Investing in heritage for wellbeing
What is wellbeing?
We use evidence from the What Works Centre, which describes wellbeing as ‘how we’re doing’ – on an individual level, community level and collectively across the UK, and how sustainable that is for the future.
Wellbeing sums up our feelings of contentment, enjoyment and self-confidence which leads to strong relationships and engagement with the world around us.
Heritage is about that feeling of belonging, knowing that this is your place and understanding how your history fits within wider history. It is a part of being human.
Laura Drysdale, Director of the Restoration Trust, leading on the Water Mills and Marshes Landscape Partnership project.
Heritage’s role in wellbeing
Heritage can build connectedness to where you live, to people around you or to a community online. It can support individual confidence and self-esteem, and provide opportunities to be mentally and physically active.
Heritage can also help us find meaning and purpose in our lives. Both are significant aspects in how we experience wellbeing.
Examples include:
- volunteering activities at heritage sites to combat loneliness
- visiting land and nature to get some fresh air and improve mental health
- creative courses or learning opportunities to build knowledge and skills – such as museum collection handling sessions
- co-producing heritage events, for example young people-led activities at heritage sites
Find out more in our wellbeing guidance.
Here are some of the inspirational projects we’ve funded from across the UK that support wellbeing. If you've got an idea, we'd love to hear from you.

Projects
The Gardeners' House: connecting people with nature
A new green community heritage hub has opened in Penzance, housing 200 years of Cornwall’s natural heritage and a sensory garden.

Projects
Outdoors for All: supporting South Asian communities in Glasgow
The founders of Boots and Beards are using their love for Scotland’s outdoors to bring together the wider South Asian community.

News
£20million awarded to six projects that connect people with natural heritage

Projects
Connecting people and nature on the South Downs
Changing Chalk is restoring rare chalk grassland and helping local communities reconnect with the area’s rich natural and cultural heritage.

Projects
Wild Mind LGBTQ+ natural heritage wellbeing workshops
The Wild Mind Project is restoring a neglected green space in Brighton through nature programmes for the young LGBTQ+ community.

Projects
Reviving the first cottage hospital in England
Led by Cranleigh Heritage Trust, this project will transform Cranleigh Cottage Hospital into a multi-purpose heritage and wellbeing community hub.

Projects
The Hidden Heritage of Wellbeing in the Community: co-creating oral histories of mental health care
Nottingham’s Middle Street Resource Centre celebrated 50 years of service by recording stories from its community with researchers at Nottingham Trent University.

Projects
Chalk, Cherries and Chairs – Working together for the Chilterns
Over five years, the Chilterns Conservation Board worked with partners to engage communities, celebrate the rich heritage of the area and enhance habitats and wildlife.

Projects
Saughton Park restoration project
The improved historic park in the south west of Edinburgh provides vital support for the community's wellbeing.

Projects
Sickle Cell Stories - Then and Now: Plasma of Hope
The Sickle Cell Stories project is capturing and sharing stories of sickle cell disease in the west midlands, paving the way for positive change.

News
£15million to help put nature at the heart of our towns and cities

Stories