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Social prescribing is a way of supporting people who are not feeling great, with things other than just tablets. It’s about enabling people to feel part of their community, to feel valued, to feel supported by their community, to find their way forward out of poor mental health, loneliness, financial and housing and personal difficulties. It’s about enabling us all to thrive.
Photo: Perran Tremewan
Conversations between the Partnership and our local social prescriber network initiated by one of the partners who also works with the health system meant we started thinking about how the guided walking tours within our events programme could also be made available to community members.
There was a great response…
and then lockdown happened.
So we rolled with the change and just got creative. People were still having a tough time, made even tougher by not being able to get outside. So instead of inviting them to a walk we couldn’t run to find about our heritage and landscape and habitat and culture, we did it the other way round. We developed an even wider network and created “culture in a box”: wellbeing boxes full of local information about walking routes, wildlife, mining heritage, local farm shops, local soap makers. Then we worked with a Cornish volunteering charity that was knee deep in organising lockdown support, to deliver them to the people who had wanted to get involved in the guided walking tours. It was a beautiful succcess.
❝ "Thank you so very much for organising the Wellbeing box. It arrived safely last Friday and was a delightful gift to receive. It was certainly helpful in lifting the mood and contained lots of lovely things that I liked. It was nice to think of all the kind people who had helped to put things into the box. It was so thoughtful of you to include me as a recipient. Thank you."
“I thought the wellbeing box was really thoughtful and the 2 people who delivered it were really kind. Speaking to them cheered me up when the box was delivered, and then seeing what was in the box cheered me up again. Thank you very much for suggesting it. I don't always find it easy asking for help, and even less easy being receptive when people offer unsolicited help, but I'm really glad I said yes to the box, and I really appreciate your thought and care in recommending it to me.”
“I have now got to emailing you regarding the lovely goodies Sally delivered here to me this morning. Only it took a long time to look at everything and there is a good quantity of reading matter to study as well. It was good of you to include me with these lovely gifts. A tremendous number of people must have been involved in this days work. I intend to have a good read to see if it may be somethings I might be able to join, I feel it is very important to read the literature enclosed.”
"I hand delivered one of the wellbeing packs to someone whose mum died a couple of weeks ago. Her mum left her a bit of ground with a poly tunnel on it. She has felt overwhelmed at the idea of how to use it – hasn’t known where to start. When she saw the grow your own herb kit she became very emotional and she said that it will be the first thing she grows in the tunnel and she’ll plant it in honour of her mum. "
❞
You can find out more about social prescribing and some of the local organisations involved here.
