Sir Michael Marmot has been Professor of Epidemiology at University College London since 1985 and is Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity. He has led research groups on health inequalities for nearly 50 years and in 2000 he was knighted by Her Majesty The Queen, for services to epidemiology and the understanding of health inequalities. More recently, Marmot was appointed a Companion of Honour in recognition of his services to public health in the King’s 2023 New Year Honours.

In this episode, Sir Michael Marmot describes why he switched his medical focus to prevention and embarked on what has become a lifelong commitment to studying how social circumstances impact people's health. He explains what the social determinants of health are, and why they are fundamental to addressing health inequalities.

He talks through the recommendations he made in his landmark report ‘Fair Society, Healthy Lives (The Marmot Review)’ and shares some of the evidence, and his thoughts, on why the follow up ‘Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On’ showed that health inequalities in the UK increased during that period.

We go on to discuss why he thinks the arts, culture and creativity are important to live a life of meaning and purpose and how he wants them to be available to everyone in their everyday lives.

It was an honour and privilege to have this conversation.

Links:

The Institute of Health Equity

Fair Society, Healthy Lives (The Marmot Review)

Marmot Review 10 Years On

WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health

The Health Gap: the challenge of an unequal world (Bloomsbury: 2015)

Status Syndrome (Bloomsbury: 2004).

Creative Health Review

Socials:

UCL Institute of Health Equity LinkedIn

Creative Health Stories socials:

Instagram: @creativehealthstories

LinkedIn: @LauraBaileyCreativeHealth

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Grenville Hancox MBE is a musician, teacher, performer and conductor who has been at the forefront of initiating and researching music and health activities throughout his career. In 2003 he was a co-founder of the Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health and later in 2012 founded the charity Canterbury Cantata Trust which developed a collection of singing groups including Sing to Beat Parkinson's, all demonstrating the principle of caring through singing. Grenville was awarded an MBE for services to Music in 2005.

Grenville shares his story of growing up with music at home and at school and how he recognised its therapeutic benefits from an early age, through to leading on formal research on arts and health, and his continuing singing for health groups where he lives in Folkestone.

Links:

Sounds Folkestone

Sing To Beat

Canterbury Cantata Trust

Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health

Socials:

Grenville on LinkedIn

Creative Health Stories on Instagram

Laura on LinkedIn

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My guests in this episode came together through a puppetry and mask making project commissioned by West Kent Mind called The Forest Project. Cath Jackson is a Wellbeing Worker and Counsellor with the charity, Dani Thompsett is a guardian and big sister who joined the course as a participant and Russell Dean is the Artistic Director of Strangeface Theatre Company.

The four of us had a lovely conversation about the work of West Kent Mind and Strangeface Theatre Company, why puppetry and mask making are beneficial to our mental health and expressing emotion, the process of making and the experiences of participants on the programme.

Links:

https://westkentmind.org.uk/

https://westkentmind.org.uk/i-want-help/creative-minds/creative-showcase/

https://www.strangeface.co.uk/

https://www.strangefacemasks.com/

Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/westkentmind/

https://www.facebook.com/WestKentMind

https://www.linkedin.com/company/west-kent-mind/

https://www.instagram.com/strangeface3/

https://www.facebook.com/strangefacemasks/

Creative Health Stories on Instagram

Laura on LinkedIn

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Ash Nugent is a celebrated artist, writer and founder of RiseUp, a charity that uses creative arts to work with people in prisons and communities. In this episode he discusses his own journey from experiencing racism in the leafy suburbs of Liverpool, finding school unsatisfactory and uninspiring to becoming a disruptive youth and ending up in a Jamaican prison at 17.

His turning point came through being open about his love of writing, finding like-minded souls and pursuing an education. This all led to starting a CIC called RiseUp to help people who find themselves on the same path as he was.

RiseUp has a team of dedicated people who use creative arts and the Hero’s Journey to help people find self-worth and a better path in life.

Ash is an excitable, passionate storyteller dedicated to supporting others and I loved our conversation!

Links:

RiseUp

LOCKS by Ashleigh Nugent published by Picador, June 2023

Socials:

Ash on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn

Creative Health Stories on Instagram

Laura on LinkedIn

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Professor Kevin Fenton is a senior public health expert and infectious disease epidemiologist, who has worked in a variety of public health executive leadership roles across government and academia in the UK and internationally, including taking a leading role in London’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was awarded a CBE in the 2022 New Year honours list for services to public health.

Kevin is so articulate and generous with his knowledge about what 'public health' is in its widest sense and how it affects us on a daily basis. We run through 10 essential concepts Kevin believes can help improve health, save lives, and reduce inequalities in communities around the world and he provides really helpful connections to creative arts and his own experiences. Along with Public Health and Creative Health, the concepts are: Equity, Racism, Wellbeing, Resilience, Mindfulness, Mental Health, Self Care and Gratitude.

Kevin demonstrates his passion and belief in the role that the arts and culture have on our individual and community lives.

Links:

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

Public Health, NHS London

UK Faculty of Public Health

Kevin's socials:

Instagram: @ProfKevinFenton

LinkedIn: @ProfKevinFenton

X: @ProfKevinFenton

TikTok: @ProfKevinFenton

Creative Health Stories socials:

Instagram: @creativehealthstories

LinkedIn: @LauraBaileyCreativeHealth

If you want to share your own creative health story, you can now do so on the website. Visit https://creative-health.co.uk/stories/

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Creativity and Wellbeing Week is a festival led by London Arts and Health and the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance and funded by Arts Council England.

This is a special commissioned episode reflecting on the festival week past and present to help understand the value of it to the creative health sector. I spent time listening at online events and interviewed a selection of people representing a range of organisations and perspectives about their work, how and why they get involved, and how they think the festival could evolve.

All my guests were generous with their time, offering unique, thoughtful and insightful conversation about Creativity and Wellbeing Week, and about the power of creativity for our health and wellbeing in different contexts.

Guests:

Anna Woolf, London Arts and Health

Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health London

Sam Beal, Norwich Theatres

Daniela Nofal, Counterpoints Arts

Nafeesa Arshad, Hospital Rooms

Julie Tolhurst, Barnsley Council Public Health

Links:

Creativity and Wellbeing Week

Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance

Socials:

@londonartsandhealth

@culturehealthwellbeingalliance

@_hospitalrooms

@norwichtheatre

@counterpointsarts

@barnsleycouncilofficial

@nhsenglandldn

@profkevinfenton

@anna_woolf_frsa

@nafeesa_arshad

@aceagrams

If you would like to commission a podcast episode or audio stories for your organisation, please get in touch via the website.

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I'm taking a short break over April. In the meantime, I want you to send me your creative health story!

Do you have a creative health story you'd like to share which could inspire other people? Send me an audio recording, no more than 5 minutes long, about how you're engaging with creativity for health or wellbeing to include on the podcast. Or write it down in no more that 750 words and I may read it out.

Tell me about you and what you do:

Your name (anonymous is fine too), maybe where you live, your age, your gender, your ethnicity, your job, anything else interesting about you (all optional).

Describe what creative activities you do and the impact they have on your health or wellbeing.

You don't have to be professionally trained and your creative activity can be anything from cooking and gardening through to dance, writing, body art and everything in between. Anything creative!

Record your story on your phone (e.g. Voice Memos on iPhone or Voice Recorder app on Android) and send it via email with the subject 'My Creative Health Story' to: laura@creative-health.co.uk

By sending me your audio recording and images you agree for them to be edited and published in part or full on my website, podcast, socials or part of an associated project.

Creative Health Stories website

@creativehealthstories

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Mark Kilbey is former police officer and detective who retired from the force after 20 years through mental ill-health after which followed a long period of mental illness including suicide attempts. He set up the peer-led mental health charity Take Off to support people in similar situations. Sarah Winn is a theatre maker who works with young offenders, vulnerable adults and diverse communities . After the loss of her cousin by suicide, Sarah set out to create a piece of verbatim theatre to highlight the issues around male mental health and suicide.

In this episode Mark and Sarah share their own stories and how they came together to make the play called 'No one Here Is Me', the impact of the process and the performance, and how the process has forged an incredible friendship between them.

*** Please note, the episode includes discussions around severe mental illness and suicide ***

Links:

Take Off

No one Here Is Me

Portrait Theatre

Wellbeing in the Arts

Socials:

@sarahwinnactor

@dreamwinn

@TakeOff_charity

If you're struggling with your own mental health, or you're having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone else who is, please seek help.

Places you can contact include:

Mind - Seeking help for a mental health problem

National Suicide Prevention helpline: Call 0800 689 5652

SOS Silence of Suicide Call 0300 1020 505

Samaritans Call 116 123

Childline (under 19s) Call 0800 1111

If you fear for someone's immediate safety, guide them to Accident and Emergency or dial 999 for immediate assistance

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