The Strategy.

Working in collaboration with Ludus Dance, Fable Arts developed an intergenerational arts programme to be co-created with a group of young people age 16 - 25 from Fylde, local people and patients living with dementia, and staff at Clifton Hospital.

The programme was rooted in the idea of identifying and celebrating the ‘Dare To Be Great’ moments of our lives as part of a Dare To Be Great performance by young people to patients on the wards at Clifton Hospital, and to the public in outdoor spaces around Lytham and on stage at Lytham Festival at the West End Proms night.

After a series of intensive training sessions with Fable Arts and Ludus Dance, and after undertaking specialist training at Clifton Hospital to become Dementia Friends, our young participants led a series of ‘Movement and Memory’ sessions for patients at Clifton Hospital, to evoke their memories of personal challenges and risks that resulted in personal growth and increased self esteem. You can watch a short video about the Movement and Memory sessions, which was made by Blackpool Victoria Hospitals NHS Trust, here.

These memories were gathered and curated into a narrative, that became the basis for a piece of physical theatre, devised in collaboration with professional choreographers, set and prop designers, costume designers and composers.

“A lot of the time you need to make sure you go into their life and their world and not expect them to come into yours because their world is a very different place."

The Artistic Outcome.

The Dare To Be Great team performed nine live shows: to patients, carers and staff on ward and in the day rooms at Clifton Hospital, to the public in the gardens of Lowther Theatre and in Lytham Square and to over 6,000 people at the Lytham Festival West End Proms night.

17 year old Lauren Wyatt reflects on her experience of participating in the Dare To Be Great project and working with people living with dementia here.

The Community Impact.

The delivery of ‘Dare To Be Great’ was a joyous process and resulted in a huge number of positive outcomes for the participants, old and young, as well for the staff at Clifton Hospital and the various audiences at the final performances:

As well as enabling people living with dementia on the Fylde Coast to engage and participate in arts led physical and reminiscence activity, it helped to reduce their feelings of isolation and had a considerable, visible impact on the individual mental wellbeing of participants for the duration of the project’s delivery.

It increased young people’s participation in community activity in Fylde and through their interactions with each other, staff and patients at Clifton Hospital and the project, helped to instil a real sense of belonging and value.

In addition, our younger participants improved their knowledge, skills and experience of interview techniques, audio recording, movement, devising, working with the community and performing; and increased their awareness of the many different types of dementia, what is like to live with dementia, and what lifestyle choices to make to reduce the likelihood of developing the disease. Some of the young people continued to volunteer at Clifton Hospital following the end of the project.

Beyond this, the project helped to increase the wider community’s knowledge and understanding of what it is like to live dementia and their understanding of the work of Clifton Hospital in Lytham to support local families living with dementia.

The Result.

For Clifton Hospital, the project opened up the possibilities of new ways of supporting patient wellbeing. It increased hospital staff understanding of how patient engagement in arts activities can support medical practice and opened up a dialogue with Blackpool Victoria Hospitals NHS Trust about incorporating more arts activities into their healthcare provision. Since the delivery of Dare To Be Great, Clifton Hospital has continued to work with artists and integrate arts activities on wards to enhance patient experience.

For Lytham Festival organisers, Cuffe & Taylor, supporting projects like Dare To Be Great, illustrates their focus on social responsibility and community, which helps to improve their reputation with both customers, partners and the community. In this instance, the Dare To Be Great performances also added a feel-good local element to their festival programming.