Get Healthier, Happier, Connected and Creative in Hucknall and Retford Libraries

The Healthier Happier Connected Creative programme will be launching at Inspire’s Libraries in Hucknall and Retford this spring. With three different activities each month, these friendly group events are specifically designed to meet the needs of older people and people experiencing dementia or memory-loss and their families or carers, and will also welcome anyone at risk of social isolation and looking to meet new people.

The project will combat loneliness and isolation through three strands of cultural and wellbeing outreach, including music, creative arts, and health workshops, which will encourage socialising, memory, expression, community and activity.

Live Music Now’s popular Songs & Scones sessions will be returning to Retford Library and debuting at Hucknall Library as the first element of the Healthier Happier Connected Creative programme. 48 concerts will take place, focussing on music as a tool for wellbeing. These performances will bring live music, nostalgia, community and joy to older people who may otherwise find it difficult to access culture and music events, sparking memories and sparking joy through the power of music.

The second strand of the Healthier Happier Connected Creative programme is Connect & Create, which involves unleashing creativity through the artistic process. 48 creative wellbeing workshops will be delivered with commissioned artists, focussing on the joy of creation rather than on perfecting a finished piece. 

Through art and creation, artists will encourage collaboration and community, and invite people to just enjoy the process, because who says kids get to have all the fun?

Inspire is currently searching for the first two creatively curious artists to deliver Connect & Create wellbeing visual arts workshops from May 2025 – April 2026. The Artist Brief is out now, and applications close at 9am on Monday 14 April.

The third strand of the Healthier Happier Connected Creative programme is Mind & Movement, which will concentrate on promoting health and wellbeing through physical activity and accessible health information and support, for a fun, gentle way to stay active and social. Inspire’s partners at Your Health Notts will deliver opportunities for socialising, exercise and age-relevant health information. It’s a great way to keep moving, meet others, and boost your wellbeing – all in a warm, welcoming space.

Valuing the health and wellbeing of older people in Nottinghamshire is an important step in itself, and Inspire and its partners hope that providing these workshops and offering age-related health support will build confidence and break down barriers, facilitating older people’s participation in arts, music and cultural events. 

Find out more about the Healthier Happier Connected Creative programme here.

The Inspire Culture, Learning and Libraries programme: Healthier Happier Connected Creative is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and delivered in partnership with Live Music Now and Your Health Notts.