New arts wellbeing network set to improve lives in Sheffield

25 October 2012 The Sheffield Arts and Wellbeing Network launches next week (Friday 2 November 2012) and is set to improve lives through developing new projects and promoting existing arts and wellbeing initiatives in the city. Brendan Stone from the University of Sheffield's School of English said: "The network will bring people together to share ideas and resources as well as celebrating the fantastic work already going on across the city in this area." The new network, set up by Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust (SHSC) working alongside the Breakthrough Art in Health charity, Sheffield City Council and the University of Sheffield, is inviting the public to help shape the future of the service at the launch event, which will take place at the Tony Currie Conference suite at Sheffield United Football Club on Friday 2 November 8.30am-4pm. The event will include keynote speeches from Dan Jarvis MBE, Shadow Minister for Arts and Culture and Alex Coulter, Chair of the National Alliance for Arts and Wellbeing. There will also be workshops, live art, an exhibition, networking sessions, and much more. Places like St Matthews House on Carver Street, Sheffield are central to the new network. After a fundraising campaign from the congregation of St Matthews Church and a European grant of £740,000, the required total of £1.5million has almost been raised to transform the property into the new Sheffield Centre for Arts, Creativity and Wellbeing. This will be one of the key locations for activities and projects connected through the network to take place, explained Graham Duncan, part of the campaign group: "It has been a hidden gem at the heart of Sheffield for over 150 years.