The Museum is collaborating with Exeter City Community Trust to distribute physical activity packs to shielded, vulnerable and isolated people as part of an ongoing effort to help ease lockdown boredom.
The initiative follows on from the institution’s weekly RAMM at Home creative challenge which provides online content aimed at inspiring people to engage in creative activities based on the museum’s collection.
While this has proven popular with digitally savvy audiences, the organisation realised that not everyone it was seeking to support could access this online resource.
A statement from RAMM says the team are “conscious that lockdown is creating a stark digital divide in the UK, with many households having no access to the internet and others reliant on expensive pay-as-you-go services”.
Now, courtesy of its working arrangement with Exeter Community Wellbeing hub and Exeter City Community Trust, physical packs are sent out every week to those most in need.
Each pack comprises three creative activity sheets, a museum word search, some drawing materials and a postcard of an object or painting from RAMM’s collection. The resources, which all adhere to Public Health England guidance for infection control, can be requested via phone or email.
“Vulnerable groups such as elderly people and households with lower incomes often find it difficult to access the wealth of online creative resources that is available at the moment. We also know that some elderly people also do not feel comfortable using online services,” explains Rachel Sutton, lead councillor for climate and culture, Exeter City Council.
“Taking part in creative activities can help people’s wellbeing and mental health and this is more important than ever right now. By offering these physical packs, we are trying to ensure that everyone can benefit from the sense of achievement and connection that doing something creative can bring.”
