Feel well with culture

In Gamla Linköping, we began a project Må bra med kultur (Feel Well with Culture) in 2012. The most important aspect of this project has been our work with the gardens with the aim being to highlight the positive impact and importance of culture on health. The concept of culture includes creative and artistic expression, but also nature and the environment, including our historic gardens.

Feel Well with Culture is a series of at least eight sessions when we welcome a group of people with mild, often stress-related, mental illness. They come to the museum and stay with us for a morning and help with the maintenance of one of our gardens, called Täppan. This garden is an experience garden accessible for everyone, with the height of the cultivation beds adapted to different disabilities so that people can work at ground level or be seated or standing. The paths are wide enough to enable easy access for those who use a wheelchair or are visually impaired. The garden is also located in a quiet and secluded place.

During the session we do not talk about illnesses, but focus on the aspects of wellbeing. People choose for themselves how they want to participate with some wanting to chat to someone with similar experience to themselves. Others may prefer to be quiet and work alone.

We are not given any background information about the participants, which has its pros and cons. In some cases, it would be useful for us to have an understanding of a person’s illness prior to their visit. We find that a maximum of 7 people in each group creates a safe working space, without too many people and allowing staff to interact with everyone satisfactorily. Some of the participants have previous experience with gardening, while some lack it completely.

There are many benefits to the project beyond the positive health outcomes. We get help in maintaining our gardens to a high standard. Many of the participants may never have been to the museum before, so we have been able to reach a new target group. We also spread knowledge about traditional plants and many participants have gained an increased interest in cultivation.