Just the Tonic! was a hands-on discovery session that took place at the Food Museum on 11 July 2023. It was the first co-production event of its kind organised by Suffolk Huddles.
I had the pleasure of designing and delivering a hands-on discovery day at the Food Museum in Suffolk with long covid patients, clinicians, artists and social prescribers to co-produce service solutions that enhance wellbeing.
The collaborative session brought together people with lived experience of Long Covid, clinical staff, and cultural practitioners, to explore the gaps that exist in current service provision and to look at what might be developed to fill these gaps to improve the mental health and wellbeing of those who have experience of Long Covid, or those who have experienced isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
We invited 15 participants to let their imagination run free and have their voice heard by creating tonic vessels that embodied their personal stories and hopes related to Long Covid. The co-produced creative output was showcased at Endevour House, Town Hall, and visited by Suffolk’s Health & Wellbeing Board to influence strategic decision-making.
The session was beautifully documented by a live illustrator, Simon Wild.
Participants felt their experience was fun, highly enjoyable, and memorable. The evaluation confirmed their positive event participation made them more likely to engage with/recommend a co-production activity in the future.
The facilitator was very quickly able to create connections within the room.
Event participant
Wonderful facilitation….it was fun to engage with others and empowering.
Event participant
Acknowledgements
The event was organised by NCCH’s Suffolk Huddles whose members include Jayne Austin,
Museum Development and Partnership Manager; Dr Amy Mallett, Artistic Director, Cohere
Arts; Suffolk County Council; Sarah Fowler, Co-Clinical Lead for Suffolk and North Esses Long
Covid Clinic and Alex Carey, Co-Director, Suffolk Art Link.
Special thanks to Darren Dordoy, Visitor Services at the Food Museum; Kate Davey, NCCH
Freelance Project Manager, Olivia Dean, NNCCH Creative Health Associate for the East of
England; and Alexis Butt, NCCH General Manager.
IMAGE CREDITS: Simon Wild (Illustrator) and Dr Amy Mallett, Artistic Director, Cohere Arts
