the privilege of hearing stories of innovation, connection and resilience across our grants portfolio. In the face of a pandemic…

arts music social prescribing wellbeing

The impact and future of social prescribing: Wellbeing, evidence, partnership and approach

In his blog, published on Music for Dementia’s website, James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care for NHS England, makes an important argument for the role of participatory arts – and…

arts Creative Arts East dementia mental health music older people wellbeing

What participants love about Creative Arts East’s Our Day Out project

Society has always felt there to be a connection between music and wellbeing, even if it didn’t appreciate what that was. At Spirit of 2012, we have explored this by…

Creative Arts East older people Our Day Out social prescribing wellbeing

Creative Arts East reflect on transformative creativity and wellbeing programme ‘Our Day Out’

As our investment partnership with Spirit of 2012 comes to an end, we at Creative Arts East are taking a moment to reflect on our incredible seven years as a…

arts Caring City Coventry City of Culture UK Cities of Culture volunteering

As Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 announces what’s in store for the summer, we look at the progress of the Spirit-funded Caring City programme

When we awarded a full grant of £1m last July to deliver the Caring City programme through to the end of the City of Culture year, it was clear the…

arts community wellbeing youth advisory panel