Creating Space for Everyone: Strengthening Cultural Inclusion with the CIRCLE tool.
New research with older people from minoritised ethnic communities reveals what helps – and hinders – engagement with cultural activities. The freely available CIRCLE tool gives cultural organisations a practical, evidence-based framework to make their offers more inclusive and strengthen social prescribing partnerships.
Primary care is often the first place people turn when they need support. Increasingly, primary health care professionals don’t just offer medical treatment; they connect people to community activities and support, often through employees called social prescribing link workers. This might include connections to local art groups, music sessions, museums, or creative workshops.
Taking part in cultural and creative activities can boost mental health, reduce loneliness, build confidence, and improve overall wellbeing (1, 2). Yet access to these opportunities is not equal. Long-standing barriers mean some communities are less likely to take part or feel they belong. At the same time, many cultural organisations genuinely want to make their work more inclusive but are unsure what practical steps will make a difference.
The CIRCLE tool was developed to address that gap
In this post, I share how our team, alongside members of the public and cultural sector providers, developed a new tool that has the potential to improve the way cultural organisations understand their communities and make their activities more inclusive. Below, we outline our research-based approach, key findings, and explain how you can access this freely available tool.
The problem: not everyone benefits equally
While cultural social prescribing is growing, participation is not evenly spread. People living in poverty, from minoritised ethnic communities, disabled or older adults, and those experiencing isolation often face practical and social barriers that make it harder to take part (3, 4).
What we learned from the TOUS study
The TOUS study was a realist evaluation that explored how older people from global majority communities experience cultural activities, what helps them engage, and what barriers they may face.
The study found that initial engagement is supported by three key elements:
- A broker – a trusted person or organisation who helps individuals to take the first step into a cultural space or setting
- A hook – an activity that feels relevant, appealing and meaningful
- An opportunity – the right time, with practical routes to participation
To sustain engagement, our data suggested that cultural offers need to provide:
- A sense of safety and trust
- Personal meaning for participants
- Genuine power sharing between participants and organisations
The research showed that cultural engagement can lead to:
- Immediate benefits, such as enjoyment and respite from everyday pressures
- Intermediate benefits, including building relationships and social connections
- Longer-term, transformative benefits for individuals and for society, linked to sustained involvement over time
We found there was no research-based, shared framework to help health and cultural partners talk about and plan inclusion in a practical, structured way.
That is why we developed the CIRCLE tool.
CIRCLE: turning evidence into practical support
We designed the CIRCLE (Cultural Inclusion, Reflection, Collaboration, Learning & Practice Engagement) tool to help organisations reflect on who feels welcome in their setting and who is missing. It aims to support cultural providers to create inclusive and psychologically safe spaces. The tool includes stories from the research, practical examples, and prompts for reflective team discussion. It provides a practical framework for planning, measuring impact, and strengthening funding applications for inclusive engagement
Why this matters for cultural organisations
CIRCLE can help to:
Identify – which communities are being missed and why
Plan – ways to include them
Overcome – how to tackle engagement challenges
Evaluate – track progress
Fund – support applications to work with underserved groups
The tool helps organisations identify strengths, spot gaps, and plan realistic changes. It also creates a shared language between the cultural sector, health care, and other partners such as commissioners.
Why this matters for policy, practice and the public
For primary care, CIRCLE builds confidence that patients are referred to opportunities, through social prescribing, which are genuinely accessible and supportive.
For policymakers and commissioners, it offers a practical way to ensure investment in cultural social prescribing that seeks to reduce health inequalities rather than reinforcing them.
For the public, it increases the chance of finding welcoming, relevant and affordable cultural spaces where people can experience the health and wellbeing benefits of creativity.
As health systems face growing pressure, and prevention becomes a priority, cultural social prescribing holds real promise, but only if inclusion is built in from the start.
Developed through real-world cultural and community partnerships, CIRCLE is a practical step toward ensuring the benefits of arts and culture are accessible to all, not just some.
Next steps to impact
We are currently planning a follow-on evaluation study testing the CIRCLE tool in real-world settings so please get in touch if you are interested in working with us.
How can I find out more and access the tool?
Join us at the CIRCLE Launch
📍 Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
📅 Weds 18 March | 12:00–14:00
Be among the first to explore the free, interactive CIRCLE tool and see how it can expand inclusive cultural offers and strengthen social prescribing.
At this special launch event, you will:
- Experience the benefits of a cultural space first-hand through short, guided creative activities in the museum
- See a live demonstration of the CIRCLE tool in action
- Hear how CIRCLE can support and enhance your own work
- Connect with others across culture, health, and community sectors
- Enjoy drinks and nibbles in an inspiring setting
Free to attend but please register here:
If you cannot attend the event but are interested in accessing the CIRCLE tool please get in touch: debra.westlake@phc.ox.ac.uk
Debra Westlake is a Senior Researcher at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences investigating social prescribing. Follow her on @debwestlake.bsky.social, Linked in . Email debra.westlake@phc.ox.ac.uk
The TOUS study mentioned in this blog was funded by a grant from UK Research and Innovation (MR/Y010000/1). The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the funder or the author’s host institution.
1. Fancourt D. Art cure : the science of how the arts transform our health. London: Cornerstone Press; 2026.
2. Gorenberg J, Tierney S, Wong G, Turk A, Libert S, Potter C, et al. Understanding and Improving Older People's Well-Being through Social Prescribing Involving the Cultural Sector: Interviews from a Realist Evaluation. J Appl Gerontol. 2023;42(7):1466-76.
3. Department for Culture Media and Sport. Participation in the arts, culture and heritage. 2024.
4. Centre for Ageing Better. Inequalities in later life. 2024.