Human Henge, our archaeology and mental health project in the inspiring ancient landscape of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site, has been awarded a grant to scale up, through a new research programme that will unleash innovative ways to use culture and nature to tackle health disparities.
Scaling Up Human Henge will be a partnership led by Professor Tim Darvill at Bournemouth University, including ourselves, English Heritage, Richmond Fellowship, Rethink and the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. It will look at using prehistoric cultural heritage sites to enhance mental health well-being in marginalized communities.
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is funding 12 new research projects exploring how culture and nature can level up health and wellbeing across the UK.
The programme will see researchers working in collaboration with communities and health partners across the UK.
They will establish how cultural and natural interventions can be placed at the service of public health.
Making ancient monuments and landscapes work to enhance the mental health wellbeing of present-day communities not only gives meaning to the past but also hope for the future.
Through this project we will use aspects of our rich prehistoric heritage to co-create innovative approaches to social prescribing through cultural heritage therapy programmes. Read the full article here.
📷 Yvette Staelens
Restoration Trust 