A pioneering research project led by ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv Leicester (ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv) has shown that early access to arts improves not only children's wellbeing, but that of their parents.
Talent 25 is a 25-year study which charts the effect access to arts and culture has on babies as they grow into children, adolescents and adults.
The Talent 25 event panel
Run in Leicester, the project, funded by Arts Council England, started in 2019, working with arts practitioners to put on classes across the city, offering families with babies the chance to learn dance, music, arts and crafts.
It was designed to specifically target those families from more deprived areas of the city, where access to the arts is often limited.
Six years in, and now working with more than 440 children, the impact the project is already having was made clear as parents of the children spoke to an audience of policymakers and arts professionals at and event, organised by ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv and the Arts Council, at the House of Lords.
Parent Bharanidharan Vaithiyanathan said, since joining Talent 25 and taking his son to the classes, he had benefited as much as his child.
He said: “Being part of Talent 25, I have changed almost more than my son. I was an introvert to the core. And my boy was being very shy and that was because of us.
“During Covid he could not even believe that other people existed but then we joined Talent 25 and through this he has met so many other children and he can name everyone.”
Parents of Talent 25 children
Some of the babies who first joined Talent 25 have now grown into children beginning their first years at school and Professor Bertha Ochieng, principle investigator for Talent 25, said among these, there were no unauthorised absences.
She said: “Given the findings that we have seen in Talent 25 so far, access to arts should be made a right from early years. In a lot of community spaces we go to, there are hardly any such classes or opportunities for parents and children, it is a real absence.
“Among those children we have in the Talent 25 project, many have so far scored very highly for confidence. They are showing agency from their early years.
“And of our families, around a quarter initially scored low for wellbeing but after eight weeks of engaging with the project they are showing much higher scores. This suggests such engagement with the arts has the potential to reduce the impact on NHS services.”
The event, which was hosted by renowned ballet dancer and former director of the Royal Opera House, Baroness Deborah Bull, was opened by ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Katie Normington.
L-R: Darren Henley, Baroness Deborah Bull and Professor Katie Normington
Professor Normington said: “The question is not whether the arts matter - but how we make them matter for everyone. Creativity must never depend on geography or chance. It must be guaranteed, part of our national infrastructure of hope and opportunity.
“Imagine if every child knew their creativity mattered - and could see a pathway from playgroup to profession. That would be transformative. Not just for the creative arts, but as the findings from Talent 25 are showing, for their overall development, progression and outcomes.”
Following this, Darren Henley, chief executive of the Arts Council, hosted a panel discussion, talking to Pawlet Brookes, founder of Black arts and heritage organisation Serendipity, Chris Stenton, chief executive of People Dancing and Professor Ochieng, who is also Professor of Integrated Health and Social Care at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv.
Darren said: “I believe access to high-quality creative and cultural experiences is a fundamental right. Our partnership with ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv on Talent 25 is already revealing important insights into how these experiences benefit children and families.
“We'll learn more from Talent 25 over the coming years, helping us to ensure every child can lead a rich creative and cultural life."
Posted on Tuesday 9 September 2025