Introducing Ann Diment, Health and Wellbeing Officer.

Health & Wellbeing Survey for parish and town councils - coming September 2022

We want to hear from town and parish councils about the health and wellbeing needs and challenges in the communities you serve, and what your training and support needs are to address them.

The responses will inform the development of a wider engagement, training, and grants programme for 2022-2025.

We are inviting responses from every town and parish council in Somerset and will be running networking and engagement events to enable sharing of the results, along with partnership building over the next year.

When the survey goes live in September, you will be able to access it by clicking here:

What do we mean by Health, Wellbeing, Wider Determinants and Equality?

Here are some definitions of these widely used terms:

Health- The WHO constitution states: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Wellbeing: Wellbeing is about feeling good and functioning well and comprises an individual’s experience of their life  and a comparison of life circumstances with social norms and values. It can be measured in different ways:

• Subjective (personal) wellbeing asks people directly how they think and feel about their own wellbeing, and includes aspects such as life satisfaction, positive emotions, and whether their life is meaningful.
• Objective wellbeing is based on assumptions about basic human needs and rights, including aspects such as adequate food, physical health, education, safety etc. Objective wellbeing can be measured individually e.g., asking people whether they have a specific health condition, or through more objective measures such as mortality rates and life expectancy.

Wider (social) determinants of health are a diverse range of social, economic, and environmental factors which impact on people’s health. They are influenced by the local, national, and international distribution of power and resources which shape the conditions of our daily life. They determine whether individuals have the physical, social, and personal resources to identify and achieve goals, meet their needs and deal with changes to their circumstances. (Source: Public Health England- see here for more information)

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a term used to describe policies and programmes that promote the representation and participation of diverse groups of individuals, including people of different ages, races and ethnicities, abilities and disabilities, genders, religions, cultures, and sexual orientations. It is explained in more detail on YouTube, here.

Health & Wellbeing Training and Support Resources

Local councils have a big part to play in supporting the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve in the way they allocate resources and organise services.  Below you can find a list of resources and training for councils to access on a range of health and wellbeing topics.

Mental health:

 Somerset’s Mental Health Training Offer – Healthy Somerset  A range of courses offered from Somerset County council Public Health using partner training providers. For more details contact  publichealthtraining@somerset.gov.uk

Voluntary Sector

Spark Somerset offer a range of affordable online and classroom-based training sessions for Somerset charities and community groups. Their upcoming events are listed here. You can catch up on their previous free webinars on their YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

CCS - Smart Communities Ltd has been commissioned by SALC to work with town and parish councils to help them create a community plan. They will be working with a small group of councils to help them be ready for the future with a clear understanding of their community’s needs. See Community Review | smartcommunities and their resources page here smartcommunities

Environment and Climate

Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT) Protecting Nature and connecting communities to wildlife and offer lots of opportunities and support to get involved with green spaces in your community. Home | Somerset Wildlife Trust

Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust- WWT ‘Blue recovery’ using wetlands as a wellbeing support tool. A Blue Recovery: Wetlands for biodiversity, climate change and wellbeing | WWT

Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) gives advice on a range of energy saving topics. Advice & information for householders | Centre for Sustainable Energy (cse.org.uk)

Getting Active

Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) is dedicated to increasing the health and happiness of residents in Somerset through physical activity and sport. They do this by

• Providing accessible opportunities locally for all ages and abilities.
• Supporting clubs, communities, schools and the workforce to embrace physical activity.
• Bringing together organisations and partners to plan and create a better environment for change.

SASP is launching its Somerset Moves Physical Activity strategy on Thursday, 29^th September 2022 from 9.30 to 12. The launch will showcase the strategy, bringing it to life with people's stories, videos and some key networking. It will be a vibrant in person event at Somerset Cricket County Ground and SASP would love to welcome everyone, including representatives of local councils.

SASP's event booking portal and health and wellbeing support resources can be found here

Financial Wellbeing

Somerset financial Wellbeing project is an initiative funded by Somerset County Council, which brings together four not-for-profit credit unions operating throughout Somerset and the wider South-West region, and a number of local and national respected charities & community groups click here: Somerset Financial Well-being Project

Somerset Community Foundation offers grant funding and advice for Somerset communities, click here: Somerset Community Foundation