Community, health and wellbeing groups around Nottinghamshire can now enjoy free archaeology workshops thanks to a scheme set up by York Archaeology with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. A team from York Archaeology’s Nottingham office will be hosting free Heritage In Mind sessions as part of a pilot scheme to see how archaeology can help improve health and wellbeing.
Heritage In Mind sessions will run over the winter months, and any community group can apply. Participants can get involve with a host of activities, from finds-handling, interpretation, illustration and photography, to investigating local old maps, images and archives, and looking at and recording local historic buildings. The activities have been shown to improve health and wellbeing, foster new social connections and improve self-esteem and confidence through the gaining of new skills and knowledge.
“Our York-based team has been running a national pilot which involves using archaeology to promote health and wellbeing, and has been working with mental health charities, the NHS and community groups. Participants get involved in archaeological activities and investigations, and have reported a significant benefits. It has helped tackle social isolation, fostered an interest in local history and generally improved the sense of wellbeing amongst participants,” comments Laura Parker of York Archaeology. “We believe that this would work fantastically well in Nottingham, so are looking for local groups to sample and evaluate how these free sessions could be introduced here. We’ll take the workshop to one of their regular meetings at absolutely no cost – it should be a great experience for all involved.”
The innovative social prescribing project, known as Archaeology on Prescription, was recognised as the community project of the year 2022 by the National Museum and Heritage Awards following its work in the City of York. York Archaeology’s Nottingham-based hope that it can spread the word of the importance of heritage within health and wellbeing and create sustainable Nottinghamshire-based projects in the future.
As well as taking the workshops out to community groups, York Archaeology will be hosting sessions at the Beeston Canalside Heritage Centre for those who do not have their own venue available.
For more details, please contact Laura Parker by email at [email protected]. More details about the Archaeology on Prescription programme can be found at the York Archaeology Community website.
