An arts and health festival in Weston-super-Mare - postponed due to coronavirus - is to take place on a digital platform.
The Weston Arts and Health Weekender was due to take place from April 3-5.
But due to the coronavirus outbreak, the three day event has had to be postponed.
Now organisers are organising for elements of the event to go ahead, but on a digital platform instead.
The inaugural festival, supported by Arts Council England and North Somerset Council, was planned to celebrate two significant events.
These are the joining of two hospital trusts on April 1 to form University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) and the launch of Culture Weston, a new initiative that promotes cultural and heritage-based activity as a vital part of the town’s life.
Content from the festival will now be re-configured and shared online, starting with an online 'Creative Conversation' on the afternoon of April 3.
This replaces the Creative Ageing Convention due to mark the start of the Weekender.
Those supporting the wellbeing of older isolated people and others facing isolation alone are welcome to join in, share challenges and signpost suggested solutions.
Alongside arts and health activities for the elderly, it will focus on social isolation amongst the general population and signpost people towards a number of resources.
The online ‘Creative Conversation’ will be hosted by Dr Anna Farthing with a team of highly experienced contributors who will share their research and experiences on how arts approaches can help support health and alleviate loneliness.
Creative tasters will include singing for lung health, with singer songwriter Kate Dimbleby introducing the first in a specially created ‘BREATHE’ series; creative writing with published author Bob Walton; armchair movement with dance practitioner Vic Hole; breathing exercises for relaxation with drama practitioner Angela Athay-Hunt and easy digital media skills with Nick Sutton.
Where possible other parts of the original ‘Weekender’ programme are also being re-imagined.
The team behind the ‘Bubble Schmeisis’ show scheduled to take place at The Stable in Weston on April 4 are instead creating free ‘Nights on the Tiles’ film shorts.
The first short will be aired online at the original performance time of 8pm this Saturday and will include an invitation to audiences everywhere to send in solo music and comedy slots filmed in the makeshift spas of their home bathrooms.
A creative play resource with outdoor arts company Mufti Games is also being developed and digital content will continue to unfold over the coming weeks to offer on-going support to the community and help keep minds and bodies buoyant.
All creative content gathered will be posted on the Culture Weston website in a new ‘At Home With Culture’ section.
All content is self-filmed and sets a precedent for how people at home can generate compelling creative content with everyday tools.
The online event will also kick start the sharing of resources to form a free online resource bank for agencies and professionals working with older and isolated people.
Fiona Matthews, Culture Weston director said: “The Weston Arts and Health Weekender is about creating connections between people and shining a light on experiences and resources that have the potential to uplift lives.
“We need this now more than ever.
“The ‘Creative Conversation’ marks the start of an online community with multiple opportunities to engage in creative dialogue and activities that can help everyone feel supported.”
Anna Farthing, Arts Programme Director at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, added: “Everyone is seeing the value of arts and culture during this period of extraordinary isolation.
“Television, films, radio, music, and books can offer great distraction, but humans are inherently social creatures and those who are alone can sometimes need support to express themselves when no-one else is around.
"Doing, making and moving ourselves through the arts, crafts, dance, drama and creative writing can help us feel that we have some control over our circumstances.”
For more details visit cultureweston.org.uk.
