Historic England Supports National Social Prescribing Initiative
The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) has announced today 37 projects in England that will benefit from the £1.8 million Thriving Communities Fund.
This Fund is run in partnership with Arts Council England, Historic England, Natural England, NHS England and NHS Improvement, Sport England, the Money & Pensions Service and NHS Charities Together.
Welcoming the announcement, Historic England is encouraging the use of more cultural and heritage projects alongside nature, sport, health and financial support to benefit the wellbeing of communities most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heritage is all around us – it shapes the character of the places we live and work in and gives us a sense of belonging and identity.
We believe that the award winners will be great advocates for these values and we will continue to work with the National Academy for Social Prescribing to support the successful projects and partnerships in achieving this.
The Thriving Communities programme includes:
- Working with Historic England and other partners to use social prescribing to help tackle loneliness, improve wellbeing and recovery from COVID-19
- Investing in projects that bring together place-based partnerships to improve and increase the range and reach of social prescribing community activities
- Supporting community projects which encourage people to connect with their local heritage and nature, improve green spaces, use art, culture and physical activities to support mental health and address health inequalities.
NASP has also established the Academic Alliance to improve the evidence for the benefits of social prescribing and has launched a Global Alliance with the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Sustainable Goal II and the World Health Innovation Summit to spread the word of social prescribing globally.
