Barefooted was founded in 2023 by Lucy Knight, a dance artist and producer with over 30 years of experience in arts and health. She is passionate about engagement in the arts as a tool for transformation, her work encompasses deep engagement as a form of co-creation, participation & inclusion.
Currently resident company at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Barefooted deliver creative sessions bedside, turning clinical spaces into places of joy and connection. In two years, they have engaged over 1,100 patients, visitors, and staff.
Spending time in hospital can be isolating and disorienting – for patients, families, and the staff supporting them. A hospital arts programme can play a meaningful role in changing that experience. Research consistently highlights the positive effect of creative activity on anxiety, mood, and recovery. Yet for many NHS trusts, dedicated arts provision remains limited. Barefooted was built on a simple but powerful belief: that creativity can bring healing, particularly in the most challenging environments.
What Barefooted Does
As resident company at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Barefooted delivers a range of patient-centred programmes. On children’s wards, performers travel bedside with productions including In Comes the Sea and In Comes the Countryside. These are immersive, sensory experiences are co-created with families. One parent described watching their registered blind son track a butterfly with his eyes, calling it a moment of real comfort and progress.
On oncology wards, gentle movement sessions take place during chemotherapy. Because these sessions are designed to be calm and adaptable, they help reduce anxiety and support emotional wellbeing. Older care patients benefit from reminiscence-based sessions using storytelling, movement, and crafts. A doctor noted that patients loved the sessions and that the work brightened the whole ward.
In total, Barefooted has engaged 612 patients, 66 staff, and 451 visitors over two years.
Support from the Oades Family Trust
Funding from the Oades Family Trust will allow Barefooted to reach more people across University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. This includes expanding work onto additional wards and piloting a new staff wellbeing programme. It will also support the development of a festive performance co-created with families, bringing connection and joy to those spending the holiday season in hospital. Looking further ahead, this investment will help Barefooted extend their work to additional NHS trusts across the Midlands.
This grant will directly support our mission to use the arts to transform hospital stays, alleviate anxiety, and bring joy to patients and their families. With this help, we can expand our work — delivering more impactful workshops and performances to those who need it most. This support will make a real difference to the lives of people in hospital and the staff caring for them.
Barefooted is a genuinely impressive organisation. Lucy brings more than 30 years of experience in arts and health, and that expertise is evident in every aspect of their work. What stands out is their commitment to co-creation and to meeting people where they are. Their hospital arts programme is already making a measurable difference to patients, families, and staff. Therefore, we are confident in their vision and excited to support their next stage of growth.
Latest Project Updates
January 2026
Granted £2,000
After members of the Oades Family Trust voted for their favourite causes, Barefooted was selected to receive a grant of £2,000.