Centre for Thriving Places is working with the Royal West of England Academy – Bristol’s oldest public art gallery – to measure, understand and improve wellbeing using our Happiness Pulse data analytics and bespoke wellbeing training. The project began in September 2019 and is focussed on embedding a ‘culture of wellbeing’ in staff training and HR processes. 

Teams at the RWA are measuring their wellbeing through the Happiness Pulse survey and Workplace module, and using the results to inform their bespoke wellbeing training programme. Centre for Thriving Place’s detailed analysis of the Happiness Pulse data is helping to provide an in-depth understanding of what’s already going well and where wellbeing initiatives can support improvement.

Alison Bevan, Director of the RWA, is leading the project and said:

“The RWA has been working with Centre for Thriving Places since 2013 to embed wellbeing at the heart of our organisation. Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we’re at a really exciting moment, poised to undertake the first major upgrade works to our beautiful building for over a century.

We recognise that this time of change has the potential to be stressful for the team, and we want to ensure that everyone has the tools to make it a positive experience. By undertaking wellbeing training and evaluating how everyone feels before, during and after the project, we’ll get real insight into the impact of wellbeing interventions on personal resilience, and hope to ensure that the team is stronger and happier as a result.”

The RWA is often described as one of the most beautiful art galleries in the UK. It is renowned for staging outstanding exhibitions that combine historic masterpieces, often brought to area for the first time, alongside contemporary art by both established and emerging talents. The gallery also runs a vibrant programme of workshops and activities for people of all ages and backgrounds, as well as community outreach projects in some of Bristol’s most deprived communities.

Photo used under Creative Commons license: Enrique Íñiguez Rodríguez