Happy Christmas from all of us at Equal Arts

OLDER people taking part in our HenPower project have lent their voices to an original Christmas song.

To help celebrate the end of a successful year for hte project weve teamed up with artists leading our creative sessions in care settings.

Dress Me Up for Christmas is a catchy chicken tune and features the hensioners from Wood Green, residents living in care settings in Gateshead and pupils from two HenPowered primary schools.

Douglas Hunter, co-director of Equal Arts based in Gateshead, said: “Our Christmas song brings together the best of what we do, building relationships between older people and their communities through creativity.

“It is our small way of saying thank you to everyone for their support during 2015. It has been a hugely positive year for us as we see the benefits of creativity on ageing becoming more widely understood.HenPower is now supporting hundreds of older people to explore their creativity and reconnect with their communities.

“The enthusiasm for HenPower, from residents and care home staff to councillors and the public, has been fantastic.”

Piloted in 2012 HenPower brings hens to care settings as the catalyst for creative activities, which help support isolated older people to build new relationships within their community. Read more about it here.

Realising its potential Big Lottery awarded Equal Arts £1m to roll the Gateshead-based scheme out across the UK.

During 2015 HenPower has spread its wings and is now reaching more than 1,000 older people in over 40 venues across the North East and in Yorkshire, Brighton and London where it received the support of London Mayor Boris Johnson.

We currently deliver HenPower to North East residents living in Newcastle, Gateshead, South Shields, County Durham, Middlesbrough, Darlington and Stockton.

Audrey Nisbet, deputy manager at Shadon House in Gateshead, said: “The service users here absolutely love the project and the singing, dancing and creative activities.

“All of the hens have names and people look forward to the sessions with the artists, who are brilliant at supporting people with dementia. It has been great working with Equal Arts, we would not do without them.”