For Service Users

There are , according to the Census, some 61,000 veterans living in Kent and Medway. The Armed Forces Community , which consists of  serving members(including reservists), their immediate dependants, veterans and their immediate dependants is estimated at around 180,00 – that is 10% of the population. They are therefore a significant minority with service related needs.

Kent Arts and Wellbeing is committed to support our veteran community and is doing so through 2 principal activities

• Thrive Together is a national project to improve support for veterans and we are the lead for Kent – more info under projects. See here for more details.
• Creative Forces – a project to use creative activity to improve wellbeing – more info under projects. See here for more.

We are also working  with Veterans Outreach, the charity linked to the Chelsea Pensioners to improve veteran support across Kent.

We are actively seeking funding to increase the range of services we can provide

There are between 25,000 -27,000 people living with dementia in Kent and Medway. It is the biggest single reportable cause of death in England  and the incidence is predicted to  increase significantly in the next decade.

The range of diseases covered by the umbrella term dementia are currently incurable, but that doesn’t mean that action can’t be taken to help people living with dementia live their best possible lives or support their carers who have a soul destroying task. The evidence that singing makes a discernable difference is overwhelming and we are committed to support people living with dementia  and their carers with singing activity. We are

• Running a “Sing to Remember” dementia friendly activity in Maidstone and want to extend that across Kent where there is a need. Sing To Remember is a dementia friendly singing group for those living with dementia, their carers and others whose wellbeing is at risk.
• Developing a “Together In Song” activity initially in Maidstone. This brings a team of volunteers into a partnered care home to sing WITH residents , many of whom will be living with dementia. It is an activity of great benefit both to care home residents and the volunteers. .We want to extend this across Kent.

We are actively seeking funding to extend this activity beyond Maidstone.

Older people constitute around 20% of the community and that % is set to rise. Although life expectancy  has increased there are a number of factors that make that problematic.

• First of all , a significant proportion are not ageing well – their quality of life is adversely affected by health issues which can  often be traced back to life style choices – many of which are reversible. The % of older people identifying as in good or very good health falls from just under 70% at 65 to just under 30% at 90
• Secondly family life has changed, families are smaller with fewer around to support elderly parents and increased social mobility may mean that there is no one in the immediate vicinity to provide support
• Thirdly  there has been little support or encouragement to plan for a long period of retirement.

It is therefore not surprising that loneliness is an important issue, with around 30,000 older people in Kent at risk from loneliness. That risk increases with age, especially if linked to bereavement  and/or living alone. It is estimated that around 30% of older people live alone.  The impact of loneliness on health and wellbeing is significant.

We aim through creative activities to improve self confidence, raise hope  and provide an opportunity  to form a network of friends that can be sustained . We want to extend our activities to include physical activity linked with creativity. We also want to develop to support people living with profound and enduring loneliness.

We have been running art classes for older people, supported by Involve Kent in Maidstone and Gillingham. These are at risk.

We are actively raising funds to retain and extend these activities.

Engagement in creative activity is good for health and wellbeing. We are promoting  community events that  feature creative activities, both to highlight the great work that voluntary organisations  undertake and to encourage the wider community to engage in those activities.

In the last few years we have responded to local needs by organising events that have included

• Special occasion concerts – “At the End of the Rainbow” was a celebration and acknowledgement of the great work undertaken by the NHS and voluntary organisations  during the pandemic.
• Summer Bandstand concerts series
• Fun Palaces
• Maytime Medley – a community variety show, organised with Harmony Maidstone
• Maidstone Sings Together – bringing 8  community choirs to perform together
• Choral Celebrations – bringing 8 choral societies to perform together

These events  bring home to participants  both how much they achieve and how important their work is for their own health and wellbeing. At the same time helping to make their contribution more  aware  to the wider community.

We want to expand these activities beyond Maidstone, and are active ly seeking fund ing to do that.