Zoë Freedman, Author at National Academy for Social Prescribing

Ageing Better Camden Connects with Older Men

Zoë Freedman2022-04-19T11:05:32+01:00

Jo Stapleton, Ageing Better in Camden, Good Practice Mentor, Outreach Specialist (Age UK Camden). Jo Stapleton shares findings from a Social action research report, commissioned by Age UK Camden, Outreach Service, part of the 2015-March 2022, Ageing Better in Camden programme funded by Lottery Community Fund. The report shines a light on the research undertaken across Camden with 36 older men engaged on the streets, in pubs and living in sheltered housing. The project was created in response to a need to proactively find and engage with the older people ‘no-body knows’ through the outreach service. These were [...]

Ageing Better Camden Connects with Older MenZoë Freedman2022-04-19T11:05:32+01:00

422 Community Hub – reopening an iconic Victorian building

Zoë Freedman2022-04-05T09:10:35+01:00

The Mechanics Institution Public Hall, Library and School was built in an age (1880) before state education. When cholera was endemic, and poverty was rife. Probably inspired by the writings on the Manchester working man by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles. It was the second free public library in England and along with the other facilities transformed the fortunes of numerous generations. It enhanced the work of Sir Edwin Chadwick, born opposite the building, who founded the Poor Laws Board and persuading the Government to pass an Act requiring factory owners to provide 3 hours schooling for working [...]

422 Community Hub – reopening an iconic Victorian buildingZoë Freedman2022-04-05T09:10:35+01:00

Sex and Cancer

Zoë Freedman2022-03-09T09:48:52+00:00

Sex and pleasure are the number one taboo issues for women and non-binary people living with cancer, and unfortunately the shame and stigma prevents people from getting help, putting them at risk of deteriorating physical and mental health. More people are being diagnosed with cancer and survivorship is increasing. With more people living with and beyond cancer, sexual problems as a result of cancer treatment are becoming an increasing issue that needs to be addressed. Cancer, Sex and Intimacy is a support group funded by Macmillan, working to break the silence around sex for women and non-binary people [...]

Sex and CancerZoë Freedman2022-03-09T09:48:52+00:00

Menstrual Cycle Support on Social Prescription

Zoë Freedman2022-03-08T11:51:18+00:00

Kate Shepherd Cohen, Founder and CEO of Menstrual Cycle Support, tells us about the project. We launched our free online Menstrual Cycle Support foundational course in January 2021 through just one primary care network in Cornwall (where our Founder and CEO lives) - it was instantly oversubscribed, with requests from patients and GP surgeries from all over the country (and further afield!) requesting access. Within six months, to meet the demand, Menstrual Cycle Support became available in every GP surgery in the county and this year - thanks to moving the content into a free-lifetime-access and on-demand course [...]

Menstrual Cycle Support on Social PrescriptionZoë Freedman2022-03-08T11:51:18+00:00

Monuments Matter to People in Cornwall

Zoë Freedman2022-02-18T15:26:25+00:00

‘Monuments Matter to People’ is an innovative project run by the Cornwall Area Of Natural Beauty (AONB), piloting wellbeing and social prescribing interventions through engaging with the historic environment in that beautiful region. It is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), with the support of Community Led Local Development. This project is also supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in connection with the AONB’s Monumental Improvement project - a wider initiative, which has been developed in partnership with both Historic England’s Heritage at Risk team and the local voluntary sector to help stabilise 40 scheduled monuments [...]

Monuments Matter to People in CornwallZoë Freedman2022-02-18T15:26:25+00:00

Carers UK’s partnership with Rotary Great Britain & Ireland

Zoë Freedman2022-02-14T10:27:15+00:00

Celebrating Carers UK’s partnership with Rotary Great Britain & Ireland There are an estimated 6.5 million carers in the UK supporting friends, family members or neighbours who are older, disabled or seriously ill. That is 1 in 8 adults. Caring is such an important part of life, it’s simply part of being human. Carers are holding families together, making an enormous contribution to society and saving the economy billions of pounds. Yet many are stretched to the limit – juggling care with work and family life, struggling to make ends meet and often battling with poor health themselves. [...]

Carers UK’s partnership with Rotary Great Britain & IrelandZoë Freedman2022-02-14T10:27:15+00:00

Medley – art, music and nature

Zoë Freedman2022-02-14T10:19:57+00:00

When I started Medley in autumn 2020, my objectives were to explore how art, music and nature can all boost health and wellbeing in different ways, to share these with others, and to combine art, nature and music wherever possible for an intersectional, multi-sensory approach. I have run 3 art for wellbeing projects, produced regular themed Creative Ideas – mainly used by care homes – and write a blog. Medley began as an online initiative partly because of the pandemic, but I plan to continue this way. Covid may be retreating at last, but I believe there's still [...]

Medley – art, music and natureZoë Freedman2022-02-14T10:19:57+00:00

The Land Girls Project

Zoë Freedman2022-02-07T11:47:24+00:00

The Women’s Land Army legacy in the Midlands revived by Borderland Voices The Land Girls project is run by Borderland voices, a small charity based on the border of Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, promoting mental health and wellbeing through engagement with arts and culture. The project is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund with additional match funding from Staffordshire County Council (the ‘People helping People’ fund) and Leek Arts Forum. It is investigating the Women’s Land Army (WLA), 1919-49, and how it changed the local landscape –physically and socially. The Land Girls (members of the wartime Women’s [...]

The Land Girls ProjectZoë Freedman2022-02-07T11:47:24+00:00

‘We Are Undefeatable’ – overcoming barriers to physical activity

Zoë Freedman2022-02-01T12:08:23+00:00

Overcoming barriers to physical activity and how social prescribing could be the solution I’m Michelle Roberts, and I work for a group of health and care charities (The Richmond Group of Charities) overseeing a programme that aims to support people living with long-term conditions to be active. We’re coming to the end of a long, cold January and as is customary at this time of year, many of us have considered creating new habits over the last month; in particular many of us will have toyed with idea of increasing the amount of physical activity we do. For some of [...]

‘We Are Undefeatable’ – overcoming barriers to physical activityZoë Freedman2022-02-01T12:08:23+00:00

FoodCycle – bringing people together to share surplus food and conversation

Zoë Freedman2022-01-19T13:06:25+00:00

The Accelerating Innovation in Social Prescribing community of practice brings together voluntary organisations with national reach who can support social prescribing provision, help address health inequalities, and aid COVID-19 recovery strategies. Part of our Community of Practice, FoodCycle’s Head of Programmes, Karen Hamilton, tells us about the work the charity does to support wellbeing. FoodCycle connects communities by bringing people together to share food and conversation. Week in, week out, thousands of volunteers across the country transform surplus food into healthy, delicious meals for anyone that needs them, no questions asked. Food poverty and loneliness are growing issues, [...]

FoodCycle – bringing people together to share surplus food and conversationZoë Freedman2022-01-19T13:06:25+00:00

Zoë Freedman

About Zoë Freedman