Kirsty Ballard, the scheme’s cultural outreach manager, said: “Most of [the paintings] are 20th Century or 21st Century artworks largely by British artists which were all intended to be shared in non-museum spaces.
“So many studies have shown that actually having access to art and culture improves your well-being, and it just brings joy to people – you can see it in their faces.”
Ms Ballard said all the paintings available for loan would be insured.
“We recognise that with a project such as this there may be accidents, and that’s okay,” she added.
“We have kind of accepted that.
“This collection was always intended to be shared in non-museum spaces and it’s much more important to us that we share it than keep it in the stores.”
The scheme, funded from a part of a £750,000 Arts Council England grant, also allows for people to arrange for council volunteers to bring objects from the museum collection for activity sessions in their homes.
