The York Archaeology (YA) Nottingham Office has been awarded funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to host a series of hands-on sessions designed to engage Nottingham City and County residents in archaeological and heritage-based activities. They want to showcase how such activities can improve health and well-being, foster new social connections, and improve self-esteem and confidence through the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. This work links in with our own Heritage Buddies project, which you can read more about here.
The YA Nottingham Office has over 50 years of experience excavating in Nottinghamshire and delivering archaeological engagement to people who live, work, and visit here. Their knowledge of the archaeological heritage of the area is unparalleled. For the past few years, the YA York Office has been delivering an Archaeology on Prescription project in the City of York with unprecedented levels of success. They have engaged with participants from York’s diverse communities, who have enjoyed the health and wellbeing benefits of taking part and uncovering stories about where they live. This innovative social prescribing project was recognised as the Community Project of the Year in 2022 by the National Museum and Heritage Awards. It is hoped that they can spread the word about the importance of heritage within health and wellbeing and create sustainable Nottinghamshire-based projects in the future!
The main aim of the project is to evaluate how a larger wellbeing or socially prescribed project would work in the area. Over the course of two months in autumn 2024, the project will collaborate with various groups within the county or city, offering a diverse range of activities for participants to engage in. These activities will involve hands-on experiences such as handling archaeological finds, interpreting and illustrating them, photography, exploring historical maps and archives, and identifying and documenting local historic buildings.
If you are a local group interested in hosting one of these heritage sessions, please get in contact; they would love to hear from you!
Please contact either Laura Parker at lparker@yorkat.co.uk or Ian Milstead at ianmilsted@yorkat.co.uk.
