The Child Health and Wellbeing network and North East Museums are working in partnership to celebrate creative health work, such as dance, drama, film making and music in primary schools within the North East
About the award
Who is Chris Drinkwater?
Professor Chris Drinkwater (CBE, FRCGP, FFPH(Hon), FRSA) worked as an inner-city GP in Newcastle for 23 years, he was the Arts and Creativity Lead for the Child Health and Wellbeing Network (CHWN). The CHWN decided to name the award 'the Chris Drinkwater Creative Health in Primary Schools Award' to acknowledge his generous contribution to the Network and to celebrate his passion for creative health, especially w
In the beginning
The first awards event happened in September 2023 where each of the winners received fund.
Future vision
We are continuing to build on the successful first two years of these Awards by encouraging more creative health projects within primary schools across the North East and North Cumbria.
Creative Health Awards Winners 2025
We are delighted to announce this year's winners
Life and Limb Puppets - ‘Curious Beasts’ is a unique early mental health intervention that immerses vulnerable children in the magic of puppetry, storytelling, and nature to support self-regulation, resilience, peer relation
The panel commented on an excellent approach to evaluation and that the project moves effectively from the classroom into the home by the provision of easily accessible resources
This year's runner up
Tees Valley Music Service – Tees Valley Music Service and The Royal Ballet and Opera presented, SNAPPY Opera Project 2024: The Magic Flute. Also, in collaboration with Durham Music Service. A programme of teacher training with the Royal Opera House (ROH); followed by in-school workshops with ROH directors; followed by a series of ‘Big Sing’ events featuring thousands of children and ROH singers and orchestral players. The collaboration between the Tees Valley Music Service(TVMS) and the Royal Opera House (ROH) - since rebranded, the Royal Ballet and Opera - to produce Mozart's The Magic Flute has been a remarkable achievement, marking one of the ROH's largest outreach projects to date made in collaboration with a Music Hub.
The panel commented on a wonderful opportunity to allow children from a wide range of backgrounds and ability to access the world of opera and give the opportunity to engage with an art form not widely accessible.
Finally for 2025 the two highly commended innovations
Hadrian Primary Masks project with Mee Mee Theatre
The panel commented on a very good qualitative evaluation and well-developed sustainability plans including CPD, peer mentors and resource development.
St James Primary School Creative Spaces project
The panel commented on the commitment to respond to issues within the school creatively with very little funding to support
Creative Health Awards Winners 2024
Watch the 2024 Awards online celebration event on YouTube to find out more about these amazing projects and the launch of the 2025 Awards: Chris Drinkwater Creative Health Awards Celebration Event - June 2024 (youtube.com)
Bigfoot Arts Education – working with Battle Hill Primary School and Battle Hill Library - received the overall prize for their Interwoven project during an online ceremony on 25th June.
Interwoven was a multigenerational project spanning creative writing, drawing, knitting and weaving. Drama and art practitioners worked with Key Stage 2 students at Battle Hill Primary School, where the children took part in interactive tasks that culminated in them creating and drawing imagined animal characters, inspired by local wildlife. A winning design from each class was chosen and these were crafted into woollen creations by local residents.
Community art workshops were then delivered in Battle Hill Library, inviting people of all ages to weave a circle to form an impressive permanent installation for all to see and admire.
Organisations and projects were highly commended by the judging panel:
Blue Cabin - working with Caedmon Primary, Grangetown Primary and Whale Hill Primary - used creativity to help care-experienced children build relationships, gain skills and gain confidence. The children's achievements were acknowledged and accredited through Arts Award.
Queen’s Hall Arts, Hexham engaged 12 schools in West Northumberland through their Beneath Our Feet project. Children from Kielder, Otterburn, Bellingham, Wark, Greenhaugh, Greenhead, Henshaw, Whitfield, Allendale, and Newbrough Primary Schools, alongside Bellingham Middle School and Shaftoe Trust Primary Academy, took part in creative activities to foster pride in local histories and to make connections with local communities.
Meet the team
Read more about some of the team who have worked on the project.
Who is Chris Drinkwater?
Professor Chris Drinkwater CBE, FRCGP, FFPH(Hon), FRSA was an inner-city GP in Newcastle for 23 years and he is now an emeritus Professor of Primary Care Development at Northumbria University.
Chris led the establishment of Healthworks Newcastle as a City Challenge project in the early 1990s. He chaired Ways to Wellness, a charitable foundation established to deliver social prescribing at scale through a social impact bond in Newcastle upon Tyne, and led on Well Newcastle Gateshead, a Well North pathfinder with a focus on arts and health for all.
He was also a Director of the West End Schools Trust (8 inner city primary schools in Newcastle upon Tyne). Along the way he has been variously, President and Public Health lead for the NHS Alliance, Deputy Chair and Chair of the Philanthropy Committee for Northumberland, Tyne & Wear Community Foundation, and the Sir Roy Griffiths/Age Concern/RCGP Prince of Wales, Educational Fellow for Older People.
Chris is also our previous Arts and Creativity Lead on the Child Health and Wellbeing Network and when he stood down from the role the Network established the Chris Drinkwater Awards to acknowledge his generous contribution to the network and his passion for Creative Health, especially with primary school-aged children.
Heather Corlett, Arts & Creativity Executive Lead
Heather has always had a passion for arts since she was a child. She joined the NHS in 1992 and as the Programme Lead for the Child Health and Wellbeing Network has encouraged progress alongside Chris Drinkwater into its founding commitment to Arts and Creativity as a cross cutting theme. This has included establishing partnerships with colleagues from Northern Ballet, attracting funding into network arts initiatives, creating a new Musical focused newsletter and the development of an Arts and Creativity Advisor role. Heather was delighted to take on the Executive Lead role for Arts and Creativity when Chris Drinkwater stepped down – but admits that they are very big shoes to fill!
Kate Swaddle, awards panel judge
Kate Swaddle is the Executive Headteacher of two schools, in Gateshead. Prior to this appointment, she was Deputy Headteacher and SENCO at a school in North Tyneside, with a high percentage of SEND, Education Health Care Plans and Pupil Premium.
Having trained in an NHS profession, before moving into teaching - she is aware of the benefits that multi-disciplinary team working brings, across all sectors. She was seconded as Education Advisor to the NENC CHWB Network, throughout 2021-2022, supporting the network to deliver on several projects including epilepsy – a strand of the Children and Young People’s Programme. She also worked in collaboration with the National Institute of Health and Care Research on the ‘Research into School’ project.
In addition to this, Kate has supported the delivery of the early rollout Early Career Teaching programme, for University College, London -acting as a facilitator for the North East Teaching School Partnership.
Clare Smith, awards panel judge
Clare Smith is the Learning and Engagement Manager at North East Museums, where she leads programmes that connect communities with cultural heritage. She leads on Learning programmes across the organisation and manages the Communities team, along with Volunteering for North East Museums (formerly Tyne & Wear Archives &Museums).
Clare's career in museum learning began with a broad interest in the impact of creative opportunities in learning. She began at the Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead as a member of the North East Museums learning team. In 2006, Clare transitioned to managing the regional learning team as part of the Renaissance in the Regions program, working with museums, teachers, and educators across the region. From April 2009, she managed and delivered Creative Partnerships in Northumberland, Newcastle, and Gateshead, working with schools, artists, and teachers to develop creative ways to address key challenges in schools
Currently, as the Learning and Engagement Manager at North East Museums, Clare ensures that the children, young people, and communities served by the museums have access to enriching and transformative experiences through advocating for access to creative and cultural learning opportunities throughout our lives.
Wendy Kelly awards panel judge
Wendy Kelly is the lead for children and young people’s emotional wellbeing for South Tees Public Health. As well as having a system-wide remit she has responsibility for a front-line service delivering early help within educational settings to improve the resilience of children and young people.
Wendy has had a varied and interesting career in local government ranging from community development to policy and performance prior to a period of 20 years in children’s services and 8 in public health. During this time, she has led many transformational programmes supporting education and health outcomes.
She is passionate that all children and young people have the very best support, education, and opportunities to enable them to enjoy their lives and be happy. She is a governor of a primary, secondary, and special school. Wendy has collaborated on many projects and initiatives with the Child Health and Wellbeing Network and is Chair of the Network’s System Engagement Group.
