16.05.2023
Arts Derbyshire’s celebrated programme for people living with dementia, Matinée, has now come to an end. As a legacy of the work, we have published a free resource, ‘Creativity at Home’, for anyone who would benefit from exploring creative activities from the comfort of their own home.
Matinée was established, thanks to funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Derbyshire County Council Public Health, to help challenge social isolation and increase access to cultural activities for those living with dementia alongside their family, friends and carers. From 2016 – 2020 the programme offered dementia-friendly film screenings to communities across Derbyshire. However, when Covid-19 put a stop to the screenings, we needed to find a way of continuing to reach those who were most isolated.
Matinée Outreach provided participants with bespoke creative activities in their own homes. Artists Lindsey Warnes-Carroll, Nicky Bellenger and Lisa Waugh connected with participants over telephone calls and by post, enabling people living with dementia to explore, develop and grow through creativity, and to feel socially connected during the pandemic.
The three artists have produced a free book, ‘Creativity at Home’, to share a selection of the activities they used throughout the project. The book is suitable for people living with dementia, care settings, isolated adults or anyone who will benefit from exploring their creativity in their own home.
The book can be downloaded for free from Arts Derbyshire’s website: https://www.artsderbyshire.org.uk/matinee
We have a small number of printed copies available for Derbyshire based care settings, charities or community groups. Please contact Nicky Bellenger, Project Coordinator, to express interest: matineederbyshire@gmail.com
Thank you to all of Matinée’s project partners and funders for your support and expertise throughout the project. We are grateful for the impact that your involvement has had on so many people affected by dementia across Derbyshire.
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