Wigan Borough has been selected as one of six new areas in England to receive national funding aimed at integrating arts and culture into local healthcare. The National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) announced the expansion of its Creative Health Leads Programme on Monday, 18th May, positioning the borough as a primary site for health innovation through creative practice.
Funded by Arts Council England and The Baring Foundation, the initiative seeks to move health interventions beyond traditional clinical settings. The programme focuses on prevention, population health, and neighbourhood-level care by embedding creative activities into established clinical pathways.
Useful details
- Funding Source: Arts Council England and The Baring Foundation.
- Local Focus: Children’s mental health and social isolation in older residents.
- New Role: A dedicated Creative Health Lead will be appointed for Wigan Borough.
- Partners: National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH) and local NHS partners.
Strengthening community ties through arts and culture
The selection follows the 2025 launch of ‘The Fire Within: The Forge’ at Wigan Pier, which featured a performance by the band The Lathums. This cultural strategy already prioritises mental and physical wellbeing for young people through educational opportunities. The new national status will allow the borough to scale these existing efforts, connecting community music groups and creative spaces with formal social care and health partners.
Councillor Keith Cunliffe, deputy leader of Wigan Council and cabinet portfolio holder for adult social care and health, noted that creative health is a practical tool for reducing inequalities. The borough has previously supported volunteer-led initiatives that assist residents with long-term conditions or those experiencing isolation, while also working toward a smoke-free generation. This national funding is intended to formalise these connections, ensuring that creative participation becomes a standard part of local public health strategy.
National backing for local health strategies
Wigan Borough joins Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, the Greater Manchester Public Health Network, Portsmouth, North Central London, and South West London in this second phase of the programme. These areas follow an initial cohort that included West Yorkshire and Cornwall. The NCCH intends to establish up to 30 Creative Health Lead roles across England by 2028.
Rachael Musgrave, director of public health for Wigan Borough, stated that health outcomes are frequently shaped by the environments and relationships within a community rather than by hospital visits alone. According to Musgrave, local evidence suggests that engagement with arts and culture can reduce reliance on traditional health services by building confidence and stronger social networks among participants.
Priorities for the new Creative Health Lead
The upcoming Creative Health Lead will be responsible for establishing a formal Creative Health Network within the borough. This network will initially focus on two demographic priorities: improving mental health outcomes for children and young people and addressing social isolation among the elderly.
Beyond local implementation, the role involves contributing to national research. Data gathered from Wigan’s projects will help the NCCH understand how creative health interventions can be replicated across different regions to reduce health disparities. The new lead will work alongside the Wigan Borough Cultural Partnership to ensure the ‘The Fire Within’ manifesto is fully integrated into the borough’s long-term health and social care missions.
Source: Wigan Council
Source check Editorial Verification
This report is based on official announcements from Wigan Council and the National Centre for Creative Health regarding the 2026 funding cycle.
- Verified selection of Wigan Borough in the NCCH Creative Health Leads Programme.
- Confirmed funding sources from Arts Council England and The Baring Foundation.
- Cross-referenced local cultural strategy 'The Fire Within' milestones.
- Source
- Wigan Council Official News
- Scope
- Wigan
- Updated
- 2026-05-21 11:29
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