Art for Tolworth: The Community Brain to lead major arts programme for Tolworth Hospital
Our Trust is partnering with The Community Brain to deliver a major arts programme for Tolworth Hospital, which will shape the identity and experience of our new building Tala.
Creating therapeutic spaces through art
Creating welcoming, therapeutic and modern buildings through design and artwork is central to the transformation of our services and estate. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with The Community Brain, a Kingston-based organisation specialising in creative projects, placemaking and public art, to run our Art for Tolworth programme.
The project will first explore how creativity can contribute to the character, atmosphere and everyday experience of Tolworth Hospital. By bringing together our patients, carers, staff, and community groups with local artists, they will use workshops and art-making sessions to capture the people and places that make Tolworth unique, and inform the themes, styles and stories that will ultimately make up the artwork for the site. From this, The Community Brain will support the commissioned artists to develop and install a range of pieces that will sit across different areas of the building, such as the entrance and waiting areas.
Robin Hutchinson, Director, The Community Brain said “We are delighted to be working with the Trust on this exciting project which uses art as an essential element of a new building. It is a wonderful opportunity to work with artists, service users, their families and the local community to create a welcoming and supportive environment. Art for Tolworth can help to reframe our perceptions of and around mental health.
“By inviting people to help shape and create the artworks alongside the artists, we hope to make space for those conversations and bring different experiences of mental health into the project. We’ll be sharing opportunities to take part as the project develops.”
As well as creating a rich and therapeutic environment for patients, carers and our staff, we hope Art for Tolworth will also make the site more welcoming to the wider community, which will help change the perceptions people hold about mental health services and seeking support.
Ian Garlington, Better Communities Director said: “As a Trust we know the impact art can have in reducing enduring mental health stigma, creating healing spaces that support recovery and wellbeing and strengthening connections between mental health services and our wider community. The Community Brain has an outstanding track record of bringing people together through creative projects and celebrating the unique identity of local places. We're excited to work with them to ensure Tolworth Hospital not only delivers outstanding facilities, but also reflects the stories, cultures and communities of Kingston.”
Better Environments for Tolworth
Art for Tolworth is part of the Trust's Better Environments Programme, which is transforming mental health services across south west London. Following the redevelopment of Springfield Hospital, the Trust is investing £110 million to create a new state-of-the-art mental health hospital in Kingston, with construction now underway and the new building expected to open in 2028.
Throughout the redevelopment, staff, patients, carers, and local communities have helped shape the future of the site through extensive engagement and consultation. The Art for Tolworth programme will continue this collaborative approach, by celebrating local identity and ensuring the new hospital reflects the community it serves.
Get involved
If you would like to be involved in Art for Tolworth, please register your interest by emailing artfortolworth@thecommunitybrain.org.
