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Arts for Impact is a registered charity and social enterprise<br />
which uses creativity for a social purpose, and nowhere is<br />
its work more visible or relevant than at the Princess Elizabeth<br />
Hospital. Arts for Impact was born when Hugh Rose,<br />
a commercial illustrator and sculptor, asked himself,<br />
‘What is an artist’s responsibility to their community?<br />
As Hugh explains, ‘Often artists are seen as people<br />
who look at society from the outside and comment<br />
on it, but I think there’s also a way of being an<br />
artist where you try to integrate yourself into the<br />
community, and Guernsey is a good place to do<br />
that because we’re a small, well-defined community<br />
and there’s a really wide range of people for such a<br />
small area of land. And, looking at it from a business<br />
perspective, there are a lot of resources here that<br />
creative people aren’t really taking full advantage of.’<br />
An example of those resources would be the high<br />
level of entrepreneurial expertise present in Guernsey,<br />
and AFI aims to lead the way in delivering social<br />
outcomes by optimising the use of the creative<br />
disciplines in the third sector. The team works<br />
closely with professionals to develop artwork that<br />
has a real, tangible function. David Ummels has<br />
been mentoring the organisation since its inception,<br />
and providing financial support via his organisation,<br />
Art for Guernsey. Meriel Lenfestey has just been<br />
appointed Chair of the Board and, looking forward<br />
to their second year, she will provide her valuable<br />
input in tackling all kinds of social needs, starting<br />
with health and moving to poverty, crime, education<br />
and beyond. The board also includes Helen Bonner-<br />
Morgan, textile designer, who has delivered many of<br />
her own successful creative projects under the AFI<br />
banner. ‘I think that the smartest thing I have done<br />
in recent years is to find the right people to help<br />
me,’ says Hugh. ‘I’m incredibly lucky to have such a<br />
strong company behind me in the form of Arts for<br />
Impact, its board and its committee of experts, which<br />
includes psychiatrist Dr Greg Lydall, Adam Stephens,<br />
Head of Creative Faculty at Elizabeth College, and<br />
Jock Pettitt of the Dandelion Foundation.’<br />
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