Skip to content Skip to navigation

Health and Wellbeing

Visit your local museum for culture, learning, socialising and more.

Ways to wellbeing

Museums and galleries were created to be centres for learning and wellbeing in their communities. Visiting our museums will help you to connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and even give back to your community.

These are known as the 'Five Ways to Wellbeing', developed by the New Economics Foundation in partnership with Mind the mental health charity.

Connect
Be active
Take notice
Learn
Give

Visit our museums with family, friends or as part of a group, or take part in one of our activities to connect with someone new.

Search What's On

Enjoy walking around our exhibitions or take a stroll outside at Skidby Mill, Hessle Mill and the Chalk Walk, or Sewerby Hall and Gardens.

Plan a visit

Stop to really take in artwork, objects, or architecture, noticing colours, textures, and features.

Investigate our mindful art guides from Beverley Art Gallery.

Mindful audio guides

Take part in a talk, workshop, or tour to find out more about our collections - or have a look at our online exhibitions from the comfort of your own home.

Explore museums online

Become a Friend of Beverley Art Gallery, or explore our opportunities for volunteering.

Visit Get Involved on EastRidingCulture.co.uk

Illustrations of Wellbeing in our Collections

The 'Five Ways to Wellbeing' are illustrated throughout our collections. Find out more in the examples below.

**Image:** 'Birthday Party' by Fred Elwell, 1936

Image: 'Birthday Party' by Fred Elwell, 1936

Connect

Fred Elwell and his wife Mary feature in this painting of a birthday party taking place in Bar House, Beverley.

Also featured are Richard Whiteing, architect of Beverley Minster (wearing a monocle); and Fred's nephew, Kenneth Elwell. Kenneth followed in his uncle's footsteps and became an artist.

This artwork, titled 'Birthday Party', was painted by Fred Elwell in 1936 and is part of the Beverley Art Gallery collection.

Be active

This photograph is part of the Sewerby Hall and Gardens collection. It depicts three ladies enjoying the archery range on the green below the Clocktower Cafe, and probably dates to the period following WWII.

Interestingly, an arrow shaft was found in the water pump house in the car park in 2008. The shaft showed traces of green and blue paint and remnants of feather flights and it was likely to have been used at the archery range in the period 1935-1960.

**Image:** Archery at Sewerby Hall and Gardens, mid-20th century

Image: Archery at Sewerby Hall and Gardens, mid-20th century

**Image:** Saturday Market

Image: Saturday Market

**Image:** Norwood West

Image: Norwood West

**Image:** Beverley Barracks (now Morrisons)

Image: Beverley Barracks (now Morrisons)

**Image:** Minster overhead looking North West

Image: Minster overhead looking North West

Take notice

These 1950s aerial photographs give us a rare insight into what the town of Beverley looked like from above halfway through the last century.

Key features include the Beverley Barracks, home of the former East Yorkshire Regiment in Beverley (now the site of Morrison's supermarket and other shops); the railway crossing at Hull Bridge Road and Norwood, with the Lady De Gros public house (now demolished) and the old signal box; Saturday Market, with a reserved central area for bus parking; the Minster, Eastgate and Wednesday Market.

Learn

Elizabeth Lambert of Beverley (1790 to 1839) painted a host of watercolours celebrating the natural world.

These images show a few of her paintings, which form part of our Treasure House Museum collection and were donated by one of her descendants in 2017.

Elizabeth played the piano at St Mary's Church in Beverley but only took up painting in her 30s - proof that, throughout life, we can continue to make the most of opportunities to learn a new skill.

**Image:** Butterfly 1820s

Image: Butterfly 1820s

**Image:** Apricot and Plum 1820s

Image: Apricot and Plum 1820s

**Image:** Geranium 1820s

Image: Geranium 1820s

**Image:** Iris 1820s

Image: Iris 1820s

**Image:** Card decorated with green satin, dark edging and embroidery

Image: Card decorated with green satin, dark edging and embroidery

**Image:** Elaborate Valentine's day card

Image: Elaborate Valentine's day card

**Image:** Floral card with gold leaf insert

Image: Floral card with gold leaf insert

**Image:** Good Luck card featuring green velvet and chiffon edging

Image: Good Luck card featuring green velvet and chiffon edging

**Image:** Pink velvet and lace Christmas card

Image: Pink velvet and lace Christmas card

**Image:** Valentine's poetry on greetings card

Image: Valentine's poetry on greetings card

Give

Here are some of the many beautiful greetings cards from our collection, all from Victorian and Edwardian times. They are embellished with many different materials, featuring delicate layering, words of greeting, and embroidery.

Initially, greetings cards were expensive, elaborate, handmade and hand-delivered, but by the 1850s they had become a popular and affordable means of communication, due largely to advances in printing, mechanisation, and the introduction of the postage stamp.

Mindful Art Guides

Mindfulness can be beneficial for mental health and wellbeing.

At Beverley Art Gallery, we have worked with Sally Edward from KindMind (external website) to develop ways of engaging mindfully with our artwork.

You can follow one of our online mindful art guides from home or download an audio guide and take it with you to the galley on your phone or MP3 player. Please take your own headphones to respect the experiences of other visitors.

Watch the Mindful Art Playlist on YouTube

Download 'Leonie's Toilet' audio guide (mp3)
Download 'A Panic' audio guide (mp3)
Download 'Self Portrait' audio guide (mp3)
Download 'In the Studio' audio guide (mp3)
Download 'The wreath' audio guide (mp3)

Be happy and well

Want to find more ways to improve your wellbeing? Visit East Riding Health and Wellbeing and search for nearby groups and clubs for sports, activities, creativity and learning new skills. Find local and national services for your health, such as dementia support at home, anxiety and stress, help to quit smoking, losing weight, how to improve wellbeing in the workplace and much more.

Visit HappyAndWell.Me

Libraries

Visit the East Riding Libraries health zone to find even more wellbeing groups and events. Borrow books on prescription for free with your library membership, helping with a range of topics including dementia, anxiety, pain management, and more.

Visit East Riding Libraries