Started: April 2012
Based: London
Website: www.breatheahr.org
Twitter: @BreatheAHR
Categories: Health, Media, Architecture and the Arts

Breathe Arts Health Research is a social enterprise that span out of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.

It develops and implements creative and holistic art projects to try and improve health outcomes for patients, staff and communities.

The social enterprise was set up in April 2012 by Yvonne Farquharson with the aim of designing innovative ways of using the arts and creativity in healthcare.

Breathe AHR’s team of clinicians, artists and academics design and deliver healthcare programmes combining arts and science. Projects have included integrating music and poetry into clinical spaces as well as designing and delivering large-scale public performance programmes in healthcare settings, which include theatre, opera, classical, popular and world music.

The venture also delivers Breathe Magic, a therapy using magic tricks as a rehabilitation tool to help patients with hemiplegia or those recovering from a brain injury or stroke.

The Breathe Magic programme has been rolled out across the UK and, more recently, in Australia. Yvonne is now working alongside clinicians and researchers to adapt the Breathe Magic approach for other patient groups and hopes to eventually secure its place as a go-to programme for GP referrals.