HEALTH matters will provide the inspiration for art as part of an unusual project.

Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust has joined forces with Cleveland Arts to employ Kathleen McCreery for a project inviting people's experiences of the health service.

For nine months, Ms McCreery will spend two days a week on a number of writing schemes, garnering the opinions of residents of Brotton, Skelton and Loftus.

She has no set idea of what will result, but is looking for material that could lead to a radio programme, book, leaflets or a play.

Margaret Baily, locality manager and coordinator of the project, said: "The trust is committed to improving health and the environment for people in the area.

"The project is an exciting and innovative way of helping us to understand what people think of local services, and how they would like to see them develop in the future."

Ms McCreery, who has been a Middlesbrough writer-in-residence and an Arts Council resident dramatist with the Cleveland Theatre Company, said: "I've heard some wonderful stories and anecdotes from both patients and staff about home remedies and how things used to be.

"I hope to use some of those in my own writing, and encourage local people to write about their experiences."

Among the categories Ms McCreery plans to explore are the Seven Ages of Women, talking to generations of women about their health experiences; Dialogue with a Doctor, giving local people the chance to talk informally to GPs and consultants and Recipe Boxes, where people can swap recipes for food as well as general wellbeing.

To take part in the project, ring (01287) 284014