Culture and Wellbeing
In York, it is our ambition that the city is recognised nationally for its innovative work in culture for health and wellbeing, including social prescribing, which residents can benefit from throughout their lives.
Visual and performing arts in healthcare environments help to reduce sickness, anxiety and stress, while arts therapies can alleviate anxiety, depression and stress while increasing resilience and wellbeing: music therapy, for example, has been shown to reduce agitation and need for medication in 67% of people with dementia. The UK Theatre and the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) recently found “that theatres generate an annual cost saving to the NHS of £102,234,585, by helping benefit the physical and mental health of those in their surrounding communities.”
Through York’s Creative Future, the York Culture Strategy 2020-2025, we are working to ensure that:
- York establishes an innovative and comprehensive system for social prescribing using arts and heritage engagement, to improve the health and wellbeing of York residents
- Social prescribing provides a support route for young people facing mental health issues
- Evidence indicates improved engagement and less isolation for vulnerable older people
- Enhanced data collection demonstrates the impact the arts and heritage have on people’s health and wellbeing
- There is increased leverage of external investment to support the arts and heritage for health and wellbeing
- York is recognised nationally and internationally as a leader in the field in the arts and heritage for health and wellbeing arena
For more information, please read the full strategy here.
Cultural Wellbeing Grants
Make It York and City of York Council award annual wellbeing grant funding to social and cultural initiatives across the city. The grants, made available via the Better Care Fund, were set up in recognition of the impact the coronavirus pandemic had on people’s wellbeing – through shielding, self-isolation and social distancing.
After the success of the first round of grants in 2020, a further £60,000 was awarded in August 2021 to 19 projects around York, in partnership with York CVS, putting two funds together to create a simpler application process. The third round of grants were awarded in July 2022.
Read about the 2021 projects in their case studies below, being published throughout Summer 2022:
Cultural Wellbeing Grant supports Foss Fairy Trail
As part of York’s Culture Strategy, Make It York, York CVS, and City of York Read More
Cultural Wellbeing Grant Supports Wilberforce Trust
As part of York’s Culture Strategy, Make It York, York CVS, and City of York Read More
Cultural Wellbeing Grant Supports Pilot Theatre
As part of York’s Culture Strategy, Make It York, York CVS, and City of York Read More
Cultural Wellbeing Grant Supports Artery for Health
As part of York’s Culture Strategy, Make It York, York CVS, and City of York Read More
Cultural Wellbeing Grant Supports Thunk-It Theatre
As part of York’s Culture Strategy, Make It York, York CVS, and City of York Read More
Cultural Wellbeing Grant Supports Movers and Shakers Project
As part of York’s Culture Strategy, Make It York, York CVS, and City of York Read More
Information and Opportunities
There are a wide variety of Culture and Wellbeing opportunities in York. These include:
An information and advice community website for adults.
An up-to-date list of community activities that are COVID-ready.
Find out more about some of the projects and opportunities happening around Culture and Wellbeing in York:
- Accessible Arts & Media: iMuse project, which is a 1-to-1 therapeutic multi-sensory experience.
- City of York Council and York Museums Trust: House of Memories is a partnership between the City of York Council, York’s cultural institutions and the Museum of Liverpool. House of Memories is a digital application which supports people living with memory loss to connect with family and carers through museum objects which prompt memories and emotion. The partners have produced a York Memories download that highlights key part of the City’s living memory which include our confectionary industries, sport and rural life.
- Converge (York St John University): provides courses for adults who use mental health services, including around visual arts, creative writing, film and media, music, theatre and performance and academic skills.
- Explore York: have put together an excellent list of resources around health and wellbeing.
- National Centre for Early Music: Cuppa and a Chorus, connecting people through singing.
- National Centre for Early Music: I Can Download and Play! are sessions facilitating music-making with deaf children and young people
- Pilot Theatre: The Happiness Project, putting together a Creative Wellbeing Toolkit for Everyday Life, with and for the LGBTQIA+ community.
- York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: The Culture Club, an online resource of inspiring arts and creative activities to support staff wellbeing. The Arts in Hospitals page, which highlights new exhibitions, musicians, artists and project.
A community website for families, children and young people, offering information, advice and wellbeing opportunities.
The Cultural Commissioning Partnership’s Role
Alongside City of York Council and Make It York, the principal partner in delivering the Culture Strategy’s objects for Culture and Wellbeing is the Cultural Commissioning Partnership (CCP). The CCP includes representation from Accessible Arts & Media, City of York Council, Converge (York St John University), Explore York Libraries & Archives, The Guild of Media Arts, Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Make It York, National Centre for Early Music, National Railway Museum, Pilot Theatre, Tang Hall Big Local, York Archaeological Trust, York CVS, York Museums Trust, York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and York Theatre Royal.
The aim of the CCP is to support the work of the culture sector in York in delivering health and wellbeing outcomes as framed around the ambitions, objectives and outcomes of York’s Culture Strategy.
For more info, please contact culture@makeityork.com