Search
Contact Us
  • Last updated: November 14th 2024
Connection
Health & Wellbeing
Click here to go to the Strategy Hub

MGS hosts discussion on museum sector support for health and wellbeing

Groups of adults are seated around three large white tables, engaged in discussion.

Representatives of cultural, healthcare, and third sector organisations gathered at Glasgow Women’s Library last week for an MGS roundtable discussion on the Health & Wellbeing priority area of Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy. 

In sessions chaired by Ruthanne Baxter, Civic Engagement Manager (Heritage Collections) at the University of Edinburgh, attendees exchanged ideas and identified ways in which the museum sector could support the wellbeing of communities across Scotland. Through a series of group discussions, the event aimed to promote mutual understanding between sectors and explore opportunities for collaboration on a national scale. 

Presentations from Manira Ahmad, Chief Officer of Public Health Scotland, Richard McBrearty, Curator at the Scottish Football Museum, and Dr Neil McIntyre of the University of Glasgow highlighted the value of preventative, collaborative, and culture-driven approaches to health and social care provision for the benefit of the community. 

The ideas and insights gathered at this event will inform the strategic direction of the health and wellbeing development support we offer to Scotland’s museums and galleries. A ‘critical friends’ group will be established to ensure continued progress in this area, with further discussions planned for Scotland’s Museums and Galleries Strategy Symposium in February 2025. 

A woven rainbow decoration displayed next to a small white card. A rainbow pin badge is attached to the card. Printed onto the card are the NHS Highland logo, a rainbow, and the text "Thank you".
Advice topic
Health & Wellbeing
These guides show how museums and galleries can have a positive impact on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of their audiences.
Museums and Health and Wellbeing Impact Report
Our report, Museums, health and wellbeing: How Scotland's museums make us healthier and happier, provides a summary of the impact that museums have on wellbeing as well as a range of case studies from across the sector.
An adult with long blonde hair and their back turned to the camera looks out from a first-floor balcony inside a long hall. The hall has a pointed wooden roof supported by slender white metal pillars.
Blog post
Focus On: Health & Wellbeing
Read the resources in this guide to find out how Scotland's museums and galleries can have a positive impact on the mental and physical health of their communities.