Creative Health in Primary Schools Award
What are the Chris Drinkwater Creative Health in Primary Schools Awards?
Professor Chris Drinkwater CBE, FRCGP, FFPH(Hon), FRSA was an inner-city GP in Newcastle for 23 years. Chris was also our previous Arts and Creativity Lead for 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.
The winning Creative Health projects demonstrate the beneficial impact of arts on the wellbeing of primary school children, bringing creative expertise to the classroom, and to especially benefit those in the highest areas of deprivation. The purpose of these Awards is to grow interest and share examples of creative health in primary schools within the North East and North Cumbria, to the ultimate benefit of the children involved.
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)
Read all about this year's Creative Health projects in our 2024 Awards celebration brochure
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.
In the beginning
The first awards event happend in September 2023 where each of the winners received funding for their schools/organisation - find out more about the winners and their projects in our brochure.
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.
The 2024-25 Chris Drinkwater Creative Health in Primary Schools awards are open
Who can apply?
- We are targeting this opportunity into settings in more deprived communities and where socioeconomic and health inequalities are most prevalent.
- Schools that have been running a creative health project in collaboration with an artist or arts organisation.
- Creative organisations already working within schools.
- We are particularly interested in learning about the outcomes you have achieved, with emphasis on the evidence you have in regards to improving the wellbeing of young people. This means that we want to know about projects that are completed, or have been running for long enough for evidence of impact to have been gathered.
Until Thursday 31 October 2024, you can our Creative Health Champions:
Amanda Gould - Queens Hall Arts Centre
Rachel Adamson-Brown - Bigfoot Arts Education
Elizabeth Kane - Artist and Creative Producer
Jane Gray - Blue Cabin
Kay Harrop - Evergreen Primary School
Kate Swaddle - St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley
Wendy Kelly - Public Health South Tees
Martin Wilson – Arts & Creativity Advisor
Heather Corlett – Network lead
How to apply!
Tyne & Wear archives & museums are administering the awards, please see more information on their site's page, Chris Drinkwater Creative Health in Primary Schools Award | Tyne & Wear Schools (twamschools.org.uk)
The 2024-25 awards are open, complete our online application form or open the guidance document to find out the next steps:
The Creative Health Awards ... meet some of the team
Read more about some of the team who have worked on the project.
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.
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 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!
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 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. Having attained the NASENCO and NPQH awards, she is well placed to help children and young people to overcome their barriers to learning
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. Having attained the NASENCO and NPQH awards, she is well placed to help children and young people to overcome their barriers to learning
Mel Burgess is Programme Manager for Regional Cultural Learning at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM). She leads on TWAM's regional work for children and young people, including supporting the North East's network of Local Cultural Education Partnerships, and working with the health and youth sectors that focuses to develop cross-sector relationships.
She was previously Programme Manager for Culture Bridge North East, as part of Arts Council England's national Bridge programme, which connected schools and cultural organisations with an ambition to create a rich cultural childhood for every young person. She has also been a primary school teacher and a museum educator, and is a governor of a first school. She has seen the power of arts and culture in giving all young people a voice and an opportunity to express themselves, and is passionate about equitable access to these experiences.
Mel Burgess is Programme Manager for Regional Cultural Learning at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM). She leads on TWAM's regional work for children and young people, including supporting the North East's network of Local Cultural Education Partnerships, and working with the health and youth sectors that focuses to develop cross-sector relationships.
She was previously Programme Manager for Culture Bridge North East, as part of Arts Council England's national Bridge programme, which connected schools and cultural organisations with an ambition to create a rich cultural childhood for every young person. She has also been a primary school teacher and a museum educator, and is a governor of a first school. She has seen the power of arts and culture in giving all young people a voice and an opportunity to express themselves, and is passionate about equitable access to these experiences.
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.
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.
Arts and Creativity