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Description of initiative
The Restoration Trust is an award-winning charity that uses heritage and creativity to improve people’s mental health. Exploring the compelling histories of patients in 19th century lunatic asylums, or sensory immersion in mysterious ancient landscapes reignites people’s curiosity and love of life. Refocusing early intervention and prevention away from institutions and into communities overcomes systematic exclusion from amazing cultural assets that belong to us all. Weaving partnerships and groups into new communities has long term impacts on people and places. Participants are equal partners, so we highlight their interest and skills through meaningful involvement. They call this Culture Therapy, and they want it to be everyday good practice by 2027. In 2020/21 their projects:
- supported 108 people who live with serious mental health challenges on low income, with 47 people being regular attenders
- delivered 122 sessions, lasting from 1 to 3 hours, both online and in person
- provided experience for 13 volunteers, including peer volunteers and students
- contracted 65 people, including facilitators, experts, creative professionals, mental health professionals, support workers, musicians, artists, researchers
- involved collaboration with 17 cultural, mental health and research partners.
Recent and current projects include:
- Burgh Castle Almanac, a partnership with the Broads Authority, Access Community Trust and Norfolk Archaeological Trust, exploring a Roman fort for learning, creativity and community.
- Dr Hills' Casebook, a partnership with Norfolk Record Office, South Norfolk Council and UpShoot Theatre, researching and creating a new play about living with mental illness in the late 19th century and today.
- Human Henge, a partnership with English Heritage, Richmond Fellowship and Bournemouth University, that creatively engages mental health service users with the ancient and natural landscape of Stonehenge on- and off-line.
- Scaling Up Change Minds, with 6 archive services, including The National Archives, building an online Change Minds resource hub, testing it with 12-session Change Minds programmes in the archive services, and researching wellbeing for up to 84 participants.
- Heritage Link Worker project is a partnership with Historic England piloting a specialist social prescribing link worker post in Great Yarmouth and Waveney to connect people using social prescribing services with local heritage assets and experiences.
- other projects include Like Minds Norfolk, Stay In Touch (online drop-in), Conservation for Wellbeing.
Recently the Baring Foundation commissioned them to produce a report called Creatively Minded and Heritage, with an introduction and best practice case studies from across the UK.
Themes: Culture and...
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Results, benefits, impact and lessons learnt
Research is core to their mission of making culture therapy an everyday part of the offer to people with serious mental health problems. During 2021/22 they commissioned evaluations by Jane Willis (Willis Newson) for Burgh Castle Almanac and Human Henge Online; Prof. Karen McArdle (Aberdeen University) for Dr Hills’ Casebook; Daisy Rubinstein with Dr Linda Thomson (University College London) for Conservation for Wellbeing. Evaluation of Like Minds Norfolk is being carried out by Norfolk Libraries and Information Service using Narrative Inquiry.
Research supported their view that the culture therapy model is robust and scalable. The inclusion ethos is evidenced as effective, as is partnership structure for projects. The
heritage focus on ancient landscapes, local history and archives, with creativity being integral to all projects is beneficial and innovative.