The project, Sharing Stories for Wellbeing, seeks to transform how we support the needs of children hospitalised with long-term health conditions through creative health approaches.

Nationally, the number of children with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions continues to climb, with a 40% increase between 2001-2018, and a projected 20% rise by 2030. Children with long-term physical health conditions are up to four times as likely to have a mental health condition, meaning that a focus on young people’s wellbeing, and the factors that can support and improve it, is of upmost importance.

Dr Murphy, a Senior Lecturer in Children’s Literature in Newcastle University’s School of English Literature. Language and Linguistics says the goal of Sharing Stories for Wellbeing is to revolutionise children’s health services, and the national policies that inform it.

“‘There is a lot of amazing work going on in hospitals across the UK to support young people,” she said. “But the national funding landscape continues to sideline the creative methods we know work to support children’s health and wellbeing. We need to make creative approaches to healthcare a top priority, not just an added extra.”

Creative workshops

This work is already underway with an exciting series of creative workshops running across the October half-term holidays this week. These sessions, held at the Great North Museum: Hancock and Hatton Gallery, are for children and young people aged between four and 11 with long-term health conditions that have required hospitalisation, and their families. They will take place between 27 and 31 October.

The events incorporate multisensory storytelling sessions, opportunities to handle museum artefacts, and creative activities tailored to each child’s individual needs and interests. With an emphasis on creativity and community building, the workshops aim to provide support to children going through challenging experiences, and to recruit participants for the ongoing research on the larger project. To book a session or learn more about the project, visit www.sharingstoriesforwellbeing.org