Art of Connection - Supporting Information
BIOGRAPHIES OF ARTISTS INVOLVED
Chris Chinnock (Lead Artist)
I am a Socially Engaged Photographer - Specialising in Photovoice. I help people visualise the important stuff & tell their own story through photographs. With over 20 years’ experience in Community Development & Creative Community Engagement. I’ve worked nationally and internationally as a trainer & facilitator specialising in Asset Based Community Development.
Alongside my Community Development career I’ve also worked as a Professional Photographer for 10 years - shooting events, portraits & commercial projects. I combined my passion for Community and Photography together in 2021 when I set up Our Creative Connection a Social Enterprise that uses Photography for social change. This includes participatory photography projects such as ‘Photovoice’ where I support people to create images that illustrate the narrative of their life, show the world from their point of view and reflect upon themes such as health, wellbeing, safety, identity & inclusion. Creativity reduces loneliness, supports mental health, wellbeing and helps to grow and strengthen connections between people - oh and it’s fun too!
Jo McFarlane (Lead Artist)
I am a Visual Artist/Illustrator with over 15 years of experience of working creatively within the Community and Theatre settings. I Love working creatively and imaginatively with individuals and groups to bring ideas to life. I have worked within an wide variety of community settings including carnival and creative workshops. My passion is to support and encourage individuals to share their stories using the creative arts as a means to express those individual experiences.
I have a First class BA Degree in Theatre Design from Leeds University, and found the communication of ideas through pictures and storyboards was a particular strength. In 2019 I completed my illustration of the Alphabet which was a personal project, and in 2021, I completed my first commissioned book illustration. I am currently extending my study of Illustration by undertaking a Diploma in Illustration at London Art College.
Michelle Scally Clarke (Artist)
Michelle Scally Clarke is a versatile author, poet, playwright, actor, and songwriter. She also facilitates creative writing to promote wellbeing. With over 26 years of experience, Michelle has published two biographies and collaborated with notable figures like Linton Kwesi Johnson and Simon Armitage. Her work, which includes the books and albums "I Am" and "She Is," reflects her diverse background and aims to bridge communities through creative expression. Based in West Yorkshire, Michelle uses writing, drama, and art to connect with different audiences and promote wellbeing.
Andrew Sanderson (Artist)
Andrew Sanderson is the leading photographer/printer in the UK. Over the last 30 years he has established an international reputation as both teacher and practitioner of the photographic medium. He has published many articles in journals such as AG+Manual, Camera and Creative Photography, Photo Art International, Amateur Photographer, and Black and white magazine, as well as frequent appearances in the Royal Photographic Society and Friends of Photography Yearbooks.
Andrew has exhibited regularly in the UK and New York, and has photographs in picture libraries in both Britain and the United States. His images have been published extensively as cards, posters, in magazines and in a number of books. Andrew is currently working closely with Ilford Harman Technology as one of their Master Printers, giving lectures and demonstrations at Colleges and Universities all over the UK.
He is widely respected for his knowledge of film-based photography and traditional darkroom techniques, and for his exquisite, intense black and white photographic prints. Andrew gives talks, demonstrations and workshops all over the UK, often at the request of Ilford Photo, teaching tutors in colleges and universities. He has written three books, all now out of print and regarded as classics in their field. His wide-ranging work is hard to categorize, but draws out the profound, the beauty or the unexpected in the apparently ordinary – whether still life, the natural world or other subject.
Art of Connection
Why we are doing this project / why it’s important the whole ABCD / Connection / Wellbeing / safety thing
Evidence of need
Include evidence around the role of connection in well being also links to creative health hub etc
School Children aged 7-9 from Birkby Juniors School
There are High Levels of Deprivation: 68.8% of households in Birkby are deprived in at least one dimension, making it one of the top five most deprived areas in Kirklees. The area is among the more deprived nationally based on socio-economic indicators. The area faces issues related to income, employment, education, crime, housing, and health disparities. Source https://www.ilivehere.co.uk/statistics-birkby-kirklees-3671.html
Older adults 55+ from deprived areas of Huddersfield (Greenhead, Ashbrow, Dalton, Newsome Wards)
Headline Deprivation Rankings for Ashbrow, Dalton, Newsome, and Greenhead Wards
Ashbrow and Dalton Rank Among the Most Deprived Areas
Multiple LSOAs in Ashbrow and Dalton are in the top 10-20% most deprived areas nationally, indicating significant socio-economic challenges.
Greenhead Faces Deprivation but Has Greater Ethnic Diversity
Some LSOAs in Greenhead are in the top 20-30% most deprived areas nationally, with high levels of income and health deprivation.
Greenhead the catchment area for AOC has the highest proportion of foreign-born residents (26.72%) in Huddersfield.
Dalton Has the Highest Levels of Loneliness
13.7% of residents report feeling lonely all or most of the time, the highest in these wards and well above the Kirklees average (7.2%).
Housing and Income Deprivation are Major Issues in Ashbrow and Greenhead
Ashbrow: 57.12% of residents own their homes, significantly lower than Almondbury (69.38%).
Greenhead: Only 54.02% of residents are homeowners, reflecting housing and financial instability.
Health Deprivation Rankings Highlight Disparities
Ashbrow, Dalton, and Greenhead have poor health indicators, ranking among the most deprived areas for health in Huddersfield. Source: PubMed Central
Older Adults (Aged 55+):
Prevalence of Loneliness: Community studies report that severe loneliness affects between 2% and 16% of adults aged 65 and over. Additionally, up to 32% of individuals aged over 55 feel lonely at any given time. Source: PubMed Central
Living Alone and Social Isolation: More than 2 million people in England over the age of 75 live alone, and over a million older individuals go more than a month without speaking to a friend, neighbor, or family member. Source: NHS
Increased Risk Factors: Loneliness and social isolation in older adults are associated with higher risks of morbidity and mortality. Approximately 50% of individuals aged over 60 are at risk of social isolation, and one-third will experience some degree of loneliness later in life. Source: BMC Public Health
Caroline Abrahams, Loneliness Report Age UK (excerpt taken from Age UK Website)
Our latest work has focused on further understanding loneliness among people aged 50 and over and has found that, if we don’t tackle loneliness, by 2026 there will be 2 million people over 50 in England who will often feel lonely. This will have a dramatic impact on their well-being and the quality of their lives. Our findings also show that the risk of being often lonely is dramatically higher among those people who are widowed or who do not have someone to open up to.
Loneliness occurs when people’s ability to have meaningful conversations and interactions is inhibited, and helping people cope with and overcome these feelings can require more than social activities. It can require personalised support and neighbourhoods which encourage and facilitate people to participate in their communities.
Supporting Statements
Amelia Parker: Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School.
“I can confirm that our school, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary Academy, in Huddersfield, is going to be involved in the Message in a Bottle collaboration with Our Creative Connection.
This project will bring together the children and older adults in our local community. They will have the opportunity to connect and explore within the groups collaborative task.
Our Mini Vinnies, aged 7-11, will be taking part in the intergenerational project, which will allow them to fulfil one of their ‘Mini Vinnie’ pledges of ‘caring for others in my community by being a friend to those who are alone, in need, or in trouble’
We are very much looking forward to working in partnership again and are looking forward to hearing more about this exciting upcoming project”
Hannah Michelle, Birkby Junior School
'The Message in a Bottle is a valuable project for our school. As you know we are a very diverse community with children from all over the world. For many of our families they have left behind relatives and friends but also had to adapt to a totally new culture, language and lifestyle. The message in a bottle project would bring together families and inter-generations , enabling them to connect and build positive relationships that would help them to create a sense of belonging here in Birkby.'
Demographics:
Ages-7-8
Ethnicities will range from white British, Pakistani, Nigerian, European and Kurdish.
Languages may include, English, Urdu, Punjabi, Kurdish
Kristie Humphries Newsome Community Primary
“At Newsome Junior Academy, we are proud to be an inclusive school, welcoming families from across the Huddersfield area. In today’s digital age, children often rely heavily on electronic devices, and the valuable skill of face-to-face conversation can sometimes be overlooked.
Intergenerational Projects provide a meaningful opportunity for pupils to step outside their comfort zones and engage with people from different backgrounds, experiences, and generations. These interactions not only build confidence and communication skills but also broaden our children’s understanding of the world around them.
We believe that every new experience helps shape well-rounded, empathetic individuals, and we are committed to providing as many of these opportunities as possible for our pupils”
Bonita Johnson, Teacher, Moldgreen Community Primary
Moldgreen Community Primary provides a caring, inclusive school community where families are welcomed and supported. Moldgreen is fully involved in the Dalton Together Partnership and Unite, Respect, Connect working closely with local groups to support families including delivering food parcels and referrals to local services. Staff and leadership, including the headteacher, actively engage in partnership meetings
Our challenges include: high levels of socio-economic need: The school serves many pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds—above national average in eligibility for free school meals, with approximately 30% of children speaking English as an additional language (EAL), and around 15% identified as having special educational needs (SEN), including those with Education, Health & Care Plans (EHCPs).
Children gain invaluable social and emotional development by building relationships with older generations. They learn empathy, respect, patience, and communication skills through authentic, meaningful interactions. For the school, it enriches the curriculum with real-life learning opportunities, particularly in areas such as PSHE, history, and English.
It fosters a stronger sense of community, aligning with values of inclusion, diversity, and respect. Projects like these can improve pupils' self-esteem and confidence, especially for those who may struggle socially or emotionally. Schools benefit from enhanced community partnerships, which support their reputation and widen the support network for pupils and staff alike.
Exhibition venues
Rihana Akhtar, Kirklees Council, Customer Service Manager Birkby and Fartown Library
“This sounds like a fantastic project and we would love to be a part of it.”
Becky Long Assistant Area Manager, Kirklees Libraries
NEED A QUOTE FROM BECKY
Andy Petrie: Chief Executive of Chestnut Centre
“Sounds a great project and happy to host the sharing event at the Chestnut Centre in 2026. Look forward to hearing more about it”
Michelle Hodgson, Festival Director
“Huddersfield Literature Festival is delighted to be partnering with creative producers Jo McFarlane and Chris Chinnock at our 2025 Festival to promote and provide space to showcase their intergenerational project Message in a Bottle. We would be very happy to work with them again and to offer an exhibition and performance space as part of our 20th anniversary Festival in May 2026.”
Liz Towns-Andrews (NHIC Regional & Business Lead) & Nikki Hill (Health Innovation Programme Manager), University of Huddersfield.
We are really pleased to support The Art of Connection - it’s such a timely and meaningful project. Creating space for children and older adults to connect through creativity not only nurtures individual wellbeing but also strengthens the fabric of our communities. By encouraging self-expression, active listening, and shared storytelling, the project supports emotional resilience and a deeper sense of belonging. We are especially excited about the potential for the exhibition and workshop at the National Health Innovation Campus to spark wider conversations around creative health, inclusion, and the role of the arts in community development.
Dr. Steven Michael OBE
Independent Chair, Creative Wakefield.
I’ve been an admirer of Our Creative Connection’s work for some time now. Chris Chinnock’s approach to working with local communities and potentially marginalised groups is entrepreneurial, impactful and important. Through the medium of photography he has been able to reach out and connect with people in a way which brings a genuine sense of achievement and hope for the future.
Examples of previous projects & Testimonials
Message in a Bottle
This project took place between Feb/April at Lowerhouses School, Almondbury (Kirklees) with a Showcase and performance as part of the Huddersfield Literature Festival 25. https://www.ourcreativeconnection.org/blog/message-in-a-bottle-lowerhouses
“The children felt a connection to people outside their immediate family. They formed relationships with others that helped them to understand the wider world and what it has to offer and not just their immediate environment. The pupils made a friendship of sorts with the adults they worked with and looked forward to meeting them again and hearing their stories and sharing theirs with them. We would love to be involved again and I felt the project was excellent.”
“It was a privilege to be able to take part in this Inter-generational project. I don’t have the opportunity to come into contact with children very often these days and found it really uplifting to witness, enjoy and celebrate their optimism, enthusiasm and energy and to discover their hopes and dreams. They welcomed us and were interested and eager to hear our thoughts, points of view and experiences. It was enlightening and enjoyable to collaborate with them in a creative environment”
Aspire Journeys March/April 2024
“My favourite things about today was meeting new people and learning about their journeys”
In this project we worked with 7 Schools and 7 older adult groups in Kirklees. This was part of a Postcard Project in partnership with a local Charity called Aspire.
The project explored the title ‘Journeys I would like to go on’.
The idea of a ‘journey’ was open to interpretation - a holiday, a day out, a walk around the block or an experience.
https://www.ourcreativeconnection.org/blog/a-journey-i-remember
““Our children have had experiences with elderly people in the community, taking part in activities that they may not had had the opportunity to do so in school or elsewhere. This has been a very enriching and enjoyable experience for all the children that have been involved over the years.
The children have been comfortable and very open when discussing their life experiences with members of the Aspire Team. They have formed invaluable connections with people from an older generation. This has helped boost their confidence and they always looked forward to meeting them again. Through this collaboration, the children have felt valued and respected knowing that what they have to say is important. This has helped to build their self esteem and equipped them with better communication skills; enabling them to show respect whilst discussing and listening to recollections of their journeys.
Overall, the children have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the wide range of memorable activities with their Aspire partners.
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“I enjoyed sharing and listening to peoples’ ideas. I also enjoyed learning about people’s lives. I really enjoyed this, Thank You.”
““I strongly believe the partnership with our children provides them with a valuable experience of working with another generation of people, which some of children do not experience in their everyday lives, and who have a wealth of stories to share. It support the value of respect which is one our school values and hopefully helps them value all the people within their community.” ”
“It’s been a delight being with the children. They should be very proud of themselves; they are so well behaved. Listening to the experiences etc of everyone. Realising that you never truly know all about everyone. We all have something to contribute to life and memories are a wonderful thing. A song, a visit to a certain place or meeting up with an old friend, can bring back the most memorable moments. Bringing happy times back to life again”