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Email: cws.grcc@nhs.net         Phone: 07738106384
You can self refer to the Community Wellbeing Service by using the telephone details or email above.
Three new team members!

We are pleased to announce that three people have joined our Community Wellbeing Service team. Keep scrolling to read about them!
Leona Smith

I am Leona, the Children and Young Persons Social Prescribing Link Worker in the North Cotswolds. I will be working closely with the surgeries to support children, young people and their families by offering one to one support on non-medical issues that may be affecting their health and wellbeing.

Some of the benefits of Social Prescribing for young people and their families is connecting them to activities that can help reduce the feelings of isolation and loneliness, as well as liaising with schools and other professionals to put in place support where necessary.
Bridget Mangan

I recently joined the GRCC as a Social Prescribing Link Worker, working across five GP Practices that make up the North Cotswolds PCN. My job is to support people who are experiencing complex health issues that may be amplified by social and environmental causes. By giving them time to think about what really matters to them, I support people to construct a plan that puts their priorities at the centre and then connect them with other individuals, local groups, charities and voluntary organisations that share their priorities. This engagement can lead people to feel valued and provide them with a sense of purpose and belonging; it can give people the opportunity to be more physically active as well as mentally stimulated. This, over time, can have a profound, positive impact on their health and is the reason why I am so enthusiastic about this work.

My background is predominantly in the arts. I have worked for over 20 years with Chicken Shed Theatre Company where inclusion, the celebration of difference and the reciprocal giving and receiving of support from peers and fellow performers is embedded in every workshop, project and production. I also spent six years at OPENhouse in Stroud where I worked with young people who had been excluded from mainstream education and with young people who found themselves homeless at a pivotal and transitional point in their lives.

I am delighted to be working in the Social Prescribing field now and to be part of the GRCC team.
Kim Hill

I have recently joined GRCC as the Community Wellbeing Service Social Prescriber for the South Cotswolds. I have previously worked as a community visual artist and educator in Gloucestershire for more than 30 years. I spent eight years working across the county facilitating an arts on prescription project, Artlift and also on a similar project for NHS Bristol. My role as Learning Team Leader for The Wilson, Cheltenham’s Art Gallery and Museum, saw me working with people of all ages in the gallery and with schools and social care providers in the community. As a passionate believer in the benefits of the arts to wellbeing, I continue to paint regularly, often inspired by the landscape of rural Gloucestershire.
Social Prescriber updates
Carol Stockman
 

Happy New Year to you all. 2021 another year bringing us challenges but as some of my clients have said “light at the end of the tunnel” in regard to Covid vaccinations that are now rolling out.

One of the issues that we deal with a lot is ‘loneliness’. We receive many referrals relating to loneliness and social isolation, not just since the arrival of the pandemic and not just older people living alone. It is one of our roles to encourage, empower and motivate clients to bring about change in their general health and wellbeing. A quote I recently came across is from the Dalai Lama “happiness is not something ready-made; it comes from your own actions”. Loneliness brings about unhappiness (and of course impacts on your mental and physical health). So what can we all do to keep the loneliness at bay and help others who are lonely?

Think about what you enjoy, can you still enjoy these interests. Can you plan to start or reconnect with these interests when Covid restrictions are relaxed.  If not, think about alternatives. How about thinking about volunteering when and if you can. What about starting a ‘Happiness Journal’, writing a letter, reconnecting with old friends, move a little more, what are you grateful for (writing down 3 things each day can change our mindset). When it comes to helping others………be kind, non judgemental, spare time for a chat, look out for those vulnerable neighbours, drop a note through the door, wave and chat through the window, post someone a cheery card.

In May last year we had a socially distanced VE day street party organised by one of our older residents. She took it upon herself to knock on everyones door in the street, offering up her idea and we all had a fantastic time. She lives alone, she has long term health conditions, mobility issues, she is 80, she is lonely but SHE brought us all together – bunting, food, music, fizzy stuff and she even organised the brilliant sunshine!

Call us, talk to us. We want to help. We can help.

Until next time, stay safe and well.

Carol
Karen Price
 

Social isolation is the objective physical separation from other people (living alone), while loneliness is the subjective distressed feeling of being alone or separated. It's possible to feel lonely while among other people, and you can be alone yet not feel lonely.

These terms can often mistakenly be deemed as the same but what is ultimately important, is that either can affect any age demographic. As Social Prescribers, we have been busily working from home and despite having my wonderful family around me since March, I have had times when I have felt lonely - not seeing those professional work colleagues face to face, only via Zoom. This was a real insight into how some people live their lives every day. The bereaved widow, the single mum with a six-week-old baby or the young gentleman whose relationship has broken down. One thing that made a difference to me was talking on the phone. It was wonderful to touch base with some of my clients or a 5-minute daily call to my Mum. My Dad, who lives alone phoned me for 5 minutes, my sister for 5 minutes and his close friend for 5 minutes on a daily basis without fail and he told me how this really got him through every day. If you think you could help by becoming a befriender please contact us for further information. You could really make a difference.

Stay safe by staying home.

Regards Karen.
Sarah Harrison
 

After returning from a lovely Christmas break, I am pleased that referrals are already coming in. I am supporting a number of people having anxieties around Covid-19. Before the break, I completed my health coaching training, which was very useful and informative, which I am already putting into practise.  
Tetbury urgently needs you!

As we find ourselves in the current lockdown we need volunteers more than ever to help support the more vulnerable members of our communities. If anyone is able to offer a small amount of their time to help support those that need it the most in Tetbury and the surrounding area please contact the Town Council, either by email - ceo@tetbury.gov.uk – or tel 01666 504670.
The Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Project

The GEM Project is an employability and social inclusion programme, helping people in Gloucestershire to overcome challenges to employment and move them closer towards or into work.

It is a unique partnership of nearly 50 community based organisations, managed by Gloucestershire Gateway Trust on behalf of the lead organisation Gloucestershire County Council and is jointly funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and European Social Fund.

GRCC employ two navigator developers with Daniel Gale covering the North Cotswolds. If you know of anyone who needs any help then please get in touch with Daniel on danielg@grcc.org.uk.