Reading museum‘s strategy towards the environment and well-being has developed as a direct result of the Happy Museum project and represents our commitment to be a museum that places these concerns at the centre of everything we do, but we cannot achieve this in isolation; we want to keep the momentum going. We recognise that such reflective practice will need continuing support and input from the Happy Museum community and we will value the peer support and challenge that affiliation would bring.

I think of it as an allotment, the town of Reading is my Museum’s patch, and by going back to the communities we have built relationships with, we will be double digging, deepening the dialogue, putting good things back into the top soil and nourishing the grass roots. The Happy Museum affiliate scheme will be like having fellow gardeners around, we can share tips on how to get things growing.

Building soft power in Reading