Well London

London Arts and Health and the Mayor of London have launched a myth busting guide to help support the hundreds of grassroots organisations in London to become involved in the London recovery plan. The guide aims to challenge many of the myths surrounding social prescribing, tackling areas such as funding, the role of link workers and the importance of strong evidence-based research and evaluation.

To kick-start the autumn, LAHF has commissioned a series of blogs about the future of arts and health which we will be publishing daily over the next 2 weeks. The blogs, from leading practitioners working across the spectrum of creativity and wellbeing ask where this work is heading and what challenges and opportunities might open up in the year ahead. The blog series will begin on Monday 10th September and a new blog will be published each weekday until 21st September.

14 organisations, including local health bodies and charities, are set to receive funding from Big Lottery Fund to deliver interventions to encourage healthier eating, increase physical activity and promote good mental health.

Many of the projects will seek to target vulnerable and marginalised groups such as families struggling with food poverty; older people experiencing loneliness and isolation; and young homeless people.

London Arts and Health Forum, in partnership with Arts Council England, are hosting a learning and networking event on 2 February 2012 from 10am-1pm at Arts Council England, 14 Great Peter Street, London, SW1P 3NQ.

The focus of the event is the role of creativity and well being in community settings, sharing particularly the findings from Be Creative Be Well and interim data from Well London. 

The Well London Alliance Partnership has won a Health Promotion and Community Wellbeing award from the Royal Society for Public Health. The award recognises Well London’s achievements and innovative approach to promoting community health in 20 of London's most disadvantaged areas. The award will be presented at the House of Lords in November. The RSPH will also produce an article for the "Perspectives in Public Health" journal in early 2012.