Jōbu – working out for charity

2021-07-27T16:37:44+01:00

Bruce Eley, founder of Jōbu, tells us about how he founded the social enterprise, and about the 'nudges' which can help motivate people to exercise. Why workout for charity? As a believer in how outdoor social physical activity can help people’s physical, mental and social wellbeing I set out on a mission with my son  to study how we can motivate people from all backgrounds and abilities to more active more often.  Luckily, University of Bath is on our doorstep. We ran into Dr Gareth Wiltshire who helped us dive into the realm of research studies and social science. We [...]

Jōbu – working out for charity2021-07-27T16:37:44+01:00

Sport on! Sunderland’s Social Prescribing Partnership’s approach to physical activity

2021-07-20T12:52:50+01:00

Sunderland’s Thriving Communities partnership is always looking at ways to push the boundaries when it comes to movement and sport. We all know the physical and mental health benefits and have seen first-hand the improvements that physical activity can have on individual and community health. Sunderland Social Prescribing Manager, Vicki Kennedy says: ‘We want to continually challenge the norms around ageing and disability and have been testing creative innovative physical activities for everyone. We’ve programmed silent disco’s for children with special educational needs and disabilities, dance for those at risk of trips and falls and last year even [...]

Sport on! Sunderland’s Social Prescribing Partnership’s approach to physical activity2021-07-20T12:52:50+01:00

Green social prescribing pilot gets people back outdoors in Plymouth

2021-07-20T12:19:11+01:00

As part of the Green Social Prescribing project in Plymouth, Argyle Community Trust are currently delivering a range of weekly activities which aim to encourage people from the local community to become more physically active and get back into the great outdoors. The project is based in the largest park in Plymouth, Central Park, which has a range of types of nature, as well as sports and recreation opportunities for all interests. There are a variety of activities provided to ensure a wide cross section of the local community can be engaged with including older people at risk [...]

Green social prescribing pilot gets people back outdoors in Plymouth2021-07-20T12:19:11+01:00

Freedom to Be – supporting shielding patients with creativity

2021-07-13T12:57:02+01:00

The Freedom to Be programme was rapidly co-designed and delivered by the Free Space Project in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, in response to an urgent request by two GPs to support “shielding” patients in Camden. These patients were defined at being at high risk of complications if they were to contract Coronavirus, and therefore extremely vulnerable and were required to shield and self-isolate. The Free Space Project are the in-house arts and community charity based within Kentish Town Health Centre in London. The charity came together with GPs across two of their supporting surgeries to creatively [...]

Freedom to Be – supporting shielding patients with creativity2021-07-13T12:57:02+01:00

Cycle Happy – getting people back on their bikes

2021-07-13T12:36:13+01:00

Stephen Matthews, Founder of Cycle Happy, tells us how he came up with the idea and what the charity hopes to achieve. I came up with the idea of Cycle Happy during the second lockdown of the Covid 19 pandemic. Cycle Happy is a registered charity offering cycling activities to improve health and wellbeing, forming a small but important part of a person’s wellbeing plan by offering the support for people to enter the outdoors in a structured and safe way. Cycling for me was an activity that was linked to my childhood, but I re-found my love [...]

Cycle Happy – getting people back on their bikes2021-07-13T12:36:13+01:00

Pilot programme in Southwark & Merton shows significant need for cross-sector working to support social prescribing

2021-07-13T11:47:44+01:00

Carly Annable-Coop, programme manager at Performing Medicine, an initiative from charity Clod Ensemble, provides art-based workforce training programmes across the health and social care sector.   As interest, awareness and certainly the need for social prescribing becomes ever more important, as does the need to connect the different professional groups involved, and to facilitate access to a rich array of arts and cultural social prescribing offers, Performing Medicine recently led a successful pilot project across the London boroughs of Southwark and Merton in which we scoped, designed and delivered a workforce development programme for the three professional groups involved in social prescribing [...]

Pilot programme in Southwark & Merton shows significant need for cross-sector working to support social prescribing2021-07-13T11:47:44+01:00

Dr Hills’ Casebook – combining heritage, arts and wellbeing through creative activities

2021-06-09T16:24:46+01:00

The Restoration Trust began the Dr Hills' Casebook project at the beginning of May 2020, connecting with people wanting to find out more about participating in a project that combined heritage, arts and wellbeing focused through creative activities.  By early July 2020 thirteen people, many of whom were referred through the South Norfolk & Broadland Councils – Community Connectors social prescribing service, had signed up to take part in Dr Hills Casebook, all of whom are participants still engaged to date.   Dr Hills' Casebook, is a project that combines history, mental health, creative writing and theatre. A partnership between the Restoration Trust, Norfolk Record Office, South Norfolk Council and UpShoot Theatre Company. It [...]

Dr Hills’ Casebook – combining heritage, arts and wellbeing through creative activities2021-06-09T16:24:46+01:00

Musical Memories – Elevenses

2021-06-09T16:01:49+01:00

Established in 2016 Musical Memories is a not for profit organisation based in Ryedale North Yorkshire,  created to give older people the opportunity to sing together and enjoy each other’s company with the aim of combatting loneliness and isolation. Never has this been more needed than in the past tumultuous year. When the COVID 19 pandemic struck in March 2020 MM quickly pivoted from delivering live in-person sessions in the community, ‘tooled-up’ and ‘up-skilled’ to create an online service and since then has delivered over 180  livestreamed sessions with over 25,000 views, reaching people in all parts of [...]

Musical Memories – Elevenses2021-06-09T16:01:49+01:00

Advice4Renters – helping private renters across London

2021-06-08T11:46:18+01:00

Advice4Renters are the only advice agency dedicated to private renters across the capital. Supporting Londoners in housing need for over thirty years. Read about their social prescribing services below: What support can social prescribing link workers access for their clients? We have developed a suite of complementary services to support the work of social prescribing including: Support for clients with money worries A mentoring and befriending service How does social prescribing fit into your core work? Our overarching aim is to improve health and wellbeing.  We see at first hand the impact on people’s health from living in [...]

Advice4Renters – helping private renters across London2021-06-08T11:46:18+01:00

Listen on – how listening to music helped me through lockdown

2021-06-01T16:31:34+01:00

Jim Thomas, @Longhouseman Head of Workforce Capacity and Transformation at Skills for Care, tells us how listening to music through lockdown has helped his mental health. If music be the food of wellbeing - listen on. I know my quote is not exactly right, and I’m sure that Shakespeare fans will be bouncing up and down in their chairs but given the traumas of the last year I wanted to share one of the things that’s kept me going through loss, change, frustration, humour, lockdowns and, yes, love too. So why focus on the role of music? Close [...]

Listen on – how listening to music helped me through lockdown2021-06-01T16:31:34+01:00
Go to Top