About Jane
My story
I started working in healthcare in 1993 as Director of Arts for Barts Health, where I set up the Trust’s arts programme, Vital Arts. After seven years at its helm, I moved to Bristol where I founded award-winning arts and health consultancy Willis Newson.
As Director of Willis Newson, my team and I worked with more than 32 NHS Trusts, health boards and charities to transform environments of care and drive culture change, establishing creative programmes that support staff, patients and wider communities.
Driven by curiosity around the value and impact of this work, I initiated two Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) academic knowledge exchange partnerships with the University of the West of England to explore how best to evaluate creative health programmes. Working as co-lead with Professor Norma Daykin, we produced Creative and Credible, an online resource supporting better arts and health evaluation which continues to inform much of my current training.
Working with the Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance between 2022 - 2023, I co-led the development of the Creative Health Quality Framework, a ground-breaking tool that clearly articulates what “good” looks like for arts and cultural initiatives that aim to support people’s health and wellbeing.
Alongside this, I have been actively involved in the development of the wider creative health sector through training and research; as co-founder and former Chair of Arts and Health South West; a member of the Culture Health and Wellbeing International Conference organising committee; and as a Non-Executive Director of health animation company Formed Films.
A desire to reconnect with my own creativity led me to complete a master’s degree in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes in 2019. My master’s research explored my experience of using creative and reflective writing to support caring for myself within the context of my lived experience caring for others.
I am also a qualified Relational Dynamics Coach and Action Learning Set facilitator.
Facilitation
My skill as a facilitator underpins everything I do. I am safely and sensitively able to hold space for discussion, reflection, and learning.
I have a knack for creating clarity from complexity and supporting others to find a clear path forward.
This supports my work as a consultant, trainer, coach and mentor.
“Thank you so much for facilitating a beautiful space as always. I can’t ever get over the power that is opened up in your sessions. I will be resonating with all that learning for weeks.”
Nicola Blunden, Director of Studies, Metanoia Institute
Strategic Development
Having worked for many years at the intersection of arts, health, and academia, I am skilled at cross-sector working. I am able to communicate effectively across professional boundaries, seek common ground, and build shared goals and vision.
My ability to think strategically and manage complexity enables me to support organisations, teams and individuals to achieve clarity and consensus.
I understand the culture, language, and priorities of arts, health and academic partners and am able to produce programmes that respond strategically to identified needs and specific contexts.
I have managed budgets in excess of £1 million.
“Jane continues to be a sector leader and is involved in strategic conversations and developments at a national level. She has developed a wide-ranging knowledge of the cultural context of healthcare and the professionals within it.”
- Alex Coulter, Director, National Centre for Creative Health
Research and evaluation
Natural curiosity coupled with reflective and reflexive research skills underpin my practice as an evaluator. I am able to manage and analyse complex qualitative data, drawing out relevant themes and patterns to generate new knowledge and insight.
I am particularly interested in evaluation that enables us to better understand participant experience and the processes that drive good practice and participant outcomes.
I am a passionate advocate of creative approaches to evaluation, which is rewarding, enjoyable and engaging for those who take part; delivers rich and meaningful data; elicits high response rates and can be integrated seamlessly into creative programmes.
As well as using a variety of creative evaluation methods in my own practice, I deliver Creative Evaluation training, supporting others to harness creativity as part of evaluation practice.
“Jane’s breadth of knowledge and research skills in relation to creative health are unparalleled.”
- Victoria Hume, Executive Director, Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance
Support and Supervision
I have more than 20 years’ experience of supporting team development and wellbeing within Willis Newson, and have delivered a range of creative programmes supporting wellbeing, self-reflection, transition and change across the creative, cultural and health sectors.
I am a qualified Relational Dynamic Coach, therapeutic writing facilitator, and Action Learning Set facilitator and receive ongoing supervision for my work as a coach and writing facilitator .
“Mentoring [with Jane] has provided some very useful clarity in thinking and reminded me of my worth and how far I've come to date.”
- Emily Jenkins, Founder and Director of Move Dance Feel
Therapeutic Creative Writing
I have always been interested in words and stories, and writing has played an important role in my life - personally, creatively and professionally.
Writing supports me to reflect, express, sift, sort and make meaning. Through writing, I come to better understand and express who I am and what is important to me.
I have an MA in English Literature from Somerville College, Oxford and, early in my career, trained as a journalist. More recently, I completed an MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes.
I now facilitate workshops that help others find their voice. I have delivered writing workshops and retreats for healthcare staff, creative practitioners, and carers.
“The idea of care and creativity, and the invitation to make a calm, safe space for yourself, your writing and reflection was a radical offer. I learned so much from this process. I met myself, this person who is often so hidden. I will cherish the time offered by this experience, the understanding wrought between all the participants and the empathy shared.”
- Helen Cole, CEO / Artistic Director, In Between Time
Selected Clients
I’ve worked with some of the UK’s leading creative, health, educational and charitable organisations including:
NHS Trusts
Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
North Bristol NHS Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust
Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
West London Mental Health NHS Trust
Creative Health
Arts Council England
Arts Council of Wales
Arts and Health South West
Arts for Health (Milton Keynes)
Arts Derbyshire
Artlift
Celf O Gwmpas
Creative Shift
Fresh Arts
Creative Arts East
Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance
Engage
Gwent Arts for Health
Hereford Rural Media
London Arts and Health Forum
National Museum Wales
The Restoration Trust
Torbay Culture
Wales Arts Health Wellbeing Network
Health Charities
Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity
Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity
Macmillan Cancer Support
Teenage Cancer Trust
The King’s Fund
The Royal Society of Public Health
Academia
University of Bristol
University of West of England
University of Tampere, Finland
University of Winchester