The Restoration Trust

02/01/2026

Founder of Innovative Mental Health and Heritage Charity Honoured

Laura Drysdale, founder of the Restoration Trust, has been honoured in the new year’s honours list. The Restoration Trust is an innovative mental health and heritage charity.
Before founding the Restoration Trust Laura worked in the heritage sector including for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and English Heritage. She coupled this work with an interest and gaining experience in group psychodynamics and support for people with mental health issues.

In 2014 she brought these two aspects of her working life together by founding the Restoration Trust, supported by a committed group of trustees and partners. The Restoration Trust was established to create projects involving participants with moderate to severe mental health challenges using a range of heritage physical sites and materials linked to creativity. Laura lives in Cromer, North Norfolk, and many Restoration Trust projects are based in the county, as well as spreading through England, Wales and Scotland.

When first started the concept of mental wellbeing linked to heritage was virtually unknown: innovation and research into what works has been at the heart of what the Restoration Trust is about since its inception. Now it is increasingly recognised as important both for heritage bodies to strengthen their inclusivity and for improving the mental health of participants.

The Restoration Trust has initiated a much greater focus on what heritage has to offer in terms of supporting mental wellbeing. Its projects explore heritage and creativity through walks, excavations, visits, working with archives and other material, behind-the-scenes tours, music, drama, storytelling, arts, discussion and individual research.

09/12/2025

ANNOUNCEMENT:

The Restoration Trust is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant of £14,900 from the Public Health - Empowering Communities for Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, supported by Norfolk Community Foundation.

This funding will enable our Heritage Linkworker – Heritage for Wellbeing project to continue to provide a range of opportunities experiencing heritage, culture, and the arts, and enable us to provide the Linkworker support required to offer more people more opportunities to connect with Heritage.

The Restoration Trust is an award-winning charity that involves participants who experience mental health challenges in the lives, in heritage and creative projects, so that their mental health improves. From our Norfolk base but with national reach, these person-centred partnerships with heritage, health and academic partners and participants currently support around 45 people who live with mental health and other health challenges.

14/05/2025

Building a Sustainable Restoration Trust round table event at Gressenhall Workhouse Museum today, thank you to all who joined us, a creatively energised and interactive discussion.

12/02/2025

12/02/2025

The ‘Heritage Link Worker – Heritage for Wellbeing’ project run by the Restoration Trust has shown the power of heritage social prescribing and the importance of collaborating with local health and heritage services.
Since 2022 the project has supported over 70 individuals based in the coastal communities of East Anglia, Great Yarmouth, Gorleston, and Lowestoft, by connecting them to local heritage, archaeology, ancient landscapes, historic sites, and archives.

You can find the video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/wavhIVgbiwE

See the NASP blog - Heritage for Wellbeing: connecting people to place through social prescribing – latest blog from National Academy for Social Prescribing | NASP

The Heritage Link Worker - Heritage for Wellbeing project was set up by the Restoration Trust and funded by Historic England. The project has shown the power...