Art therapy sessions will be available for dementia patients and their carers in one of Bournemouth’s residential homes for the first time, thanks to a £6000 award through the Inspired by 2012 Health and Wellbeing Legacy Fund programme. The idea behind the project is to help tackle health inequalities in the community.

The art sessions will take place in a sheltered house accommodation at Vale Road in Boscombe.

Art therapy is a proven help and support for people who suffer from different health issues.

However, there are currently no similar workshops in Bournemouth aimed at people with dementia. Qualified art therapists will set the foundation, in order to enable other care and health organisations to deliver workshops around the whole Borough.

It is hoped that the project will improve not only the patients’, but also their carers’ social life, as living with a health condition can often lead to isolation and loneliness.

The award panel said that the project fully met the criteria and priorities for the fund, and they had “no doubt it will have an incredibly positive impact on health outcomes for those involved, whilst providing an invaluable opportunity for us to monitor, evaluate and learn about new and positive health interventions.”