Arts initiative for older people in Derry & Strabane

At this month’s Business and Culture Committee meeting, members were informed that a letter of offer for delivery of the project had been received from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI).

The HeART of the Sperrins Round 3 project will receive £8,900 in ACNI funding, with an additional £5,029 provided by council’s Arts Development and Museum Services Budgets.

Head of Culture, Aideen McCarter, said the project will engage older residents in rural areas, which have been identified as “under-represented in arts and culture activities”.

Ms McCarter added: “Delivered in partnership with [council’s] museum services, care homes and the Local Community Growth Partnerships, the project will provide up to six participatory sessions from art forms identified by health carers.

“It is envisaged that the project will engage approximately 120 participants, in a twelve-month programme of activities, across a range of art forms.”

“The exact nature of the creative interventions will be determined by the specific needs of the participating individuals and groups."

Sinn Féin councillor Ruairi McHugh praised the initiative as there is “not as much access to services” in rural areas, leading to a “detrimental impact on our elderly population”.

“This scheme will tackle the social isolation and loneliness that older people can often suffer from, which then can lead to mental health issues as well,” he said.

DUP Alderman Julie Middleton asked how the 120 participants would be identified, as residents within the Sperrins were “spread out”.

Ms McCarter said the project’s purpose was to “spread as widely as possible”, with a focus on care homes.

“It’s for facilities that can support the programme,” she concluded. “But certainly we try and make it as wide as possible to go right throughout the district.”