Celebrating Age Webinar recording:
Adapting through Covid-19

Thank you to those who attended and took part in our recent Celebrating Age webinar on adapting through Covid-19.

You can now view the webinar recording on demand.

The session explored how arts and cultural organisations have changed and adapted their approach to continue to connect with and engage older people during Covid-19.

From viewing the webinar recording, you will learn:

How the limitations of Covid–19 have impacted engagement with older people
How to continue work with care homes and other partners during Covid–19
New approaches using a blend of digital activities and physical resources to broaden engagement opportunities

This session was hosted in partnership with Arts Council England and with the support of the AMA.

You can view a recording of the webinar below.

NB: We experienced some audio difficulties during the discussion element of this webinar between 1:08:00 – 1:13:00. You may wish to skip through this portion of the recording.

Here’s a list of links to examples and resources mentioned within the webinar.

Speakers

Imogen Blood

National Evaluator, Celebrating Age

Imogen Blood began her career in social work and supported housing, before moving into qualitative research. In 2009, she set up Imogen Blood & Associates – a social research consultancy, which works across the public and not-for-profit sectors, with a particular focus on older people. She has a long-standing interest in the role which the arts can play in working with people in a strengths-based way. She has been leading the team evaluating the Celebrating Age project.

Lorna Easterbrook

Evaluator, Celebrating Age

Lorna Easterbrook has worked alongside older people, their families, friends, and broader networks across health, care, and support needs, and quality of life, for 25 years. She has also been a family carer. Working independently since 2000, Lorna was previously the community care policy expert at Age UK and the King’s Fund. Lorna is a member of the Society of Authors, and a former professional theatre stage manager. She is working part of the team evaluating the Celebrating Age project.

Hannah Elton-Wall

General Manager, Artspace Cinderford

Hannah Elton-Wall is the General Manager of Artspace Cinderford, a community arts and education charity based in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Artspace work with people of any age or ability and specialise in inclusive provision for people with higher levels of need. Hannah has led the organisation’s work with older people since 2010, including ‘mindSCAPE’ a project which connects people with dementia and their carers to nature through art. ‘mindSCAPE’, is a Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty partnership initiative which started in 2014 with funding from the Big Lottery and continues, with development funding from Arts Council England’s ‘Celebrating Age’ programme, until March 21.

Using Creativity to Connect Older People to Nature During the Covid-19 Pandemic

How Artspace has adapted its delivery model and approach to programming in response to Covid-19 – with specific reference to using nature/the local landscape as a means of engaging older people living in the community and residential care homes.

Farrell Renowden

Head of Cultural Partnerships and Age of Creativity Festival Director, Age UK Oxfordshire

Farrell Renowden: Since 2016, Farrell has focussed on two significant projects within the creative ageing field: Embedding creative delivery within the Age UK network across England and championing Age UK Oxfordshire as a national exemplar of best practice, as well as managing the Age of Creativity network of over 2000 professionals and producing an annual festival to showcase older creative audiences, participants, volunteers and artists each May. Farrell is also a trustee for Human Story Theatre- new plays with health and social care issues at their heart. www.ageofcreativity.co.uk

Farrell’s presentation will focus on how older people, who are new to digital delivery, have been supported to engage in creativity during lockdown and the role of ‘blended approaches’ in making the experience more accessible and person-centred as we continue to evolve our remote delivery.

Hayley Green

Writer Development Manager, Writing East Midlands CIC

Hayley Green is the Writer Development Manager for Writing East Midlands, the literature development agency for the East Midlands. She has been delivering creative projects in the community for almost 10 years in schools, colleges and communities. She has delivered projects to people affected by mental health difficulties, young people in care and the LGBTQIA writing community including establishing a LGBTQIA writing festival and network, Writing Proud.

Zoom with a Brew – how Writing East Midlands created opportunities for over 55s to connect through creative writing during lockdown

Zoom with a Brew was part of Writing East Midlands’ Elder Tree Project, delivering writer residencies across the East Midlands to individuals aged 55 and over as part of Arts Council England’s Celebrating Age Campaign. Zoom with a Brew was delivered by Andy Barrett and Lucy Grace in collaboration with First Art and the Baring Foundation. Zoom with a Brew was a six-week creative project led by artist Andy Barrett and shadow writer Lucy Grace, which allowed over 55s in Ashfield, Bolsover, Mansfield and NE Derbyshire the chance to get together online and write in response to text messages which were sent out twice weekly. The final product come in the form of a website which features all of the texted tasks and the responses, as well as photos and videos of the work being read (by participants and by other poets). It is an archive of creativity in the strangest of times.