Bloomsbury's Festival in a Box is a pioneering project to send trained artists equipped with life-changing, multi-sensory boxes of cultural delights into the homes of people living with dementia.
People with dementia are often isolated, lacking the skills and confidence to participate in society. But they retain their passion for culture and their enjoyment of creativity. Festival in a Box gives people a unique opportunity to participate in a cultural event from which they might otherwise be excluded. The project has expert support from the School of Advanced Study and Camden AGE UK's Dementia Befriending Scheme.
As well as giving people with dementia an opportunity to experience art, literature and performance, Festival in a Box also engages them creatively. By sharing knowledge and stories about their local area, people who may have slipped out of view have a chance to re-engage with the community and retell the history of Bloomsbury itself.
Each box costs £250 to deliver, which includes the costs of training, materials and specialist support. Our aim is to take 40 boxes into the local community each year. In future, we want to broaden the reach of Festival in a Box and take this cultural meals-on-wheels to others in need, such as young people in hospital or people too ill to leave home. No-one should be excluded from cultural life.
Bloomsbury Festival urgently needs your help to support this and related projects. Please give what you can.