Research and analysis

Cambridge Community Arts (CCA) Evaluation Report

Published 15 April 2026

1. Executive summary

1.1 Background and context

Between January 2023 and March 2025, the Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund invested up to £30 million to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. Originally scheduled to end in March 2025, in April 2025 the KYN Fund was extended until March 2026, with up to an additional £4.5 million of funding. The objectives of the KYN Fund were:

• to increase the proportion of people in targeted high-deprivation local authorities who volunteer at least once a month

• to reduce the proportion of chronically lonely people in targeted high-deprivation local authorities who lack desired levels of social connections

• to build the evidence to identify scalable and sustainable place-based interventions that work in increasing regular volunteering and reducing chronic loneliness

• to enable targeted high-deprivation local authorities, and the local voluntary and community sector in these places, to implement sustainable systems and processes that encourage volunteering and tackling loneliness

The funding between January 2023 and March 2025 was split into three funding streams:

• Up to £5 million of government funding was invested in supporting people to participate in volunteering and connect with others through expanding the existing offer of arts, culture and heritage activities across the 27 KYN target areas. This funding was delivered by Arts Council England (ACE) and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with Historic England.

• Up to £15 million of the total £20 million government funding was delivered by UKCF and a consortium of local Community Foundations (CFs) across 9 areas.

• The National Lottery Community Fund invested up to £10 million of their own funding to top up existing projects that support the KYN Fund objectives, working across the same 27 target areas.

Cambridge Community Arts (CCA) successfully applied for KYN funding through the Cambridgeshire CF. CCA was a charity based in Cambridge that delivered ‘art for wellbeing’ courses. CCA delivered a project titled ‘Creative Fenland’. Creative Fenland engaged with people in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire to overcome health barriers to social inclusion through creative participation and learning through various art-based interventions. CCA delivered an arts short course, which focused on one type of art form. In these courses, up to ten participants engaged in three hours of learning sessions per week, over an eight-week period. Courses ran either online or in-person. CCA ceased operation and closed as an organisation in Summer 2025.

To gather evidence on what works to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned Fortia Insight (formerly the Strategy, Economics and Policy Group of RSM) and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct an exploratory scoping phase on the feasibility of conducting a Quasi-Experimental Design (QED) evaluation focussed on CCA’s KYN Fund project, across August 2023-November 2023. Among a series of conclusions, this scoping determined that it would be appropriate to conduct a QED evaluation of CCA’s KYN funded project, with a caveat to revisit the approach at a midpoint to review participant survey response rates. Following a second feasibility scoping in April 2025, it was determined that a QED evaluation would no longer be viable, due to lower-than-expected participant recruitment (see section 3.2). Following this, the evaluation methodology was adapted to follow a mixed-methods approach, however insufficient survey responses were gained to be able to provide robust quantitative analysis. Therefore, findings in this report are based on qualitative interviews only.

1.2 Process findings

The project effectively delivered multiple aspects of its design; however, there were challenges with staff turnover beyond CCA’s control, which hindered delivery.

As part of the recruitment process, participants took part in onboarding interviews to discuss their needs. This was positively received, with both participants and instructors valuing the personalised approach that addressed individual accessibility and wellbeing requirements.

The Creative Fenland project successfully recruited high-quality creative instructors to deliver the art short courses. Creative instructors tailored sessions to meet the diverse needs of participants and implemented ‘art for wellbeing’ into course design fostered inclusive and socially engaging environments, enhancing participant experiences.

For in-person courses, CCA had to identify venues to hire. Venue selection was generally effective, although some challenges were noted regarding accessibility and geographic dispersion, particularly for participants with limited transport options. In recognition of this CCA also offered some online courses. Offering both in-person and online formats improved accessibility to participants, though face-to-face sessions were more effective in fostering social connections.

CCA were effective in reaching their target beneficiary profile (people with health conditions experiencing social isolation). Many participants interviewed said they face barriers to social connection due to disability, rural isolation, financial constraints, or caring responsibilities. Social media, particularly active community groups, was identified by CCA staff interviewed as the most effective recruitment channel. CCA staff interviewed said that whilst some referrals came from GPs and social prescribers, staff turnover limited the project’s ability to fully utilise these pathways, contributing to lower-than-expected recruitment for short courses.

The KYN Fund played a crucial role in enabling the delivery of the Creative Fenland project, particularly for a small organisation like CCA. The structure and delivery of the KYN Fund were generally well-received by CCA staff interviewed, with the advance release of funding tranches cited as essential for managing cashflow as a small VCSE. CCA staff said that whilst the KYN Fund offered flexibility, including the ability to carry forward underspend between quarters within a financial year, CCA staff felt they did not have the confidence to make significant delivery changes.

CCA staff interviewed said the loneliness webinars were particularly beneficial, enhancing staff understanding and confidence in reaching the right individuals/groups. However, CCA staff interviewed felt there was a missed opportunity for the KYN Fund to facilitate networking between local KYN funded organisations.

Compared to previous funding experiences that CCA had been involved with, the KYN Fund placed a stronger emphasis on evaluation, which CCA staff interviewed found intensive. Given CCA ceased operation in Summer 2025, it is not possible to determine the value of the evaluation to their organisation.

1.3 Impact findings

Participants interviewed reported a range of outcomes from taking part in the Creative Fenland art short courses.

Multiple volunteers interviewed said that they started volunteering with Creative Fenland following a positive experience on previous CCA art courses. For a few of these participants, this was their first volunteering role. Additionally, since participating in a Creative Fenland art short course, multiple participants said that they have either set up or started volunteering in a local community art group. Through both course participation and volunteering, interviewees said that they formed social connections during Creative Fenland, which played a significant role in alleviating their feelings of loneliness.

Wellbeing outcomes were commonly cited by participants interviewed. Multiple participants interviewed said they struggled with anxiety and depression, which was relieved when taking part in the Creative Fenland art short courses, aligning with CCA’s ‘art for wellbeing’ philosophy. In addition to improvements in mental wellbeing, a few participants interviewed also noted physical health benefits, as the art short course provided some participants with a distraction from chronic pain.

Most participants interviewed said that taking part in the Creative Fenland short course helped them develop their art skills. A few participants interviewed have gone on to use their art skills to develop an income for themselves through selling artwork or setting up their own community art groups. Participants interviewed said that increasing their art skills displaying their artwork to peers, along with the social interaction on the art short courses were mechanisms to developing their confidence.

As the sustainability of the Creative Fenland short courses was reliant on grant funding, CCA started to explore ways to increase the sustainability of the model. This included offering paid courses and engaging corporate clients, though uptake was limited.

1.4 Lessons learned for quasi-experimental designs in a Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise sector context

This evaluation was originally scoped to use a QED approach. However, this was changed when it was determined that the QED approach no longer remained feasible. Low response rates to the participant surveys also meant that sample sizes were too low for quantitative analysis to be reliable or represent a meaningful group of participants. This was caused by two main factors:

• Participant recruitment: CCA experienced delays to the launch of Creative Fenland project and initially had lower-than-expected demand for their activities. Therefore, CCA was unable to recruit the number of participants which they proposed at application stage and that were confirmed at QED scoping stage. This impacted the power of the analysis to detect impacts.

• Waitlist recruitment: A knock-on effect of the lower-than-expected demand for courses meant CCA was unable to generate a sustainable waitlist for its courses, i.e., people who had applied but were waiting to join later cohorts. This meant that there was no longer a viable control group for the analysis.

Whilst the QED methodology was not implemented, this project generated a set of valuable lessons for, funders, evaluators and delivery partners considering conducting a QED approach in a VCSE sector context, including:

• Recruitment and statistical power: It is important that the study has an adequate sample size to detect the effect of the programme on outcomes. Allowing for more time to set up recruitment processes during a scoping and design phase, or running a small-scale pilot evaluation, may help accurately assess recruitment and response rates. 

• Knowledge and understanding of statistical impact evaluations: Trialling smaller scale pilot evaluations could also help build stakeholder understanding and confidence in the evaluation requirements and data collection procedures. Training and educational sessions to improve understanding of the requirements for experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluations before implementation starts could also foster a more informed and collaborative approach to research with smaller VCSEs.

• QEDs with vulnerable groups: Funders, delivery partners, and evaluators should explore alternative methods to drive high survey response rates among vulnerable populations while avoiding any discomfort or pressure, such as building meaningful relationships with community partners, using mixed-mode surveys, and combining administrative methods.

2. Introduction

2.1 KYN Fund introduction

Between January 2023 and March 2025, the Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund invested up to £30 million to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. Originally scheduled to end in March 2025, in April 2025 the KYN Fund was extended until March 2026, with up to an additional £4.5 million of funding. The objectives of the KYN Fund are:

• to increase the proportion of people in targeted high-deprivation local authorities who volunteer at least once a month

• to reduce the proportion of chronically lonely people in targeted high-deprivation local authorities who lack desired levels of social connections

• to build the evidence to identify scalable and sustainable place-based interventions that work in increasing regular volunteering and reducing chronic loneliness

• to enable targeted high-deprivation local authorities, and the local voluntary and community sector in these places, to implement sustainable systems and processes that encourage volunteering and tackling loneliness

The funding between January 2023 and March 2025 was split into three funding streams:

• Up to £5 million of government funding was invested in supporting people to participate in volunteering and connect with others through expanding the existing offer of arts, culture and heritage activities across the 27 KYN target areas. This funding was delivered by Arts Council England (ACE) and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with Historic England.

• Up to £15 million of the total £20 million government funding was delivered by UKCF and a consortium of local Community Foundations (CFs) across 9 areas.

• The National Lottery Community Fund invested up to £10 million of their own funding to top up existing projects that support the KYN Fund objectives, working across the same 27 target areas.

2.2 Cambridge Community Arts

Cambridge Community Arts (CCA) successfully applied for KYN funding through the Cambridgeshire CF. CCA is a charity based in Cambridge that delivers art for wellbeing courses. CCA delivered a project titled ‘Creative Fenland’. Creative Fenland engaged with people in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire to overcome health barriers to social inclusion through creative participation and learning through various art-based interventions. CCA delivered an art short course, which focused on one type of art form. In these courses, up to ten participants engaged in three hours of learning sessions per week, over an eight-week period. Courses were run either online or in-person. CCA also delivered a suite of other activities as part of their KYN Fund project, such as a community art hub. However, these were out of scope for this evaluation.

2.3 Research objectives

To gather evidence on what works, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned Fortia Insight (formerly the Strategy, Economics and Policy consulting department for RSM UK Consulting LLP) and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct an exploratory scoping phase in August 2023 - November 2023. The purpose of the scoping phase was to explore the potential for Quasi-Experimental Design (QED) evaluations of KYN-funded projects. This scoping determined that it would be feasible to conduct a QED evaluation of CCA’s KYN funded activities. DCMS subsequently commissioned a QED evaluation to understand the impact of the Creative Fenland project on social connection outcomes, to identify lessons learned about how to apply QEDs in the sector, and to complement the overarching evaluation of the KYN Fund. However, this was changed when it was determined that the QED approach no longer remained feasible. This change in feasibility was caused by two main factors:

• Participant recruitment: CCA experienced delays to the launch of Creative Fenland and initially had lower-than-expected demand for their activities. Therefore, CCA was unable to recruit the number of participants which they proposed at application stage. This reduced the power of the analysis to detect impacts.

• Waitlist recruitment: A knock-on effect of the lower-than-expected demand for courses meant CCA was unable to generate a sustainable waitlist for its courses. This meant that there was no longer a viable control group for the analysis. Despite this, through qualitative interviews, valuable lessons learned were collected, so it was agreed to continue with a non-QED approach.

3. Methodology

3.1 Overview and research questions

This evaluation used mixed methods, including surveys and qualitative interviews with Creative Fenland short course staff, volunteers, creative instructors and participants to answer the following research questions:

RQ1: What worked well/less well in how the project was delivered?

RQ2: Who did the support reach, who did it fail to reach, and why? To what extent did it reach the individuals that it was intended to?

RQ3: To what extent did the structure and delivery of these funds support impact? How did this funding model compare to other sources of funding previously accessed?

RQ4: To what extent are the activities scalable, transferable, and sustainable?

RQ5: What lessons learned have been generated through the implementation of a QED approach that could be applied to future evaluations within the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector?

RQ6: What benefits do the participants have from participating in CCA’s creative activities?

3.2 Survey

A survey was administered to participants of KYN funded projects, including Creative Fenland. Responses from this survey (administered at baseline and endline) were used for quantitative analysis to understand whether participants’ outcomes changed over the period considered. Baseline surveys were administered between November 2023 and June 2024 and endline surveys were conducted between April 2024 and March 2025. The baseline data included responses from 39 respondents involved in the project and the endline data included 46 respondents (out of 133 total course participants). This represents a response rate of 29% at baseline and 35% at endline. There were 28 responses from those who completed the survey at both baseline and endline, corresponding to a response rate of 21%. 

Given these low response rates and the small sample sizes at endline, the findings from quantitative analysis of the survey data are not included in this report. The analysis sample would comprise too low a proportion of overall participant numbers, and given the low numbers, are not likely to present reliable findings about the impact of CCA. It is worth noting that the survey data (from a small sample size) did not show improvements in key outcome areas in line with the qualitative findings.

3.3 Interviews

The evaluation team conducted 21 interviews with participants, 7 interviews with Creative Fenland short course instructors (creative instructors), 3 interviews with Creative Fenland volunteers (volunteers) and 1 interview with CCA staff, between April 2024 and April 2025 (32 interviews in total). All interviews were conducted via MS Teams, with Creative Instructor and CCA staff interviews taking up-to 60-minutes and volunteer and participant interviews taking up-to 30-minutes. With interviewees permission, interviews were recorded and transcribed.

All interviews were coded deductively using a thematic framework to draw out key themes against the agreed RQs. The qualitative framework was updated iteratively to identify emerging themes and address thematic gaps. Interviews explored both process and impact related themes.

Due to turnover within the CCA team, it was not possible to interview CCA staff involved in the Creative Fenland application and setup stage. Therefore, there is limited evidence available regarding the initial strategic intentions, decision-making processes, and implementation challenges encountered during the early phases of the project.

Findings gathered from interviews with participants regarding the Creative Fenland project’s impact on participants’ experience of loneliness were more limited than expected. This may be partly attributable to the nature of the data collection process. Participants were interviewed by evaluators they had not previously met. This may have made participants reluctant to disclose feelings of loneliness due to the personal and potentially sensitive nature of the topic. As a result, the findings may underrepresent the true extent of loneliness experienced by participants.

4. Process Findings

4.1 RQ1: What worked well/less well in how the project was delivered?

Key findings

The Creative Fenland project recruited high quality creative instructors, which were able to effectively tailor their sessions to the diverse needs of their participants. Creative instructors embedded the concept of ‘art for wellbeing’ within their delivery. However, CCA encountered challenges with higher-than-expected staff turnover, and difficulty in finding local accessible venues.

CCA incorporated various elements into the design and delivery of the ‘Creative Fenland’ project to enhance project outcomes. Each of these is explored below.

Onboarding

CCA implemented an interview process as part of the Creative Fenland recruitment and onboarding strategy. This approach was designed to assess the level of need among potential participants for the intervention by asking about participants’ health, lifestyle and other questions related to loneliness. Participants perceived this process positively, reflecting that whilst CCA asked personal and health-related questions they understood the importance of these questions so that people with the highest need could be prioritised. Creative instructors interviewed also found the induction interviews helped them to identify specific participant needs and accommodate them during delivery of the courses. This included modifying seating arrangements for those with accessibility needs and providing additional volunteer support for participants with physical impairments. 

Venues

CCA used a range of venues within the Fenland area to deliver the art short courses. Most participants interviewed said they had a positive experience with the venues used. These participants said that the venues they attended were conveniently located and had suitable parking options. However, a few participants expressed challenges, for example, a few participants with disabilities found difficulties in using wheelchairs in some of the venues. Additionally, a few participants had to travel significant distances to attend sessions. CCA staff interviewed acknowledged that establishing relationships with high-quality, accessible venues earlier in the project would have been beneficial. However, challenges in staff recruitment and retention meant there was insufficient capacity to prioritise this.

Creative instructors

The creative instructors that delivered the short courses were from a range of backgrounds, including full-time artists, and people with professional backgrounds in health and education. CCA staff interviewed said they used various recruitment methods, including public advertisement, and promoting some volunteers into creative instructor roles. CCA staff felt these approaches were successful in recruiting high-quality creative instructors. Additionally, CCA staff said that they supported creative instructors with safeguarding and PREVENT training, which helped creative instructors ensure a safe, supportive environment for participants.

Participants interviewed reflected positively on the quality of creative instructors, with many highlighting the instructors as the most valuable aspect of the art short courses. These participants particularly appreciated the creative instructors’ in-depth knowledge of their respective art forms, their supportive and encouraging approach, and their ability to adapt their delivery methods to meet a range of accessibility needs.

[The short course] was very inclusive for people with autism.

- Participant.

Creative instructors also highlighted the importance of having a volunteer teaching assistant present during sessions. They suggested that support from volunteers was an important facilitator to delivery, as the volunteers worked more closely with participants with additional needs. 

Art for wellbeing

Creative instructors interviewed identified ‘art for wellbeing’ as a key philosophy which they integrated into their art short course design, in line with CCA’s ways of working. Creative instructors interviewed said they designed their courses differently from traditional arts courses, by placing a strong emphasis on wellbeing and social connection. This included techniques such as rotating seating arrangements and encouraging the sharing of art tools to create an inclusive atmosphere that was conducive to promoting social interaction. Creative instructors felt these techniques helped break down barriers for participants to engage in conversations, as initially participants would discuss their art together, which would then progress into talking about their lives, and creating friendships.

I try to introduce a little humour into the sessions. I like people to go a little bit off-piste. I give them their own space to be chatty…A bit of chat in the session is healthy, it makes a bond. My students usually bond pretty quickly.

- Creative instructor.

If you’re working on something, it’s quite exciting to be doing creative things in a room with a group. There’s something about the dynamic of working as a group…it’s the sharing of ideas. They get to know each other fairly quickly.

- Creative instructor.

Online delivery

Creative Fenland offered both online and in-person short-courses. Participants interviewed said that the online courses were more accessible than in person, particularly for participants with physical disabilities. However, creative instructors noted that it was more difficult to encourage participants to form social connections with each other online. This was echoed by online course participants interviewed who reported fewer outcomes around increasing social connections (see section 5.1 for further details).

4.2 Who did the support reach, who did it fail to reach, and why? To what extent did it reach the individuals that it was intended to?

Key findings

Interviewees said that social media was a key route used to recruit participants. CCA staff and creative instructors interviewed felt that Creative Fenland was effective in recruiting people experiencing social isolation, with some also experiencing chronic loneliness. However, Creative Fenland did not recruit their target number of 240 participants to the short courses, due to lower-than-expected demand, and the impact of staff turnover.

Creative Fenland recruited 372 participants, of which c.133 were recruited to their art short courses. This fell short of their target number of 240 participants for the creative short courses.

Recruitment approach

Creative Fenland offered a variety of art forms, which helped to attract a diverse range of participants. Most participants interviewed discovered Creative Fenland through online advertisements or web searches. Creative instructors interviewed felt social media was a particularly effective recruitment approach used by CCA. These creative instructors said this was effective as local community social media groups tended to have an active user base.

CCA staff interviewed said that whilst they do receive a few referrals from GPs and social prescribers, more could have been done to develop this recruitment pathway, which would have enabled them to meet their target of 240 short course participants. However, there was limited capacity to do this due to staff turnover within CCA in the early stages of the project.

Lesson learned: Social prescribers are a key facilitator for recruiting people at risk of, or experiencing chronic loneliness. Funders and DPs should explore whether social prescribers can be engaged and integrated into Fund design and delivery.

Qualitative profile of participants

Many of the participants interviewed described themselves as socially isolated, with some saying their social isolation caused them to experience loneliness. Participants cited multiple causes of their social isolation, including:

• Their disability – Multiple participants interviewed said that they have reduced mobility due to their disability. A few participants said they have mobility aids (e.g., mobility scooters) but are anxious about using them. These factors reduce their ability to socialise.

• Their local area – Multiple participants and local arts practitioners interviewed said that the rurality and sparsity of the Fenland area creates a barrier to creating and maintaining social connections.

• Their financial situation – A few participants interviewed said that they struggle to engage in certain social activities due to the costs associated with them.

• Their caring duties – A few participants interviewed said that they were full-time carers for a family member. They said this reduced their ability to socialise as they spend most of their time caring for their family member.

CCA staff and creative instructors interviewed felt like the recruitment interviews conducted by CCA were effective in identifying and prioritising individuals with higher levels of need. This approach ensured that those who could benefit most from the programme were prioritised when allocating course places.

Retention

Creative instructors interviewed said that retention on the short courses was generally strong, with very few participants dropping out. However, creative instructors also said that some degree of attrition was unavoidable due to the nature of the participants, as health issues could affect participants’ attendance. Despite this challenge, many participants interviewed expressed a desire to continue their involvement with Creative Fenland, with multiple participants joining additional courses after completing their initial course.

4.3 RQ3: To what extent did the structure and delivery of these funds support impact? How did this funding model compare to other sources of funding previously accessed?

Key findings

CCA staff interviewed said that the KYN funding was vital to running the Creative Fenland project, as it would not have been possible to operate without KYN Fund grant funding.

CCA staff interviewed expressed mixed opinions on the structure and delivery of the KYN Fund. Foremost, CCA staff interviewed said that the size of the funding was a positive element of the scheme, and was integral to running the Creative Fenland project.

CCA staff said that their interactions with their CF were positive and supportive. They were particularly positive about the delivery and administration of the funds. CCA staff said that their tranches of funding were released before they delivered their activities, which was important for their cashflow as a small charity. CCA staff also said they were nervous about reporting underspend, but noted the CF were flexible and allowed them to carry over their underspend between quarters within a financial year. Nevertheless, CCA staff felt that despite this flexibility from their CF, they still did not have the confidence to make significant changes to their delivery.

Lesson learned:Smaller organisations have to manage their cashflow carefully. Releasing tranches of funding in advance of delivery can help smaller organisations manage their cashflow more effectively. 

Lesson learned: Staff turnover can make project teams uncertain of the flexibility of their grants. Delivery Partners and projects should work together over the course of a project to ensure project staff are aware of the flexibility of their grant, and have the confidence to pivot their projects in response to arising challenges.

In comparison to previous funding, CCA staff interviewed felt that evaluation was a more significant focus for the KYN fund, which caused evaluation activity with participants to be “intensive”. CCA staff interviewed noted that the evaluation requirements, particularly the survey, were relatively burdensome on participants, compared to their usual qualitative approach. They noted that participants typically have low confidence and require a lot of trust building to engage in evaluation activities. This was reflected by CCA staff and volunteers who were cautious about sending too many reminders to participants to complete surveys and participate in interviews to avoid making participants feel overwhelmed. CCA staff suggested that in hindsight, they would set out evaluation requirements to participants when joining, so that participants would be better prepared to engage in the evaluation. CCA staff also suggested that, where there was overlap, combining the evaluation requirements with their own learning requirements could have helped reduce the burden on participants.

CCA staff felt that there was a missed opportunity to collaborate with local organisations who also received KYN Funding. CCA staff said that this lack of collaboration potentially caused duplication of activity in their area with the presence of other KYN funded projects.

Lesson learned: When delivering funding focussed in a specific place, funders and delivery partners should explore if any events or regular meetings can be held to help encourage local collaboration and networking.

Finally, CCA staff interviewed reflected positively on the loneliness webinars suggesting they were “hugely enabling” for developing their understanding of loneliness. This gave them confidence in their recruitment and activities as they were reassured that they were reaching the right audience.

Lesson learned: Loneliness can be a challenging concept to understand, particularly in the context of loneliness reduction interventions. Holding events/webinars to explore difficult concepts, such as loneliness, can better prepare grantees for delivery.

4.4 RQ5: What lessons learned have been generated through the implementation of a QED approach that could be applied to future evaluations within the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector?

Key findings

CCA staff felt that participating in a QED evaluation was more time intensive than expected, which was difficult to manage during periods of staff turnover.

As set out in section 3.3, this evaluation planned to use a QED methodology. However, this was changed when it was determined that the QED approach no longer remained feasible. 

Whilst the QED methodology was not implemented, this project generated a set of valuable lessons for, funders, evaluators and projects considering conducting a QED approach in a VCSE sector context. The main challenges for the QED were around low levels of recruitment. This may have been related to the Creative Fenland part of the project being in a setup phase, which would have made implementing a QED additionally challenging. 

Lesson learned: One of the primary lessons learned is the importance of ensuring that the study has an adequate sample to detect the effect of the programme on outcomes and therefore has sufficient statistical power. In the context of the Creative Fenland intervention, the sample size was too small. While discussions during the scoping stage for the QED suggested that the planned participant numbers were feasible, actual recruitment was lower than anticipated. Although the risk of a small effective sample size for analysis arising from lower recruitment and/or response rates was identified during the scoping stage, the conservative assumptions were based on existing knowledge of previous programmes and therefore may not have accurately predicted recruitment due to the programme being run in the geographic area for the first time. Future evaluations should therefore give more time during the design phase to set up robust recruitment processes.

Lesson learned: Engaging in a QED evaluation can be time intensive for grantee staff teams. Delivery partners and evaluators should clearly communicate the time resource required (in days/hours per week) to engage in a QED evaluation, so that grantees can ensure they have sufficient capacity to support the evaluation. In order to ensure a good level of understanding related to the requirements for implementing QED evaluations before implementation, training and educational sessions can help build this knowledge. Given the resource intensive nature of QED implementation, grantee buy-in to the design from initial phases would better ensure that delivery organisations are aware of the resource requirements and potential mitigations. This is particularly the case for smaller organisations. 

Lesson learned: Techniques used to drive high response rates to surveys (e.g., multiple reminders) may be unsuitable for a vulnerable audience. Funders, delivery partners, and evaluators should explore alternative methods to drive high response rates, whilst being mindful of the target group, and sensitivity of the topic. Strategies to engage hard-to-reach populations include building meaningful relationships with community partners, using mixed-mode surveys, and combining administrative methods, such as paper and telephone, should be considered when engaging hard-to-reach populations. 

Lesson learned: Experimental and quasi-experimental designs (such as randomised trials or non-random comparison group designs) are desirable for evaluating community-based interventions, as they provide credible estimates of the impacts of these interventions. The feasibility of such approaches may vary by context, depending on resource availability, operational realities, and crucially, stakeholder engagement. While these approaches provide more rigorous evidence of causal impact, they may be most appropriate in contexts where the intervention is delivered at scale and participant recruitment and staff capacity is predictable (and/or high). Although risks around recruitment were considered during the scoping phase, some risks remained. For future evaluations, small-scale pilot evaluations could be trialled before committing to a full experimental or quasi-experimental evaluation, especially where participant numbers and recruitment flows are uncertain. Funders and evaluators should consider pilot evaluations of small-scale projects to set up the process for evaluation and assess, using more continuous monitoring, whether recruitment allows for analysis and there is evidence of change before moving on to full-scale QED evaluations.

A pilot evaluation would allow:

• The intervention to be tested on a smaller scale, helping to identify potential issues (including logistical and engagement issues) and develop strategies to address these. 

• For an assessment of whether the intervention is suitable for a QED, and whether adjustments to the design and implementation would sufficiently address any issues that may arise during full implementation. 

• For confidence and buy-in from stakeholders to be built and developed (through demonstrating that the evaluation has been successfully tested) and can also increase knowledge of the QED requirements among delivery organisations.

• For stakeholders to get a realistic understanding of the requirements involved to deliver the project alongside evaluation so delivery partners could accurately predict costs involved in a full-scale evaluation. 

• For an opportunity for evaluators to better understand project uptake and incorporate this into timelines (ensuring that fieldwork can generate sufficient data for analysis).  

4.5 Summary 

The Creative Fenland project had multiple successes in its delivery, particularly through the recruitment of skilled creative instructors and a personalised onboarding process that addressed participants’ accessibility and wellbeing needs. The integration of ‘art for wellbeing’ into course design fostered inclusive and socially engaging environments. Whilst venue selection was generally effective, some accessibility and transport challenges were noted by participants interviewed. Both in-person and online formats were offered, with online sessions improving accessibility for some, though face-to-face formats were more effective in building social connections. Despite these strengths, the project faced multiple challenges such as staff turnover and transport, and venue limitations in the Fenland area.

Multiple participants interviewed said that they had experienced social isolation and loneliness. Recruitment was most effective through social media, especially local community groups. Creative Fenland held participant recruitment interviews, which helped identify and prioritise individuals with higher levels of need, ensuring support was directed to those most likely to benefit. CCA staff interviewed felt they could have reached a larger beneficiary group if they had been able to leverage GP and social prescriber referrals. CCA staff felt that staff turnover hindered their ability to form connections with social prescribers. Recruitment to short courses was lower than expected due to these limitations.

The KYN Fund played a vital role in enabling project delivery, particularly for a small organisation like CCA. The KYN Fund’s flexible structure and advance funding tranches supported cashflow. Despite this, CCA staff interviewed felt they didn’t have the confidence to propose major delivery changes. Compared to previous funding models, the KYN Fund placed greater emphasis on evaluation, which was seen as intensive by CCA staff. A lack of structured collaboration among KYN-funded organisations was viewed as a missed opportunity by CCA staff, although they praised the loneliness webinars, which helped increase their understanding of loneliness.

5. Impact findings

5.1 RQ6: What benefits do the participants have from participating in CCA’s creative activities?

Key findings

Participants interviewed reported a wide range of outcomes. Outcomes around increasing social connectedness and wellbeing were the most widely reported outcomes by participants interviewed.

This section summarises findings related to the impact of CCA participation on outcomes of interest. Findings are taken from qualitative analysis of interviews with participants and volunteers. 

Volunteering

All volunteers interviewed said that they decided to volunteer on the Creative Fenland project following participation in one of CCA’s art short courses. These interviewees said that they had a strong appreciation for the courses, which motivated them to volunteer so that more people could have a positive experience as they had. In addition to those who chose to volunteer directly with CCA, several participants interviewed reported that they had either joined or established their own regular art groups in a voluntary capacity. This suggests that engagement with the Creative Fenland short courses can foster a broader commitment to arts-based volunteering. However, CCA faced limitations in the extent to which they could promote volunteering opportunities. As many of the participants on the Creative Fenland short courses have long-term health issues, some participants interviewed said that they are unable to volunteer. This could be a learning point for CCA and other organisations working with participants with similar characteristics to consider inclusive opportunities for these prospective volunteers.

Reducing the prevalence of chronic loneliness

Participants interviewed highlighted that the social connections formed during the course played a significant role in alleviating their feelings of loneliness. For those participants interviewed who continued to engage in social, creative activities after the course (e.g., joining or forming local arts groups), this ongoing activity further supported their sense of connection and helped them to feel less lonely, beyond the conclusion of the art short course.

One participant interviewed said that they joined the Creative Fenland short course because they were experiencing higher levels of anxiety, which contributed to them experiencing loneliness. This participant said the art short course gave them a new hobby and inspired them to engage in creative activities more regularly. Following the art short course, this participant formed an art group with their fellow participants. This is a growing art group, which meets regularly. The participant said that the connections they made through the short course, and their subsequent art group helped them to feel less lonely.

Social connectedness

Whilst a few participants interviewed said they were not socially isolated as they regularly took part in community-based arts activities, most participants interviewed expressed some degree of social isolation. 

Particularly in Fenland, a lot of [people experience] social isolation. Geographically, you have people who don’t have very good networks to be able to get out. At least two of the people in the course I have just done were carers.

- Creative instructor.

Most participants interviewed said that taking part in the art short course had a positive impact on their sense of social connectedness. Many participants interviewed said that through the short course, they were able to socialise with other participants, which often began through casual conversations during art activities or breaks. Creative instructors interviewed said that fostering social connection was an intentional element of the course design. They actively encouraged interaction by facilitating group discussions, organising tea breaks, and regularly rotating seating arrangements to ensure participants had the chance to engage with different people.

Most participants interviewed said that they have made lasting friendships with other Creative Fenland short-course participants. Some participants interviewed said that they swapped contact details with other participants, whilst others have set up their own art-based community groups, so they could continue engaging with Creative Fenland participants. 

Increasing social connectedness was not an outcome cited broadly by online course participants. These participants suggested that due to the online format, it was difficult to engage with each other, so they largely focused on their artwork.

One participant interviewed noted that there is a lack of community where they live, which makes forming social connections difficult. The participant joined the short course to help them form new social connections, following a recommendation from a friend. This participant said that the collaborative nature of the short course helped them to develop friendships with other participants. Following the short course, the group of participants set up an art group so they can continue to meet regularly. This participant noted that “The person [myself] who turned up on day one was very different to the person who left”.

Wellbeing

CCA’s ‘art for wellbeing’ philosophy was a central focus of the Creative Fenland project, with participants interviewed reporting a wide range of positive wellbeing outcomes. Multiple participants interviewed said that they had poor mental health prior to joining the short course. These participants said that the art short course had a profoundly positive effect on their mental health. Participants interviewed particularly valued the opportunity to learn new skills, express themselves creatively, and engage in meaningful social interactions, which participants said were factors in improving their mental health. Several participants interviewed stated that the course made them “feel good”, with some participants specifically reporting reductions in anxiety and depression. 

One participant interviewed said that due to the rurality of where they live, there are few opportunities to socialise. This participant joined the short course as an opportunity to meet new people. This participant noted positive mental wellbeing outcomes as a result of taking part in the short course: “I’ve struggled with my mental health a bit. I noticed towards the end of the course that certain things have started to shift at home. I’ve been putting off certain things and I’ve managed to break through the barriers to get certain projects started, things I haven’t been able to get to before. Just having that space to clear my mind and focus on artwork unblocked me in certain ways…I think my mental health has improved.”

In addition to improvements in mental wellbeing, a few participants interviewed also noted physical health benefits. Some described how the course provided a welcome distraction from chronic pain, which was also observed by creative instructors interviewed who had witnessed this effect in participants.

One participant interviewed said that they have a disability, which makes it difficult for them to leave their local area. This participant decided to join a short course after seeing an advertisement on social media. The participant said the creative instructor was a highlight of the art short course as they would facilitate both the artwork and socialisation. This participant highlighted both outcomes relating to social connections and physical wellbeing: “I’m waiting for an operation and I have [a health condition] but for those three hours [a week on the short course] I had no pain whatsoever…it was that absolute focus in being absorbed in what we’re doing”.

This range of wellbeing benefits was cited by participants from both the online and in-person short courses, suggesting that the ‘art for wellbeing’ model can be effectively delivered remotely and face to face.

Skills

Most participants interviewed said that taking part in the Creative Fenland short course helped them develop their art skills. This included skills across a range of media, including painting, drawing, printing and performing. Due to their skill development and enjoyment of the creative activities, most participants continued their artwork at home, following the conclusion of the art short course.

Some participants continued using their art skills in a greater capacity. Several participants interviewed said that they either set up or joined a local art group following the conclusion of the short course. These participants said that the skills gained through the short course were useful and gave them the confidence that they would have the fundamental skills to participate. Others said it gave them techniques that they could teach to others in their group. Furthermore, some participants said that they have started to sell their artwork, which has allowed them to start small businesses.

One participant joined the short course as they had an interest in art, but had not previously had the opportunity to engage in creative activities. This participant noted the creative tutor was “inspiring” and helped them to develop their art skills rapidly. Creative Fenland held an art exhibition at the conclusion of the project, in which, this participant had multiple pieces of their art displayed. This participant said that they have continued to engage in creative activities: “It inspired me and got me doing things. I’m still working on the things I worked on in that course”.

Confidence

Participants interviewed said they developed various forms of confidence as a result of their involvement in the art short course. Some participants said the opportunity to display their artwork and receive positive feedback from creative instructors and fellow participants was particularly empowering, and helped boost their confidence. This validation of their abilities gave several participants interviewed the confidence to take further steps, such as setting up their own art groups, or volunteering in pre-existing art groups. Other participants interviewed said that the course gave them the confidence to continue creating and sharing their artwork beyond the conclusion of the course. This included displaying or even publishing their work, which they may not have considered prior to participating in an art short course with Creative Fenland. 

The social aspects of the art short course also played a key role in building confidence. For a few participants interviewed, getting out of the house and engaging with others helped improve their day-to-day confidence, especially in social settings.

A few participants interviewed said that the art short course helped them reclaim aspects of their lives that had been diminished or lost due to personal circumstances. This included a renewed sense of independence and the confidence to re-engage with activities and communities they had previously withdrawn from.

One participant reported that they had an accident, which affected their mobility and confidence. They joined the short course to help them explore what art forms they can engage with. The participant noted that the art short course helped them regain their confidence: “It’s the first thing I’ve been involved with since my operation. I’m quite a confident person, but it’s knocked the wind out of me. Suddenly having to be a wheelchair user, I was very anxious about ‘am I going to be able to get there?’, ‘am I going to be able to park?’, ‘am I going to be able to get in the building?’…it’s given me a lot more confidence because I went out for 6 weeks, I got my wheelchair in the car, drove…Even just crossing the road in my wheelchair. By the end of [the short course], it was just normal. It’s boosted my confidence”.

5.2 RQ4: To what extent are the activities scalable, transferable, and sustainable?

Key findings

CCA staff interviewed said that whilst they are taking some actions to help Creative Fenland become more sustainable, securing further grant funding will be needed to ensure the sustainability of Creative Fenland.

Sustainability and scalability

CCA staff interviewed, said that whilst the KYN funding was a key facilitator in launching Creative Fenland, CCA staff felt that the project was not sustainable, scalable or transferable without grant funding. CCA staff interviewed said that the delivery model used in Creative Fenland was resource-intensive and had little potential to generate income. 

CCA staff trialled changes to delivery with the view of increasing financial sustainability. This included offering paid courses and offering art courses to corporate entities to improve their workforce wellbeing. However, CCA staff said that initial traction for these courses was limited. 

Lesson learned: The sustainability of art short courses can be highly reliant on accessing grant funding, which makes continuity uncertain. VCSEs seeking to offer similar courses to vulnerable target groups should consider a for-profit or social enterprise business model that can reduce dependency on grant funding and help subsidise courses for target populations. However, this may reduce their ability to reach people at risk of experiencing chronic loneliness.

CCA staff interviewed felt that forming partnerships with organisations from a health or housing background would be important to expand the reach of the project, as these partners would be able to refer participants from CCA’s target beneficiary group. Further inquiry on these aspects was not undertaken due to key staff leaving CCA before they could be interviewed. 

Transferability

CCA staff said that through the KYN Fund, they got to trial some potentially transferable activities. This included supporting a local artist to take over a vacant shop to deliver art workshops, and display exhibitions. CCA staff said that this trial was well attended.

5.3 Summary

Participants interviewed reported a wide range of outcomes from taking part in the Creative Fenland art short courses. Wellbeing, social connection and confidence outcomes were reported most widely during interviews with participants. Multiple participants interviewed said that they are continuing to experience positive outcomes as a result of their independent art groups they have set up following completion of the art short courses.

6. Conclusions and recommendations

6.1 Conclusions 

RQ1: What worked well/less well in how the project was delivered?

The Creative Fenland project demonstrated strong delivery through the recruitment of high-quality creative instructors who effectively tailored sessions to diverse participant needs. The onboarding process was well-received, with participants and instructors interviewed valuing the personalised approach that helped identify and accommodate individual accessibility and wellbeing requirements. The integration of ‘art for wellbeing’ into course design fostered inclusive, socially engaging environments, contributing positively to participant experiences.

Venue selection was generally successful, though there were challenges related to accessibility and geographic dispersion. While most venues were convenient and well-equipped, some participants interviewed faced difficulties due to limited transport provision and venue accessibility. 

Both in-person and online formats were offered through Creative Fenland, with online delivery improving accessibility for some participants interviewed. However, fostering social connections proved more effective in face-to-face settings. Overall, Creative Fenland’s emphasis on wellbeing, adaptability, and inclusive practices worked well. However, the Creative Fenland project faced multiple challenges, including staff turnover and infrastructural challenges in the Fenland area.

Recommendation 1 - Establishing local networks

CCA faced challenges in establishing a strong presence in Fenland. While the recruitment approach was successful in attracting the desired target groups, CCA underestimated the time and effort required to build early relationships with venues and spaces for their creative courses. VCSEs working in this way, particularly in rural areas like Fenland, should plan extra time and resources to establish local networks early in the process. This would enable the most effective use of community spaces and would enable staff to start building partnerships with local VCSEs and other support systems to then access their desired target groups.

RQ2: Who did the support reach, who did it fail to reach, and why? To what extent did it reach the individuals that it was intended to?

Creative Fenland were able to reach individuals experiencing social isolation, including those with chronic loneliness. CCA staff interviewed said social media emerged as the primary and most effective recruitment channel, particularly through active local community groups. Whilst some referrals came from GPs and social prescribers, staff turnover restricted CCA’s ability to fully utilise this recruitment pathway. This contributed to lower-than-expected recruitment to the Creative Fenland art short courses.

Many participants interviewed faced barriers to social connection due to disability, rural isolation, financial constraints, or caring responsibilities. Participants interviewed said that recruitment interviews were effective in identifying and prioritising those with higher levels of need, ensuring that support was directed to those most likely to benefit.

RQ3: To what extent did the structure and delivery of these funds support impact? How did this funding model compare to other sources of funding previously accessed?

CCA staff interviewed said the KYN Fund had a crucial role in running the Creative Fenland project, particularly for a small organisation like CCA. The structure and delivery of the KYN Fund were generally well-received, by CCA staff interviewed, with the advance release of funding tranches cited as essential for managing cashflow. CCA staff interviewed felt that whilst the KYN Fund was flexible, allowing underspend to be carried forward between quarters within a financial year, CCA staff still felt constrained in making significant delivery changes, indicating a need for greater confidence-building measures in future funding models.

Compared to previous funding experiences, the KYN Fund placed a stronger emphasis on evaluation, which CCA staff interviewed found intensive. Additionally, CCA staff interviewed said the lack of structured collaboration among local KYN funded organisations was seen as a missed opportunity, potentially leading to duplicated efforts. The loneliness webinars were highlighted by CCA staff interviewed as particularly beneficial, enhancing staff understanding and confidence in targeting the right audiences.

Recommendation 2 - Continue to support grantees with additional information sessions on key programme objectives

CCA greatly valued the webinars on loneliness. This helped them to better understand KYN Fund programme objectives and gave them confidence to tailor their interventions to address loneliness. Providing information sessions builds confidence in VCSEs by aligning their thinking with programme objectives and sharing best practice. 

Recommendation 3 - Flexible funding

Funders should look to continue the level of flexibility the KYN Fund offered in how funds can be spent, particularly in working with onward delivery partners, who are closer to projects. This enables adaptation to meet the needs of the project during the life of the grant such as accommodating the carry-over of underspend between quarters within a financial year. CCA greatly valued this flexibility, although they were ultimately unable to change their approach substantially due to multiple challenges including high staff turnover and low confidence to suggest changes to their CF. 

Recommendation 4 - Longer-term funding

Creative courses and similar types of interventions are most effective when sustained over time, particularly when targeting chronic loneliness. DCMS and other funders should consider longer funding periods (of up to three years delivery) with additional support to help projects sustain beyond the grant period. This would avoid the risk of negative outcomes arising from projects being unable to continue delivery following the conclusion of funding. 

RQ4: To what extent are the activities scalable, transferable, and sustainable?

CCA staff interviewed highlighted that the Creative Fenland short course delivery model is resource-intensive and lacks income-generating capacity, making long-term sustainability dependent on continued grant funding. CCA staff said that they started implementing actions to enhance the sustainability of the art short courses, including offering paid courses and engaging corporate clients. However, initial uptake has been limited. CCA staff interviewed said partnerships with health and housing organisations were identified as key to expanding reach and improving referral pathways.

CCA staff interviewed said that some activities trialled under the KYN Fund, such as artist-led workshops in vacant retail spaces, showed promise and may be transferable. 

Despite challenges like participant attrition due to health issues, retention on short courses was generally strong, and many participants expressed interest in ongoing engagement, suggesting a positive impact and demand for continuity.

Recommendation 5 - Sustainability

While the art short courses are powerful tools for change, they are resource-intensive and reliant on grant funding. This poses risks, especially when working with vulnerable target groups who require trust-building and continued engagement as projects could end prematurely if funding is no longer available. This has an overall effect on addressing longer-term needs such as chronic loneliness which requires sustained intervention over time. VCSEs seeking to offer similar courses to vulnerable target groups should consider a for-profit or social enterprise business model that can reduce dependency on grant funding and help subsidise courses for target populations. 

RQ5: What lessons learned have been generated through the implementation of a QED approach that could be applied to future evaluations within the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector?

The implementation of a QED evaluation within the Creative Fenland project highlighted several lessons learned for future evaluations in the VCSE sector. The planned QED approach was eventually deemed unfeasible due to challenges in participant and waitlist recruitment, compounded by staff turnover and limited project capacity. These factors significantly reduced the analytical power of the evaluation and eliminated the possibility of establishing a viable control group.

This QED evaluation highlighted the importance of realistic planning and resource allocation. QED evaluations are time-intensive and require strong buy-in from delivery organisations, especially smaller VCSEs. Clear communication about resource demands and early integration of evaluation requirements can help mitigate participant burden and improve participant engagement in the evaluation. Additionally, traditional survey techniques may be inappropriate for vulnerable populations. As an alternative, strategies that leverage existing relationships with project delivery teams and mixed-mode strategies should be considered.

Finally, the findings suggest that pilot evaluations may be a valuable precursor to full-scale QED studies. Pilots can help identify logistical and engagement challenges, assess intervention suitability, and build stakeholder confidence. These lessons offer practical guidance for funders, evaluators, and delivery partners aiming to implement rigorous evaluations in complex, community-based contexts.

RQ6: What benefits do the participants have from participating in CCA’s creative activities?

Volunteer engagement was a notable outcome of the Creative Fenland project, with all interviewed volunteers having participated in CCA’s art short courses previously. These volunteers’ positive experiences motivated them to help others access similar opportunities. Some participants interviewed also set up or began volunteering at independent art groups. However, CCA’s ability to promote volunteering was limited, as many participants faced health-related barriers that prevented them from taking on volunteer roles.

A few participants interviewed said that prior to the Creative Fenland art short course, they experienced loneliness. These participants highlighted that the social connections formed during the course played a significant role in alleviating their feelings of loneliness.

Wellbeing outcomes were most commonly cited by participants. Multiple participants said they struggle with anxiety and depression, which was relieved when taking part in the Creative Fenland art short courses. This aligns with Creative Fenland’s ‘art for wellbeing’ philosophy. In addition to improvements in mental wellbeing, a few participants also noted physical health benefits, as the art short course provided some participants with a distraction from chronic pain. 

Increased social connection was another outcome commonly cited by participants. Many said that through the art short course, they were able to socialise with other participants, which often began through casual conversations during art activities or breaks. Most participants said that they have made lasting friendships with other Creative Fenland art short course participants.

Most participants said that taking part in the Creative Fenland art short course helped them develop their art skills. Participants have gone on to use their art skills to develop an income for themselves through selling artwork, or setting up their own community art groups. 

Finally, participants also said that through the Creative Fenland art short courses, they grew in confidence. Participants interviewed said that displaying their artwork to peers, along with the social interaction on the short courses were mechanisms to developing their confidence. 

7. Glossary

Table 1 - Glossary of KYN related terms used

Term	Explanation
ACE	Arts Council England (ACE). As part of the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund, ACE is delivering funding using three Cultural Partners.
ALB	Arm’s length bodies (ALBs) are a specific category of central government public bodies that are administratively classified by the Cabinet Office. DCMS’s ALBs have a wide range of policy and operational responsibilities and are all governed by their own independent boards. ALBs are responsible for delivering £5 million of the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund. This £5 million is being delivered by ACE and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with Historic England.
Art for wellbeing	The use of creative activities to promote wellbeing outcomes.
CCA	Cambridge Community Arts. CCA was a charity based in Cambridge that delivered art for wellbeing courses.
CF	Community Foundation. A CF is a charitable grant-making organisation focused on supporting a defined geographical area. It does this by building socially focused endowments and generating funds to support individuals, voluntary groups and local organisations that make a difference. As part of the KYN Fund, they provide onward grants to projects in their local area.
Creative Fenland	Creative Fenland is the title of CCA’s Know Your Neighbourhood funded project.
Creative instructor	Creative instructors are artists local to the Fenland area which delivered the Creative Fenland short courses.
DCMS	Department for Culture, Media and Sport. DCMS are the funders of the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund.
KYN	The Know Your Neighbourhood Fund.
Participants	Students on the Creative Fenland short courses.
QED	Quasi-experimental design. A QED evaluation is an evaluation that seeks to measure the causal relationships between activities and outcomes, including the size of the outcome. There are different ways of designing a QED, including measuring outcomes for different but comparable groups of people where one group takes part in activities designed to achieve the outcome and the other does not (or only in a subset of the activities).
Qualitative data	Non-numerical data (e.g., data from interviews).
Quantitative data	Numerical data (e.g., age).
RQ	Research question.
Short course	The arts courses delivered as part of the Creative Fenland project. In these courses, up to ten participants engaged in three hours of learning sessions per week, over an eight-week period. Courses were run either online or in-person.
Theory-based approach	Theory-based impact evaluations assess an intervention’s effectiveness by rigorously examining whether the proposed causal pathways are backed by strong evidence and whether alternative explanations can be confidently dismissed.
UKCF	UK Community Foundations.
VCSE	Voluntary, community and social enterprise.
Volunteer	An individual who offers their time to work for a KYN funded project, without monetary remuneration. Creative Fenland used volunteers in the short course to assist the creative instructor in their delivery.

8. Appendices

8.1 Detailed methodology

8.1.1 Survey

A survey was administered to participants and volunteers of KYN funded projects, including Creative Fenland. Responses from this survey administered at baseline and endline were used for quantitative analysis to understand whether participants’ outcomes changed over the period considered.

The survey questions covered loneliness, wellbeing, pride in local area, and confidence and skills, as well as type of participation (if beneficiary or volunteer) and demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, disability, and types of health conditions). Full name, surname, and date of birth of respondents were also collected for data linkage purposes, but this information was not shared with DCMS, Fortia Insight, or NatCen to guarantee respondents’ confidentiality and anonymity. A summary of the types of questions asked and the rationale for their inclusion is listed below.

The primary outcome of the evaluation was social isolation, measured using the score on the three-item UCLA Loneliness scale as a proxy for social isolation. The scale aims to measure loneliness by asking the beneficiary how frequently they experience lack of companionship, being left out, and being isolated from others. This is an established and tested scale, widely used in the UK context.^{[footnote 1]} The UCLA Loneliness Scale measures loneliness as a subjective, self-reported measure, whose reliability and validity has been tested.

The UCLA loneliness score was calculated as intended by the scale developers (Russell et al, 1978)^{[footnote 2]} , by summing the assigned scores to responses on each of three questions^{[footnote 3]} as follows:

• A score of 1 for responses of ‘hardly ever or never’.

• A score of 2 for responses of ‘some of the time’.

• A score of 3 for responses of ‘often’.

The total score on the UCLA loneliness scale therefore ranges from 3 to 9. 

Secondary outcomes of interest for the evaluation were as follows:

• ONS Personal well-being questions (ONS4): This four-item questionnaire^{[footnote 4]} was developed to measure personal well-being along four dimensions:  the general life satisfaction of the respondent, how worthwhile they perceived their daily activities to be, and happiness and anxiety in the day before the completion of the questionnaire.

• Loneliness: In addition to the three item UCLA loneliness scale, participants were also asked the single item direct measure of loneliness^{[footnote 5]}, which measures the frequency of feelings of loneliness directly.

• Neighbourhood and local area perception from the Community Life Survey (CLS): The CLS provides information on behaviours and attitudes within communities (including volunteering, charitable giving, community engagement, well-being, and loneliness).^{[footnote 6]} Three questions from the survey questionnaire were included which intend to measure the strength of the respondent’s feeling of belonging to their immediate area, their satisfaction with this area, and their perception of the neighbourhood involvement in the improvement of this area.

• Skills: To measure development of skills from participation in CCA’s projects, the survey asked at baseline which skills participants thought they would use during the project, and at endline, which skills they did use during their participation. The response options were grouped into different types of skills (communication, leadership, problem solving, creativity, team working, or other) and participants could select all that they felt applied. The endline survey also asked respondents whether they feel there has been any change in their skills as a result of participation in the project. To measure this, the survey asked to what extent respondents agreed or disagreed that they had developed skills as a result of the project, made improvements to their local area as a result of the skills they developed on the project, and built connections with people through the project.

• Confidence: Five questions related to confidence in skills were included in the survey to measure context specific confidence (state-like confidence, which refers to one’s confidence in their capacities in specific circumstances and moments).^{[footnote 7]} Respondents were asked to rate their confidence (on a scale of 0, meaning not confident at all, to 10, meaning extremely confident) in their ability to work with other people, deal with problems, communicate with others, use creativity in their daily life, and take on responsibility in their daily life.

• Participation and demographic characteristics: The survey collected data on some of the main demographic characteristics of the respondents: age (grouped in brackets), sex at birth, gender, ethnic group, disability, and types of health conditions. Respondents were also asked when they joined the funded project and whether they were taking part in it as a beneficiary or a volunteer. 

8.1.1.1 Collecting the survey

The quasi-experimental evaluation sought to answer the primary research question related to impact evaluation: ‘was there an impact of participation in CCA’s creative activities on course participants’ levels of social connection compared to those in the comparison group?’. The planned approach sought to compare differences in outcomes between baseline and endline across course participants’ responses and a comparison group formed from waitlists for future courses run by Creative Fenland. 

The QED approach anticipated recruitment for the course to be 240 individuals with an even allocation between the intervention and comparison groups. The waitlist comparison group was to be weighted to be similar to participants on baseline characteristics (such as area) and demographic characteristics (such as age). This approach would have allowed for the difference between the participant and comparison groups to be causally attributed to participation in the creative activities offered by CCA. 

The project however, experienced low demand and did not have a waiting list for all courses meaning that there was a small sample size for the comparison group. As a result of this, the analysis approach was revised to compare baseline and endline survey responses to assess changes in outcomes for participants.

The survey was completed by participants either online or via printed form. Participants were sent up to three email reminders to fill in the surveys if they had provided an email address to the organisation. Participants without an email address were offered to fill in a paper survey. The survey was administered at baseline, when participants joined the project, and at endline of their participation in the project. Respondents were asked consistent (or nearly consistent) questions at each wave to compare outcomes at different points in their journey. 

8.1.1.2 Data analysis

The original analysis planned to conduct weighting analysis using a comparison group of waitlist participants, however, low levels of waitlist recruitment meant that this was not feasible. 

The revised approach for analysis of the survey data involved assessing changes in outcomes between baseline and endline for course participants. However, given low response rates and the small sample sizes at endline, the findings from quantitative analysis of the survey data are not included in this report. The analysis sample would comprise too low a proportion of overall participant numbers, and given the low numbers, are not likely to present reliable findings about the impact of CCA.

8.1.2 Interviews

8.1.2.1 Topics covered in interviews

Interviews with different groups covered different topics, as shown below:

• Creative Fenland participants
  • How they discovered the short course.
  • Their motivations for applying for a place on the short course.
  • Their experience of onboarding and the course delivery.
  • Outcomes realised as a result of taking part in the short course.
  • Future plans for volunteering and creative activities.
• Volunteers
  • How they discovered CCA and Creative Fenland.
  • Their motivations for volunteering.
  • Their experience volunteering.
  • Outcomes they experienced through volunteering.
  • Outcomes they observed participants experience.
  • Future plans for volunteering.
• Creative instructors
  • How they discovered CCA and Creative Fenland.
  • Their motivations for delivering a short course with Creative Fenland.
  • Their experience designing and delivering a short course.
  • Outcomes they observed participants experience.
• CCA staff
  • Their experience receiving KYN funding.
  • Their experience of the evaluation.
  • Their experience of delivering Creative Fenland.
  • The profile of participants recruited by Creative Fenland.
  • Outcomes promoted by Creative Fenland.
  • The sustainability, scalability and transferability of the Creative Fenland project.

8.1.2.2 Sampling

Creative Fenland participants were invited to take part in evaluation interviews following the completion of their short course by CCA staff. Participants who were willing to take part in an interview were introduced via email to the evaluation team.

Volunteers and creative instructors were recommended for interviews by the CCA staff team.

1. Office for National Statistics. (n.d.). Recommended National Indicators of Loneliness. [Accessed on 30th July 2025] ↩

2. Russell, D., Peplau, LA., & Ferguson ML. (1978). Developing a measure of loneliness. Journal of Personality Assessment, 42(3):290-4.  ↩

3. The three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale consists of questions ‘How often do you feel that you lack companionship?’, ‘How often do you feel left out?’, and ‘How often do you feel isolated from others?’. All three questions had response options ‘Hardly ever or never’, ‘Some of the time’, and ‘Often’.  ↩

4. Office for National Statistics, (2018b). Personal well-being user guidance. [Accessed on 22nd July 2025]. ↩

5. Office for National Statistics. (n.d.). Recommended national indicators of loneliness. [Accessed on 23rd July 2025]. ↩

6. Department for Culture, Media and Sport. (2023). Community Life Survey. [Accessed on 22nd July 2025]. ↩

7. Stajkovic, A.D. (2006) Development of a Core Confidence–Higher Order Construct. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6): 1208–1224. ↩