How to describe Well-City Salisbury? A cross-sector partnership project, a model for social prescribing, a community connector, a place to bring artists together to mentor and support, an organisation that puts participants right at the heart of all of its decision making. All of these statements are true.
Now in its fifth year, Well-City Salisbury is a project about connection. Connection to the arts, to heritage, to the landscape, to the community and to each other.
Well-City Salisbury is a cross-sector partnership project led by Wessex Archaeology in partnership with ArtCare, Wiltshire Creative and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. This social prescribing project works with local artists and experts to use the arts and creativity to support adults and young adults in Salisbury and the surrounding area to improve mental health and wellbeing, build confidence, reduce loneliness and social isolation.
Using heritage, the arts, culture and nature as inspiration, the project delivers free 10-week creative courses. These are designed to give people a chance to learn, nurture their creativity, meet new people in a safe and supportive environment, and connect with their local community heritage and culture.
All of our courses are slightly different, covering different topics, and exploring a variety of creative skills, each drawing on the strengths and resources of the partner organisations to bring unique opportunities and access to participants. Courses take place in a mix of safe settings both inside, outside, and online including partner venues, artist studios, cultural sites, and green and blue spaces.
Through these courses, we aim to foster creativity, connection, and empower participants to explore and express themselves in a supportive, welcoming environment, all of which are known to have beneficial effects on mental health.
This course has proven to be a valuable escape.
Beyond the courses there are also opportunities for participants to stay involved in the project through monthly workshops such as art club, open studio space, training, research opportunities, and steering groups. Together these additional opportunities allow participants to stay connected to the project, keep creativity flowing, help shape the future delivery of the project, and most importantly each other.
And each year, we come together for a special celebration and exhibition to showcase participants’ work and celebrate the collective impact of the project on the community.
The project primarily uses a model where participants are referred to or signposted onto a course by their GPs, social prescribers, or local third sector groups such as Carers Support or The Job Centre. Working with over 20 referring organisations and 87 individual referrers from a wide range of organisations ensures the project reaches as diverse an audience as possible. We also welcome self-referrals if that route doesn’t work for people and where they currently are on their wellbeing journey.
Now I’ve done this I want to do more of it because I know it works.
The project is evaluated by external evaluators and participants are invited to take part in reflecting on their experiences and wellbeing through a variety of tools designed and developed with direct feedback from those who have taken part in previous courses. Participants in the project cite a range of wellbeing benefits, from increased confidence, a sense of accomplishment and reduced feelings of loneliness and isolation to providing an emotional relief or distraction from intrusive or anxious thoughts.
The wider impacts of the project are still being measured but participation in the project has delivered meaningful results with participants returning to work, coming off medication or making fewer trips to the GP.
Alongside the positive benefits for participants, Well-City Salisbury also supports the artists and creative practitioners we work with. By supporting and nurturing artists, creative practitioners and facilitators to build confidence and develop their practice and skills in working with people with mental health needs. This includes opportunities for shared learning, peer to peer support, networking where artists can support each other and grow their practice. In doing this, Well-City Salisbury helps strengthen the local creative community in Salisbury and surrounding areas.
It felt a great privilege, and it felt fantastic to be part of a friendship group and to be accepted without judgement.
Running since 2021, Well-City Salisbury was awarded a further three years of funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. This generous support will see this first-of-its-kind social prescribing project continue till March 2028.
