The Maltings (Berwick) Trust and Newcastle University are supporting artist Emily Cropton to continue her research into well-being in rural communities in the Northumberland area.

This follows a successful Arts Council England National Lottery Project grant award.

Emily began this work in 2024 through a residency with The Maltings and Newcastle University’s Centre for Rural Economy and Population Health Sciences Institute, working closely with communities in Hauxley and Glendale.

This new funding will support a further 12 months of activity, with a particular focus on Glendale – one of the most rural parts of England.

Emily Cropton. Photo by Charlotte Summers.

placeholder image — Emily Cropton. Photo by Charlotte Summers.

Emily said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to continue this work and make deeper connections to Glendale and its communities.

“This work is about embracing and questioning the tangled complexity of well-being and exploring the local and global material relationships that impact it.

“I hope the project will raise awareness of these issues and support conversation around contemporary rural life.”

Through this next phase, she will continue to explore how place, landscape and materials shape experiences of well-being, working directly with local communities to develop the project.

At the heart of the work is a focus on creative, collaborative approaches – including engaging with the rural sheep farming community.

James Lowther, head of visual arts at The Maltings (Berwick) Trust, said: “Well-being in rural communities is a complex issue and people’s immediate environment can have both a positive and negative impact on this.

“We are therefore delighted to be able to continue to support Emily in her research and the creative approaches she brings to the subject.”

Insights and learning from the project will be shared with The Maltings, Newcastle University and the wider arts and health sectors, contributing to a growing conversation around well-being in rural contexts.

Dr Christina Dobson and Dr Jennifer Deane of the Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, said: “We are thrilled to see Emily’s work into rural well-being growing, extending her connection with the concepts of rural well-being and the wider Glendale community.

“The synergies between Emily’s work and our own have helped to bring new perspectives to our research into rural health, illness and well-being.”