In the spirit of London 2012

This week I am with the Spirit of 2012 team in Hull, seeing at first hand the mounting excitement as the city prepares for its moment in the sun as 2017 City of Culture. The event is well and truly set to inspire the local community and draw the eyes of the country and it reminds me of what sparked our foundation three years ago. The London 2012 Games was a fantastic summer of sport and most of us remember the Mo moments and the Wiggins mania. It was also a time for community and national pride, of inspiration, to get out and be involved, and of wonderful art.

The Cultural Olympiad was a remarkable part of the London 2012 Games, but creativity did not stop there – from the costumes in the opening and closing ceremonies to the community events full of performances and flair – art was everywhere. And it made us feel good. At Spirit, we sustain and renew the spirit of that summer by investing in projects that embody creativity to make a difference to individuals, communities and society as a whole.

The act of getting involved, trying something new and meeting new people can have a significant impact on our happiness

We believe in the power of arts to improve wellbeing. The act of getting involved, trying something new and meeting new people can have a significant impact on our happiness. The recently published Manchester Metropolitan University report, Exploring the Longitudinal Relationship between Arts Engagement and Health, demonstrates the tangible links between arts engagement and health. Something arts professionals and volunteers have experienced and known instinctively is being proven with robust research and evaluation. The publication of the findings within the Warwick Report also reminds us why investing in arts and culture is so valuable. It emphasises the links to wellbeing and its impact on our individual and national identity. We must do more to support the creativity of individuals, not just for art’s sake but for the change it can create.

Spirit of 2012 is committed to using learning in this area to ensure our investments in the arts improve social cohesion. Next month we shall see Voluntary Arts Week. It is delivered by Voluntary Arts, a charity we fund to enable voluntary arts activities across the UK. From knitting groups to singing to Indian dance, it supports local groups help volunteers get involved in all sorts of activities to make a positive impact on the individual and their surrounding community. It is a key partner of BBC Get Creative, a new campaign to encourage people to try something new artistically.

Volunteers are absolutely central to our mission to celebrate and enhance the impact of national and local events. That principle too was inspired by what we saw when the games makers were so visible and celebrated throughout the London 2012 Games. The cheerful faces of people proud to make such an event happen, delighted to show off their city, community and country to people from all over the world and to know they were part of something enjoyed and remembered by millions.

Here at Spirit, we want to retain and constantly refresh that volunteering magic both to support those already volunteering and to encourage others to get out and get involved. We were set up 18 months ago by the Big Lottery Fund to sustain and extend the opportunities of the London 2012 Games to improve wellbeing, challenge perceptions of disability and lead to greater social cohesion. We fund several projects that engage arts and volunteers, including Unlimited Impact empowering young disabled artists, and Big Big Sing, which encourages everyone to get singing.

In all this work we focus on breaking down the barriers to people getting involved in the arts and culture. These are common to both the cultural sector and volunteering more generally. For many, not engaging in creativity activities or volunteering is down to lack of confidence, lack of time, lack of awareness of opportunities or a disadvantage or disability. We invest in projects that reduce these barriers, because we believe that ultimately both volunteering and art and culture make life a little bit better – for us, for the people we help and for the world around us. Investing in happiness is our goal and the arts and volunteering are perfect tools to get there.

Penny East is Head of Communications at Spirit of 2012.
www.spiritof2012trust.org.uk