Through my work, including hosting an event in Parliament with ART27 Scotland just last week, I’ve seen first-hand how access to culture, creativity and community life improves mental health, reduces isolation, strengthens social cohesion and supports lifelong learning. Culture is not a privilege, rather a preventative measure that helps people long before they reach crisis point, and in doing so supports our health and public services too.

It’s now 10 years since the UN Sustainable Development Goals and 15 years since the Christie Commission. We’ve talked a lot about embedding wellbeing and sustainability in decision-making — but we haven’t gone far enough.

This is a pivotal moment to turn that ambition into action, embed wellbeing across government, and make a real cultural shift in how we shape policy for the future.