Celebrating Creativity and Wellbeing Week in south east London
From 18 to 24 May 2026, people across south east London will take part in Creativity and Wellbeing Week, the UK’s national festival of creative health.
The Week brings together communities, health partners and creative organisations to show how everyday creativity can support good health and wellbeing. It is led by London Arts & Health, with the Culture Health & Wellbeing Alliance.
Creative health is growing across the NHS and local communities. Taking part in creative activities can help people to:
- Feel more connected and less lonely
- Manage long-term health conditions
- Improve mental health
- Build confidence and share lived experience
What’s happening locally
Across south east London, partners from the NHS, local councils, the VCSE sector and the arts are working together to build creative health into local health systems. This includes supporting place-based Creative Health Networks that help improve community wellbeing.
Local activity includes:
- Bexley: Creative organisations shared their work at Bexley’s Creative Health Network with events listed during the Week. The new Live Well Age Well Neighbourhood Hub in Sidcup is promoting free creative sessions to help reduce frailty.
- Southwark: The Southwark Culture Health & Wellbeing Partnership highlighted Creativity and Wellbeing Week at its quarterly forum on 13 May, encouraging local projects to take part.
- Lewisham: London Arts & Health will spotlight the Creative Health in Lewisham Neighbourhoods Impact Framework, showing how creativity is helping reduce health inequalities. Lewisham Council will also launch Creative Health microgrants to support new NHS and community partnerships.
- Lambeth: On 2 June, Studio Voltaire will host a Creative Health in Lambeth Neighbourhoods event, building on earlier work to connect local partners.
Creative health projects are already making a difference across south east London. These include free photography courses in Lambeth, craft sessions at Woolwich Library, theatre groups to build confidence and studio spaces for young people in Peckham.
SHARP exhibition as part of Creativity and Wellbeing Week 2026
SHARP gallery was founded in a social inclusion project within South London and Maudsley NHS Trust in 2011, converting a bland conference room into a gallery space. It has exhibited the work of hundreds of artists, many of whom use mental health services. The gallery has transformed the physical environment and the experiences for staff and service users, as well as giving a platform for emerging artists to exhibit.
As part of Creativity and Wellbeing Week and Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, SHARP Gallery presents Festival of Belonging, an exhibition by the Arts Network running from 11 to 22 May 2026. The exhibition brings together work by 31 artists exploring personal experiences of belonging, inspired by Ibrahim Ishmail’s poem Belonging. Each piece is unique, with a shared gold line running through the exhibition to symbolise connection and togetherness.
Alongside the exhibition, SHARP Gallery will host Magnifying Glass for Hope, a creative workshop on Wednesday 20 May, 1–3pm, inviting participants to explore ideas of hope and positive change through art.
Creative health events will take place at cultural venues, healthcare settings and neighbourhoods throughout the Week.
Get involved
Creativity and Wellbeing Week is open to everyone. Partners across south east London are encouraged to:
- Attend local events
- Share creative health activity happening in their area
- Connect with local creative health networks
Together, we can keep building a creative health system that helps people live healthier, more fulfilled lives.
You can find local and national events here: All Events – Creativity and Wellbeing Week