Author: Malcolm Struthers

Between September and November 2025, Midpark Hospital once again became a vibrant centre of creativity as the second block of Art Matters workshops invited patients, staff and visitors to explore Nature Ceramics and Textiles with artists Ruth Elizabeth Jones and Helen Walsh.  Across six sessions, participants were encouraged to slow down, try something new and enjoy the grounding, sensory experience of working with clay and textiles. …

Visitors to Galloway Community Hospital are now being welcomed by a striking new mural that beautifully captures the town’s rich healthcare history.  Commissioned by OutPost Arts, coordinators of Art in Healthcare in partnership with NHS Dumfries & Galloway, the illustrated installation titled “The History of Healthcare in Stranraer” transforms the hospital’s waiting area into a visual journey through time.  Created in collaboration with…

We are delighted to have been awarded £282,199 through the Scottish Government’s Culture Collective fund, administered by Creative Scotland, to deliver a new community-led arts and wellbeing programme across North West Dumfries.  The funding will support Creating Space NW Dumfries, an 18-month project bringing together the communities of Lochside, Lincluden, Summerhill and Sandside through creative activity designed to improve wellbeing, strengthen local identity and increase…

A reflection from our Creative Health & Wellbeing Director, Lucy Bell Where to begin on the highlights of 2025?  From my perspective as Director, this year has been about embedding – seeing partnerships and projects developed since 2023 take root and establish themselves in meaningful ways. The work is now bearing fruit, sometimes in expected ways and sometimes in…

2025 has been another wonderful year for both Creative Toolbox and Art Journal Project, two programmes that sit at the heart of DG Creative Wellbeing. Together, they supported over 50 adults and young people from across Dumfries & Galloway to explore creativity, strengthen confidence, build friendships and discover new ways of understanding themselves and the…

As we reached the final week of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2025, Press Play brought our SMHAF season to a joyful and heartfelt close. Held from 7th-9th November at The Standard in Dumfries, this vibrant exhibition showcased the creativity, courage and imagination of participants from two of our core community-based creative wellbeing (social prescribing) programmes,…

At the start of November, we partnered with Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway to host a special edition of the Mental Health Forum at The Grain Store in Dumfries. As part of this year’s Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, the event brought together people from across the region to explore how creativity can comfort, challenge…

A message from our Creative Health & Wellbeing Director, Lucy Bell. 💡 From 2023 onwards, OutPost Arts has been FLAT OOT building, delivering, coordinating and evaluating ‘DG Creative Wellbeing’ – a partnership project that was made possible because of the amazing people working across arts, culture, social care and health sectors in our fabulous wee region……

In partnership with NHS D&G, OutPost Arts recently launched ‘TWELVE’ – an evocative and deeply personal exhibition by artist Heather Bestel, which was presented as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) 2025.  Created during the first year following Heather’s diagnosis of complex PTSD, TWELVE is a series of twelve mixed-media works, each…

This November, we’re proud to be part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival (SMHAF) – a nationwide celebration exploring how art, film, music and performance can open up conversations about mental health. The 2025 theme, “Comfort and Disturb,” invites us to think about how creativity can both soothe and challenge, helping us process emotions,…