The new year is here, a time when we make promises to ourselves to do things differently from last year, create a new habit or take up a new hobby or skill. 

Creative hobbies such as music, dance, visual arts and crafts are often taken up in the new year as something new to learn, a way to meet new friends or just as a way to have fun. But the health benefits of creative activities are also clear.

In fact, the BBC Arts Great British Creativity Test in 2019 showed that getting creative can help avoid stress, free up mind space and improve self-esteem. The findings showed that even after one session of something creative, participants could start to reap the emotional benefits.

The arts play an integral role in keeping our nation well and supporting longer more healthy lives. According to the Creative Health: The Arts for Health & Wellbeing report, music therapy has been found to reduce the need for medication in 67% of people with dementia.

An arts-on-prescription project has seen a 37pc drop in GP consultation rates and a 27pc reduction in hospital admissions. A study conducted within deprived communities in London found that, of those people who engaged with the arts, 79pc ate more healthily, 77pc engaged in more physical activity, and 82pc enjoyed greater wellbeing.

However, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis we are currently living in have, at the same time, highlighted the importance of creativity for health and well-being but emphasised that underserved communities and individuals struggling have issues accessing creative outlets. 

A report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing found that culture can help meet challenges in health and social care around ageing, loneliness, long-term conditions and mental health. It also found that culture can help save money for the care sector in the longer-term.

I remain in absolutely no doubt that Creativity is of intrinsic value to all our communities, bringing beauty and joy to people’s lives, and the benefits cannot be ignored. This is why a groups of arts organisations, including Norwich Theatre, across Norfolk and Suffolk have come together as the Norfolk and Suffolk Culture Board to build vibrant, inclusive, sustainable communities for all.

Working for the cultural sector of these two counties, they are committed to ensuring the people who live, work and visit here have access to the outstanding cultural offer and support people to fulfil their potential, giving hope and enhancing quality of life.

Over the coming years, the board is particularly focussed on Creative Health and committed to encouraging new partnerships between the cultural sector and the NHS, Public Health and care sectors to co-create a strategic approach for culture, health and wellbeing.

This is something already underway at Norwich Theatre and includes our Theatre Cares: A Life in Music programme - a music group for those living with dementia and their carers – and we work with Musical Keys to help facilitate this group.

To make our take part activities as accessible as possible, we have now also extended our My Theatre scheme to include all of the creative activities offering subsidised or free places on these for those on low incomes. The scheme means we can go some way to ensuring there are no barriers to accessing all of the benefits that creative engagement can bring into your life.

Whether you decide to make a New Year’s resolution, right now you can also help shape the future of creative opportunities that are on offer in Norwich with this survey by Norwich Creative City Compact. They are asking residents to help assess how easy it is to enjoy arts and culture across the city so it can identify gaps in provision and widen opportunities.

It wants as many people as possible, whether they do or don’t attend any of the venues, festivals or events in Norwich or take part in any creative hobbies or interests. What better way to start 2024 than to help the arts flourish in our fine city?

As for me, what is my new year’s resolution? Well, last year I got immortalised in crochet by the brilliant Ellen from Crazy Hippo Crochet.  She took up knitting and crochet as a creative response to managing her mental health following a difficult medical diagnosis. She has inspired me to learn a new craft skill myself, though I can’t promise the results that she creates!

Happy new year everyone!

Stephen Crocker is CEO and creative director at Norwich Theatre