World Happiness Project

1.Working Title: HOW TO BE HAPPY

An informative and entertaining series of programmes about what makes us happy and how we can achieve greater happiness in life. Featuring interviews and discussions with a variety of global politicians, academic experts, famous celebrities and sports stars who are known for their happy disposition and lifestyle. The series touches upon all aspects of happiness, including philosophy, history and importance as well as introducing practical methods of achieving happiness in our everyday lives.

The How to be Happy series has universal appeal and answers fundamental questions such as:

• What are the main causes of happiness?  Will more money make you happier?
• Can a person become happier through their own efforts?
• What are the most important actions we can take to secure a happy life?

For an example of what this programme will look like, see a clip from the Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUEkDc_LfKQ

2.Working Title: THE SECRETS OF HAPPINESS

A concept based on the successful “Truth about…….” television series

A series that introduces a group of celebrities and individuals from across the UK who find it difficult to be happy due to issues such as emotional/physical health, family and friends, lifestyle choices, etc

We develop a series of tests for happiness based on latest scientific principles and measurement, creating a Happiness research lab to present the results and interview leading scientists and psychologists who evaluate the results and provide practical comment.

The Secrets of Happiness series demonstrates how individuals can learn to enjoy a better, healthier, happier life.

3.Working Title: THE KEYS TO THE NATION’S HAPPINESS

Based on the Action For Happiness Exploring What Matters course and their growing network of Happy Cafes in the UK and around the world.

The programme introduces why happiness is important. Most people believe that happiness is a meaningful, desirable and worthwhile goal and is one of the most pleasing dimensions of human experience and emotional life.

The programme follows a group of individuals who attend an Experiencing What Matters course in the UK where they learn about GREAT DREAM – the Ten Keys to happier living and go on to form a Happy Cafe Group and practise what they have learned, finding happiness in many unexpected ways. We explore the practical steps that people can take to increase their happiness and well being. A sort of personal makeover programme for the new decade.

The Keys to Happiness series touches upon all aspects of Happiness, including philosophy, history and global importance as well as introducing practical methods of achieving happiness in our everyday lives.

2.  UK’s first National Happiness and Wellbeing conference in Bournemouth.

POSTPONED DUE TO COVID

INTRODUCTION

The World Happiness Project has created a new partnership with Bournemouth University to launch  the UK’s first National Happiness and Wellbeing Conference in April 2020.

The three day event will take place from Friday 17^th to Sunday 19^th April and is aimed at the general public as well as professionals working in Healthcare, Education, Social Care, Public Service and Local Government sectors interested in increasing happiness in the community and representatives from business and industry interested in improving mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

The purpose of the conference is to showcase examples of actions and interventions that can increase happiness and improve mental health and wellbeing in our society.

CONFERENCE THEME:  HAPPY People – Places – Planet      

Friday 17^th APRIL – Bournemouth University Fusion Building 8am to 5pm
Presentations and discussions related to Happiness, Mental Health and Wellbeing in the local Dorset community. The event will present evidence and showcase examples of happiness based actions and interventions that can be used to improve community mental health, happiness and wellbeing.  Experiential activities including yoga, meditation, forest bathing, laughter therapy, mindfulness, etc.

Saturday 18^th APRIL – Bournemouth University Fusion Building 8am to 6pm
Presentations on themes related to national and international Happiness, Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Community and in the Workplace hosted by Chris Croft, author of The Big Book of Happiness. 

Keynote Speaker: Sir Anthony Seldon, Author and Co-founder of Action for Happiness Movement.
Guest Speakers: Dr Paul Litchfield, Chair of What Works for Wellbeing; Mo Gawdat, One Billion Happy.       

International speakers including Prof Sonya Lyubomirski, University of California; Meik Wiking, CEO Danish Happiness Research Institute and well-known authors, Suzie & James Pawelski by video link.   

Various UK speakers including Julia Seibold and Dulcie Batt on Happy Cafes and Exploring What Matters.     

Experiential activities including yoga, meditation, forest bathing, laughter therapy, mindfulness, etc.
Charity Music concert at St Peter’s Church on behalf of Dorset Mind mental health charity.

Sunday 19^th APRIL – various locations in and around Bournemouth and Poole Harbour 7am to 1pm
Beach sunrise gathering. Forest bathing experience. Exploring sea shore, wildlife and nature tours.     

Experiential activities and taster sessions related to happiness, mindfulness and wellbeing.     

Call to action on local, national and global Happiness and Wellbeing.

(Due to Coronavirus pandemic, was postponed and replaced with a conference video stream on our YouTube channel. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf0hSTEiI6E&t=42s)

For more details visit website at https://www.world-happiness-project.com

3. GLOBAL HAPPY CAFE  a monthly online meeting to discuss how can we create more happiness into our lives

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, we successfully launched a Global Happy Cafe and created an online fellowship of people from around the world interested in discussing happiness and improving their mental health and wellbeing in the home, the workplace and the community.

We have invited dozens of influential people including well known academics, authors, artists, businessmen, celebrities, politicians and leaders of the world happiness movement to talk about happiness and wellbeing. We currently have subscribers from around the globe joining us for regular monthly meetings on zoom. It’s free and everyone is welcome.

To join our Zoom Global Happy Cafe Meeting, just login at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88302360790?pwd=eWdYd01kSHB4bktZNzN3T1BzZnIrUT09

For more details see https://www.world-happiness-project.com/happiness-cafe

4. HERE FOR EACH OTHER HAPPY CAFES for the NHS in Dorset 

A series of Happy Cafes for NHS staff across Dorset. These informal sessions aimed at 50,000+ staff working in the health and care sector and local councils take place twice a month and enable people to share their happiness and wellbeing experiences in a fun, informative and inspirational way.

5. “The Happy Files”

Photos and short videos that visualise what makes people happy around the globe.  

Gerry takes a walk through the forest on YouTube, see https://youtu.be/srSEI7Vkvu4

See more YouTube video recordings at:- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPbBkOGte5I-8cfsoPruh2w

Creative Projects

Gerry’s favourite quote is: “We make a living by what we earn, we make a life by what we give”

As well as being a professional film producer, he is an accomplished artist, sculptor, writer and photographer and has been involved in many imaginative and creative projects. Here are a few examples………….

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Jazz by the Sea Festival

Jazz by the Sea Festival – featuring jazz for all.

Welcome to Jazz by the Sea Festival and a fabulous fortnight of jazz across Bournemouth and Poole.

This year we are working closely with local hotels, bars, pubs and restaurants to bring a series of jazz concerts and events throughout the two-week festival. Most of them are free and further details can be found on our website and social media pages. So this year, you can just swing by, sit back and listen to some of the finest jazz music in town whilst you enjoy a drink or dine or just relax with friends and family.

To whet your appetite, we are continuing with our popular Dorset Queen Jazz cruises round Poole Harbour starting with The Revolution Club Band on the opening Sunday 24th June and for Trad Jazz fans, Tony Waller’s Prohibition Jazz Band set sail on 1st July. In addition, on 24th June, the Metropole Street Market are organising an afternoon of jazz in Holdenhurst Roadwith the sounds of New Orleans and a selection of food reflecting the famous Louisiana cuisine.

On Friday 29th June, celebrated composer and jazz pianist, Andy Quin is giving a free lunchtime concert at St Peter’s Church in Bournemouth and on Saturday 7th July the Sound Wave Sinfonia are playing a free concert on the Lower Gardens Bandstand. Specially for jazz film lovers, we are introducing an American Jazz film night at Koh Lounge to celebrate American Independence Day on 4th July in association with the Purbeck Film Festival.

My sincere thanks go to the Festival Management team who have worked to create our fourth festival and the Bournemouth Coastal BID team who are kindly supporting us again this year.

May the Jazz be with you!

Stour River Pageant 2025

Gerry is planning to launch an innovative new River Pageant on the Stour River in 2025.

Working with the Christchurch and Southbourne & Boscombe Rotary Clubs and other local organisations, the aim is to raise money for good causes, principally the Hengistbury Organisation, Bourne Water Dragons and Pink Champagne Cancer Charities.

The pageant will feature a variety of river craft highlighting the history and nature of the area, with a waterborne parade of decorative floats and a series of competitive races for paddle boards, rowing boats, canoes, sailing boats, rafts, etc, culminating with a team dragon boat race. It will create a novel new attraction for people to watch from either side of the riverbank.

The pageant will take place from Tuckton Bridge to Christchurch Quay and be followed by a family barbecue at the Hengistbury Outdoor Activity Centre in Christchurch Harbour.

Bournemouth Jazz Festival

Having enjoyed a long career in the film and video industry, Gerry frequently used jazz music in his programmes to inform, educate and motivate audiences around the world. He spent nearly a decade living in the South of France reporting on arts, entertainment and music festivals and on returning to the UK it seemed natural to think about creating an international music festival to showcase the best of British Jazz. In 2015 the Bournemouth Jazz Festival was born and this year Gerry has created a bigger and better festival, featuring jazz music from around the world.

His vision was to “enhance Bournemouth’s cultural profile and increase its tourism appeal over the next five years through the establishment of an internationally recognised Jazz Festival that features world class jazz musicians and showcases local musical talent and through this contributes to the town’s future economic growth and cultural development.” 

Gerry assembled a professional team to manage and co-ordinate the Festival, a team with experience in planning and organising live music events, in artistic, cultural and educational development, in financial management and in marketing, publicity and public relations.

He invited well known jazz professionals to come to Bournemouth to perform with local musicians over the weekend 22nd to 24th April 2016 and by including nationally recognised jazz players, a large number of visitors were attracted to spend the weekend in town and the festival was considered a great success.

Highlights included Jacqui Dankworth singing her favourite romantic jazz songs with husband Charlie Wood, world class Indian clarinettist Arun Ghosh playing his highly original Indo Jazz music and the Ginger Baker Jazz Experience featuring Andy Sheppard and Gene Calderazzo.

On Friday night, on the Jazz Village stage in the town square, talented local group Spiral Jazz kicked the Festival off and were quickly followed by Charlie Farran and his highly entertaining Rhythm & Blues Band. Meanwhile, at Canvas, a new club venue located in the old Bournemouth Arts Institute building, Zoe Schwarz and her Blue Commotion Band continued the groove, playing their well known R&B numbers to the delight of the late night lounge dwellers.

Friday night will also be remembered for the fabulous Swing Unlimited Big Band in concert at the King’s Hall in the Royal Bath Hotel playing a selection of jazz standards made famous by Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra with their resident vocalists Karen Pitt adding a touch of class and Pat Peiro a bit of that old black magic.

Throughout the day on Saturday the town was treated to the sounds of jazz music. On the free stage in the town square, an eclectic mix, from the latest in jazz fusion through to good old trad. Whilst at the World Jazz Jamboree and other ticketed events, international stars Jean Toussaint, Yazz Ahmed and Arun Ghosh entertained audiences with music from around the globe.

The evening was a choice between the Girls Only Jazz Orchestra with guest singer Tina May in the Print Room or the Ginger Baker Experience with Andy Sheppard, US drummer Gene Calderazzo and Ghanian Abas Dodoo giving masterclass lessons in jazz drumming at the Royal Bath Hotel.

For many, Sunday was a day of rest, but for aspiring young jazz musicians, it was an opportunity to attend a series of jazz workshops and enter the Jazz Factor competition designed to encourage local schools. For the eventual winners, Wimborne’s QE School, it was the beginning of an exciting new adventure – the first prize was a jazz trip to France courtesy of Brittany Ferries.

And to help the rest of the jazz enthusiasts to relax on Sunday afternoon, a concert by Jacqui Dankworth in the Royal Bath Hotel followed by the dedicated sounds of jazz fusion with Theo Travis and his band, Double Talk, straight from a late night gig in London.

The festival rounded off on Sunday evening with a Hollywood style Awards Ceremony in the Pavilion Ballroom, attended by the Mayor of Bournemouth, Councillor John Adams and his wife who presented prizes to the winners and thanked the festival team for organising such a fantastic Weekend of Jazz by the Sea!

The Bournemouth Jazz Festival has now become The Jazz By The Sea Festival

Boating Projects

Arranging a variety of Jazz Cruises round Poole Harbour aboard the Dorset Queen

Helping launch The Boat Club in Sandbanks, organising press, publicity and PR events.

See.. http://boatclub.co/

Designing and building  The Ark – an innovative new concept in boating. 

This purpose-built craft comes with twin aluminium pontoons that provide a safe and stable platform to enjoy a variety of water sports and leisure activities.

Ideal for use on rivers, lakes and harbours, perfect for parties and family picnics, sunbathing, bird watching, fishing and exploring the natural environment.

With a powerful outboard petrol engine, suitable for water ski-ing and wake boarding or with an environmentally friendly, solar and battery powered electric motor for quiet relaxed cruising.

The Ark can carry up to 8 people and drive right onto the beach which makes it ideal for rescue and deliveries in flooded areas and a whole host of commercial applications.

Arts & Music Festivals

Compton Acres Arts and Music Festival – http://www.comptonacres.co.uk/

Castlepoint Shopping Music and Entertainment events – https://castlepointshopping.com/

Italian Villa Art Gallery

Italian Villa Art Gallery… http://www.the-italian-villa.co.uk/art-gallery

English Sculpture Parks

English Sculpture Parks is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for the design and creation of innovative new sculpture parks, trails and gardens. The company has produced a number of reports and prepared detailed plans for the establishment of sculpture parks, trails and gardens for various clients across the UK.

Recent assignments have included:

Zig Zag Path at Canford Cliffs

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• After   

A Project funded by Poole Borough Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy and the Canford Cliffs Land Society to improve the appearance of the Zig Zag path to the beach. Involved the design, production and installation of a series of sculptures with a Maritime theme and the creation of a contemporary mosaic installation overlooking the sea.

World Class Sculpture Park in the New Forest

A feasibility study for establishing a World Class Sculpture Park in the New Forest on behalf of the New Forest National Park Authority, Sustainable Development Fund. The vision was to create an innovative, world-class Sculpture Park that reflects the unique qualities and natural beauty of the New Forest and stimulates an interest and appreciation of art in a woodland setting.

Sculpture Trail at Exbury Gardens

A study for the design and creation of a new Sculpture Trail for Exbury Gardens. The concept was to create an innovative new Sculpture Trail that reflected and enhanced the natural beauty of the gardens, stimulate an interest and appreciation of art in a woodland setting and provide a commercial opportunity for increasing visitor numbers and business revenue.

Ferndown Town Memorial and Garden of Memories

The development of a Town Memorial, Sculpture Trail and Garden of Memories for the Ferndown Town Council, funded by National Lottery Heritage. Employing a team of professional sculptors and local artists with creative skills in all aspects of three dimensional art, including wood, stone, metal, ceramics and man-made materials, the project reinforced the motto: “We make a living by what we earn, we make a life by what we give.”

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

The creation of an interactive solid oak throne for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, incorporating a solar panel and sound system which interacted with passers by and broadcast pre recorded memories of local people living under the 60 years reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The project also introduced a Children’s Sculpture that depicted favourite children’s UK TV characters.

Compton Acres Sculpture Garden

The project involved establishing a new Sculpture Trail at Compton Acres that reflected and enhanced the beauty of the gardens and incorporated an all-weather access trail attracting visitors throughout the year

Town Memorials

Design and installation of memorials to commemorate the lives of people living in the local community. Creating secular sites that enable families to visit and enjoy a moment remembering the lives of their loved ones.

Art in your Garden

Supplying a range of imaginative sculptures, stunning photographs and inspirational art forms that add interest and beauty to gardens, patios and conservatories, enhancing the value of residential and commercial properties.

Corporate Sculptures

Working with a variety of materials, we have created a number of design concepts for corporate and public sculptures that reflect local arts, culture and environment.

Community Infrastructure Project – Canford Cliffs

Design and production of decorative art panels containing fused glass and ceramic pieces to improve the appearance of Canford Cliffs High Street.

Sturminster Marshall Platinum Jubilee Trail

The Sturminster Marshall Platinum Jubilee Trail was created to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 and recognise her service to the country. 

A variety of buildings and sites of historical interest were identified through the village and marked by trail markers containing QR codes that link to a website. 

You can view photos and detailed information and download a map that shows the location of 15 trail marker signs from the website at:-https://www.sturminstermarshall.co.uk/

Christchurch Riverside Sculpture Trail

A series of sculptures and art installations on the River Stour that reflect local wildlife and with a theme of ‘River Gods’

Sculpture Park Gallery

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