Lucy Eccles is our new Community Resilience Officer. Her role mainly involves working with communities to help them develop Community Emergency Plans, and supporting the Volunteer Flood Warden schemes which we run on behalf of the District and Borough Councils. 

Lucy recently graduated with a BSc in Geography, which gave her a good grounding in flood management, sustainable planning, and the implications of climate change. 

"Since joining GRCC in August, I've been really enjoying getting out into the communities, offering tailored support with creating Community Emergency Plans," said Lucy.  "And I'm really looking forward to doing on-the-ground visits with our volunteer flood wardens, so that we can look at the high risk areas in their parishes, and work, together with the statutory authorities, on finding solutions."

Lucy has written a series of weekly blogs on our website during September with tips from the Emergency Planning Society's #30Days30Ways Preparedness Month campaign. 

If you'd like Community Resilience information or advice, you can contact Lucy via cdt@grcc.org.uk or call 01452 528491.

Recently Pippa Baker-Walsh of our Community Autism Support and Advice (CASA) service worked with a GP practice manager to help an autistic adult with complex physical health conditions access health care more effectively. 

The client had particular difficulty having to book appointments by telephone, not having enough time in appointments, and not seeing the same doctor each time.  

Pippa, who is our Autism Support Lead, worked alongside the individual to explore ways to increase their independence and self-advocacy.  She then arranged a meeting with the practice manager, who was receptive to hearing directly from the client about the barriers they were experiencing, and keen to find solutions.

As a result, the practice allowed the client to book appointments by email, assigned the client a named GP with a commitment to maintain continuity, and gave them the option of double appointments. 

"These changes have had a transformative effect," said Pippa.   "The individual now feels more in control of their physical health, and several of their long-term physical health conditions are being effectively managed for the first time."

Our North Cotswolds Social Prescribers Jo Main and Jason Spinney have recently helped a client, who has very little speech following a stroke, learn to use the Relay UK service and app to make phone calls. 

"This is a free service run by BT to enable people with speech and-or hearing difficulties to make phone calls," explained Jason, who is GRCC's specialist Digital Inclusion Social Prescriber.

"The caller speaks or types into an app, and a BT operator reads and transcribes the conversation with the call recipient as required. 

"After giving support with installing the app and some gentle tuition, we helped our client make some practice calls, and it all worked well for them.  It's looking like the Relay UK app and service will be a vital tool for this client in future, enabling them to make phone calls despite having severe speech problems."

GRCC runs a project on behalf of the NHS to help people with serious mental illnesses in Gloucestershire to have the annual physical health checks that they are entitled to.  

"Since June I've been working on developing positive relationships with GP practices, and encouraging more of them to get on board with the Annual Physical Health Checks Project," said our new project co-ordinator Summer Vergara.

"The project is being really positively received in this new phase, and we already have 18 practices on board, which is three times as many as were involved in the project last year.

"I'm really pleased because this means lots more opportunities to work with people with serious mental illnesses to help them attend their annual physical health checks, which will mean healthier and longer lives for these patients."

Louise Fletcher from GRCC's ACORN digital equity project recently met with Ceri and Gabriela, co-founders of Frame Running Giants Gloucestershire (FRGG), who had asked ACORN for some help developing their online presence. 

"Ceri explained that Frame Running is a new inclusive sport allowing anyone and everyone to experience the freedom to move and keep fit", said Louise. 

"We talked through a range of social media content ideas and strategies for increasing their social media reach and following.  They were pleased with our ideas about using case studies and inspirational stories.

"This is just one example of how ACORN can support small charities and organisations with tailored help for whatever digital issues they're facing."  

FRGG meet at Blackbridge Jubilee Athletics Track in Gloucester, on Thursdays 1-2pm. Book to attend via info@frgg.org.uk

"Hi, my name is Ella-May Wallace, and I'm the new Digital and Technology Navigator for the Tewkesbury Borough. I graduated from Abertay University with a degree in Games Design and Development, and I previously worked at Gloucestershire College teaching Games Development.

"In my new job at GRCC, which is jointly funded by Tewkesbury Borough Council and the Tewkesbury Integrated Locality Partnership (ILP), I provide one-to-one digital and tech support within the community all across Tewkesbury Borough, to boost digital inclusion. 

"For example, I was recently helping an elderly gentleman using a smartphone he'd previously been given by GRCC.   He told me how moved he was when Google Photos  resurfaced a picture of his late wife: for him, it wasn’t just about using a device — it was about reconnecting with treasured memories. Encounters like this highlight the real value of digital support in people’s lives."

"In my first couple of months in the role, I've  established a new weekly digital drop-in for elderly people at the Black Bear pub in Tewkesbury, and I'm setting up a men's mental health group where we'll build a narrative computer game about mental health challenges in everyday life!"

Our current Affordable Housing Needs Survey covers Bourton-on-the-Water.  We've posted out over 2000 surveys, one to every household, in order to gauge the level of need for affordable housing in this large and growing village.  

"If you live in Bourton it's really important to  complete and return your Affordable Housing Needs survey," said Sarah Walker, one of GRCC’s Rural Housing Enablers. "The results of the survey will help the Parish Council to try to make sure that the housing needs of all villagers will be met over the next ten years, and will guide our efforts to find land, developers and housing associations to deliver new affordable housing in the parts of rural Gloucestershire which need it most.”

Find out more about the range of work being done by GRCC's Affordable Housing Team using the button below.

Do you enjoy walking in your local area, and do you like to help your community?  Then being a volunteer Flood Warden could be the perfect role for you!

We run flood warden schemes in Tewkesbury Borough, Cotswold District, and Stroud District, and we also support Cheltenham Borough Council with their scheme.

Flood wardens report flood events to the relevant authorities, monitor local watercourses, help link up the community and statutory bodies, raise awareness of flooding risks, and promote self-help in their community.

Full training and support provided.  Contact Lucy Eccles via lucye@grcc.org.uk, or 01452 528491.

Our monthly Moreton Community Hub, which we run as part of our North Cotswolds Connecting Communities Project, will be happening again on Monday 6th October. This month we'll be joined by GRCC's Emma Ecclestone to talk about digital support and support for autistic adults, and Sarah Walker from GRCC to talk about affordable housing.  

Our Social Prescribing Link Workers and a range of staff and volunteers from support organisations will be there to chat to people and offer advice and help, plus there will be the usual time for socialising and free refreshments.

You can download an A5 flyer here.

Come along to Jameson Court, GL56 0EW, at 10.15am for a short wellbeing stroll, or 10.30am for the drop-in, refreshments and services.  For further information, please contact info@grcc.org.uk or call us on 01452 528491.

One Gloucestershire and the University of Gloucestershire are funding a range of half-day and one-day workshops at the University of Gloucestershire’s new Arts, Health and Wellbeing Centre in Kings Square, Gloucester.

The workshops are free of charge, and topics include

• Demystifying health care research
• Designing and leading research
• Intro to Personalised Care 
• Intro to Social Prescribing
• Intro to Creative Health

Contact anne.howe4@nhs.net to book. Further details on their flyer, available via the button below.

The Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum provides advice for mature drivers on how to drive safely for longer.  They usually run a one-hour free webinar on the last Saturday of each month. 

Their next webinar will be on 27th October at 10am, and focuses on "Driving Safely in Winter". The webinar will be happening on the weekend when the clocks go forward and when there is a usually a spike in road collisions, according to the Older Drivers Forum.    

Gloucestershire Older Drivers Forum can also give a presentation to your club or society - contact odfglos@gmail.com               

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced a new fund for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations which are "building cohesive and resilient communities". 

The Common Ground Resilience Fund opens to applications on 13th October, and the deadline for applications is 21st November.

The scheme will award capital grants of up to £10,000 (or more in "exceptional cases")  for "constructing or renovating facilities, or the purchasing of equipment to deliver services."

The Rural Services Network is running a survey to understand the experiences and priorities of people living in rural communities across England.

The study aims to explore the key issues affecting rural areas, including healthcare access, housing affordability, transport options, environmental priorities, digital connectivity, and planning decisions.

This survey does not require you to give your name or contact details, and should only take 8-10 minutes to complete. 

Art for All at Gas Green Community Centre in Cheltenham is starting a new mental health art group for men.

"This group is for men living with mental health conditions who want to support their wellbeing through creative activities, including art and woodworking, in a friendly, inclusive environment," says Art for All. 

"Sessions are fun with a flexible and supportive approach, so you can take part in a way that suits you, whether you're completely new to art or have some experience."

The sessions are 10.30am to 12.30pm on Wednesdays.  To join, fill in an application form via the button below, or call 07561 761 652, or email enquiries@artforallmentalhealth.org.uk

Gloucestershire County Council is developing a new "Digital Infrastructure, Inclusion and Innovation Strategy" and they would like your input.

The draft strategy outlines ambitions to create "a smarter, more connected Gloucestershire, where everyone can benefit from digital opportunities, regardless of their age, background, or circumstances."

Residents, businesses, and community groups are being invited to share their views on the strategy, in a consultation which runs until 20th October. 

Use the button below to read the strategy document and fill-in the online survey.

If you've had contact with us, or support from us, or just visited our website to try to find information, we'd really love to know how we're doing!  Were we brilliant, just OK, or not very good?  All feedback, good and bad, helps us to shape our services to better fit your needs.