The project:
The Culture and Nature for Wellbeing project sought to provide resources for unpaid carers to access nature, the arts, and heritage.
Working with artist Rachel Petheram (Catkin) and Doddington Hall and Gardens, this collaborative project brought together Every-One, the University of Lincoln, and AgeUK LSL to support carers by providing creative and restorative arts and nature-based activities that enhance wellbeing, foster connection, and offer a space for personal reflection.
Co-production was at the heart of the project, ensuring that carers played a key role in shaping the experience while also having opportunities to reflect on its benefits for themselves and their families. To enable carers to fully participate, AgeUK LSL provided dedicated care for their family members, ensuring they were well-supported while carers engaged in the project's activities.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) worked closely with the project to ensure sustainability, and that the model can be used a blueprint in the future to provide as much support for unpaid carers as possible. Reports from ADASS suggest that burnout is a key component in carer breakdown, and the feedback from those who took part was hugely encouraging when it comes to reducing stress, building a sense of community, and providing carers with opportunities for self-care to promote wellbeing
The outcomes:
In keeping with the priorities of the Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) as launched by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), unpaid carers were centred throughout the co-production process.
The workshops ranged from print-making, to flat lay photographs and foraging, and included a focus on the upskilling of support workers to ensure they could continue to deliver arts, nature, and heritage activities to spread the benefit beyond the participants. To this end a series of online resources were commissioned including guided meditations, mindfulness activities, and an image catalogue.
Evaluation was undertaken by Dr. Robert Dean, Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts & Health at the University of Lincoln in a bespoke approach ranging from standard quantitative outcomes to more in-depth, emotional evaluation which goes beyond conventional written feedback.
The resources:
Please download and use the following PDF resources, and enjoy guided meditations by Catkin.
