Well-City Salisbury, the wellbeing project helping people with low to medium mental health needs through arts and heritage courses has received £368,135 of funding from National Lottery Community Fund.

Following its first three successful years of delivery, Well-City Salisbury will return in Spring 2025 to build on its work with Salisbury residents thanks to the funding. Bringing together the experience and skills of four Salisbury-based partner organisations; ArtCare, Wessex Archaeology, Wiltshire Creative and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, the project will help people from many different backgrounds access creative sessions delivered by professional artists and practitioners over a three year period, with additional resources developed specifically to reach a much larger online audience.

Well-City Salisbury primarily uses a social prescribing model where participants are referred onto a course by their GP practice, support organisation, community group or school wellbeing team and also welcomes self-referrals. The project is about creating connection – to the arts, the landscape, heritage, community and each other – and provides 10-week long free creative courses for adults and young adults.

In its first three years, Well-City Salisbury delivered 29 creative courses for 191 participants, working with 19 local artists and 18 referral organisations, as well as 53 community events and training 54 individuals in mental health awareness.  In addition, 85% of participants achieved their own identified goals for attending the courses, 99% are likely or very likely to attend another Well-City Salisbury course and 96% are likely or very likely to engage with arts, culture & heritage in the future.

Key aims for the second round of Well-City Salisbury include; to make a positive change to the mental health of everyone involved in the project, for participants to feel like they belong to the Well-City Salisbury community, and to work with new guest delivery partners to expand the offer, widening participation and to reach a more diverse audience.

Leigh Chalmers, who leads the Well-City Salisbury project said:

We’re delighted that Well-City Salisbury can continue for another 3 years thanks to the support of the National Lottery Community Fund.  This means we can build upon our successes from the first 3 years and present participants with more opportunities to engage with the project. We can’t wait to welcome people back and to reach out to new people who might be interested in getting involved.
 

Dr Stuart Eve, Chief Executive of Wessex Archaeology, said: “Well-City Salisbury is one of those once-in-a-lifetime projects that is born out of a need to effect real change in the lives of our communities. As archaeologists we spend our lives uncovering the past and finding ways to use it to help build a better world. The initial project has clearly shown that engagement with heritage can not only enrich people's lives, but also create new relationships, skills and opportunities for the Salisbury community and beyond. As a major employer in Salisbury, it is an absolute privilege to be able to continue the Well-City Salisbury project and to use our specialist knowledge, collections and enthusiasm to continue helping and caring for the people of Salisbury.” 

ArtCare Exhibitions Coordinator, Lesley Self said: “Thanks to the continued support of the National Lottery we are able to develop our offer to support people at Salisbury District Hospital and in the community with their mental health and wellbeing”.

Rosa Corbishley, Executive Director of Wiltshire Creative, said: “I am delighted that the exceptional project Well-City has secured further funding to deliver another three years of impactful programme. Supporting the mental wellbeing and creativity of our communities is at the heart of Wiltshire Creative's mission. We look forward to working with our partners across the city to ensure more people can live happy and healthier lives and create the space to explore their own history and stories”.

Damian Haasjes, Director of Education and Wellbeing, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, added: “Wiltshire Wildlife Trust are proud to be a partner with Well-City Salisbury as we know first-hand what a positive impact Well City programmes have on improving people's mental health and wellbeing.  This partnership is a natural extension of the wellbeing work undertaken by the Trust and we are looking forward to supporting but Well City and the people of Salisbury”.

For more information on Well-City Salisbury and how to participate or support the project, please visit Home - Well-City Salisbury

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Notes to Editors:

About Wessex Archaeology:

Bringing together leading minds and practitioners in the sector, Wessex Archaeology is a trusted archaeology and heritage service provider and educational charity. From our network of international offices, we work in partnership with our clients to deliver sustainable solutions to manage the historic environment - above ground, below ground and underwater. We are committed to our social impact. This means using the knowledge and connections we make through our commercial activities as a catalyst to engage the communities in which we work. Find out more at www.wessexarch.co.uk

About ArtCare:

ArtCare is the arts in health service for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. ArtCare has more than 25 years of experience delivering visual, participatory and environmental projects for patients, visitors and staff at Salisbury District Hospital, as well as projects in other hospitals and health care settings, including mental health. ArtCare aims to bring colour and inspiration to the Trust by delivering a quality arts programme. Find out more at https://artcaresalisbury.uk/

About Wiltshire Wildlife Trust:

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is part of the UK Wildlife Trusts movement and was founded in 1962, driven by a concern to protect local wildlife and natural habitats. Today, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s vision is to create a sustainable future for wildlife and people. We are unique in the county in combining the management of over 40 nature reserves and working with local communities to provide educational and wellbeing activities, and to promote sustainable living. The Trust is supported by over 23,000 members and more than 1,000 volunteers. For more information about the Trust, please visit www.wiltshirewildlife.org 

About Wiltshire Creative:

Wiltshire Creative is a pan-arts organisation that brings together the energy and ambition of Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury International Arts Festival and Salisbury Playhouse. It is an ambitious and innovative joint arts offer that secures a bright future for audiences, artists and participants. Wiltshire Creative is rooted in, and draws inspiration from, the city of Salisbury and works beyond its boundaries and draws audiences from across the county and further afield. The creation of new work is at the heart of its programme, as it builds new relationships with audiences, artists and participants. Find out more at www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/about-us/

About The National Lottery Community Fund:

We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.

We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives. 

As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:

1. Come together

2. Be environmentally sustainable

3. Help children and young people thrive

4. Enable people to live healthier lives.

Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute over £600 million a year through 13,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life. 

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £49 billion has been raised and more than 690,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.