Baring Foundation release a report celebrating the UK’s longest running creative ageing programme
18th November, 2024
A new report by Dr Una Lynch, commissioned by the Baring Foundation and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, has been released and celebrates the success of the Arts Council’s long-running National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme.
Since 2010, the Arts Council Northern Ireland has run its National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme (AOPP) with game-changing funding from The National Lottery, in partnership with the Public Health Agency and the Baring Foundation, resulting in support for nearly 300 organisations with £2.54 million in grant funding reaching 35,000 people (and still going).
Over the years, the programme has reached some of NI’s most deprived older communities and brought a lot of fun, companionship and creativity to older people’s lives, including people living with dementia and their carers.
Dr Una Lynch, long-term evaluator to the programme, commissioned by the Baring Foundation in partnership with ACNI, has produced a new report to highlight the programme’s many successes. Through the perspectives of 11 funded organisations and five artists, the report demonstrates how the AOPP has helped to reduce social isolation, strengthen intergenerational connections, improve physical health and amplify the voices of older people who often go unheard.
Lorraine Calderwood, Development Officer: Programmes Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said,
“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland welcomes this report by Baring Foundation which demonstrates the significant positive impact of the National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme upon the lives of older people.
We know that taking part in arts activities can raise self-esteem, confidence and motivation, as well as aid in relieving stress. The Arts and Older People Programme is committed to providing meaningful opportunities for older people to take part in arts activities, enriching their lives for the better. The arts have a vital role to play in helping our older people find their voice, bring people together and promote positive physical and mental health - funding from The National Lottery, Baring Foundation and the Public Health Agency has been a game changer in helping us achieve that.”
Paul Kane from the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast who took part in the programme, said,
“This was much more than a music session: it was a tonic, a joy, a release, a place to be recognised.”
The report is based on the perspectives of 11 funded organisations and five artists on the programme including; ArtsEkta, BEAM Creative Network, Bogside & Brandywell Health Forum, Commedia of Errors, Derry City & Strabane Council, Echo Echo Dance Company, Engage with Age, Linking Generations Northern Ireland, Old Library Trust Healthy Living Centre, Prime Cut Productions, Streetwise Community Circus; with featured artists including, Paul Kane, Claire McComish, Carol Moore, Jacqui O’Hagan and Liz Weir.
The National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme was established by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in 2010 and is now a cross-governmental partnership with funding also from the Public Health Agency. The programme has been designed to challenge perceptions of what it means to be an older person, empower participants, and give older people a voice. For more information on all Arts Council NI funding programmes visit www.artscouncil-ni.org/funding
Watch the video below taken at a tea dance hosted by the Millennium Forum and supported by the National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme.