Blue

The Big Draw Festival 2022
Come back to colour

Make your mark and draw with us on a giant piece of paper using natural materials, home made inks, and a plethora of inspiring plants. Together we'll create a huge communal drawing celebrating coming back together and using colour.

Wednesday 26 October
1 - 3pm

West Yorkshire Print Workshop The Piazza Centre, Huddersfield, HD1 2RS

FREE entry
 

hoot creative arts welcome new health & wellbeing co-ordinator ahead of Kirklees Year of Music 2023

hoot creative arts has welcomed Sharleen Shaha into the team as a Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator and Producer for Kirklees Year of Music 2023 (KYOM23).

hoot is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and in 2020 were appointed as the Health and Wellbeing lead for Kirklees Year of Music 2023 - a unique, place-based, cultural change year-long programme of major events and durational initiatives, which will strengthen the music ecology of Kirklees from its roots. 

The recent appointment will initiate and bring together the production of music events and wellbeing activities for KYOM23. Sharleen will focus on developing activities and events with the aim of improving the health and wellbeing of those across the region who take part through engagement with music.

Collaborating with stakeholders in the health and care sector and practising musicians and cultural organisations, Sharleen will be developing a working programme, securing funding and liaising with the KYOM23 team to strategically link all the strands together, such as the community and educational work and celebrate innovative practice in the Kirklees.

Sharleen is a qualified Independent Mental Capacity Advocate and Independent Mental Health Advocate. She has worked in Mental Health for 12 years across South and West Yorkshire, with experience in mental health and art therapy, research and project management as well as producing events for festivals.   

Commenting on her new appointment, Sharleen said: “Mental health and wellbeing are very important to me so working with the people of Kirklees to promote music as a tool for wellbeing is very exciting. I am an advocate for choice and working-class storytelling. I feel that theatre, music, and the arts can be used as a tool to make changes for individuals and communities”.

Find out more about Sharleen and other members of the KYOM23 team here: https://www.musicinkirklees.co.uk/our-team/

hoot is open as normal but please take care on your journeys today and let us know if you can't make it. 

Stay safe & warm - the hoot team

Every few months we check in with how things are going in our Adult Creativity & Mental Health service Out of the Blue, and our Arts and Dementia service, Breathing Space. We find out what people are enjoying and how attending hoot activities are making a difference to them and their wellbeing. 

I’m a real hoot enthusiast. Something to look forward to in the week, hoot has saved my life a few times. hoot really has been a godsend through lockdown. It has been the best thing to look forward to each week.

hoot from home sessions really have helped me feel connected to the outside world - without hoot I would feel completely disconnected.

Thanks for ringing it has been so nice to have a friendly voice at the end of the line for a change. It has been difficult for me but do you know these calls i have had from hoot have kept me going.

It’s so good to be back together as a group,we really miss it & can’t wait until we canmeet up again regularly.

Read more in our reports from each Quarter so far this year:

April - June 2021 Quarter 1 Report

July - September 2021 Quarter 2 Report

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In a year that will be remembered for its incredible challenges we responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by completely re-inventing our activities so that people could take part online and by post.

Read the annual report for Out of the Blue: Adult Mental Health and Creativity Service, and Breathing Space: Arts for dementia to find out what was achieved and how it made a difference to people during the pandemic. Click here (opens in a new tab/window)

”I’m a real hoot enthusiast. Something to look forward to in the week, hoot has saved my life a few times. hoot really has been a godsend through lockdown. It has been the best thing to look forward to each week.”

hoot is the only arts and health to be awarded Level 2 by Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing in Kirklees and we’re pretty chuffed about it!

Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing is the accreditation standard for groups and organisations delivering health and wellbeing services across the country. This means that hoot has had a full check up from external evaluators and we’ve been given the highest seal of approval for our commitment to excellence in all aspects of our service delivery. This includes:

• The ability to put our service users first
• Confidence in providing a safe environment
• High quality service delivery and a culture of continual improvement
• The ability to plan effective services based on need
• Robust governance and management
• Compliance with the Equality Act 
• Positive workforce development
• Continual improvement & Continued Personal Development
• Commitment to setting and maintaining quality standards
• Quality and confidence for funders

We’ve also demonstrated impact, leadership, partnership working and innovation in the development and delivery of person centred services, and that we have robust structures and processes in place that are reviewed regularly throughout the organisation.

hoot is now one of 18 organisations in Kirklees to be awarded the Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing accreditation. We’re exceptionally proud of the hoot team, especially our Operations Manager Lailla, for all the hard work that has gone into us achieving this accreditation. 

You can read more about Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing here: https://www.qualityforhealth.org.uk/