A Better Medway Winter newsletter

Bill and the chatty bench gets Medway talking

Bill Ronan, Public Health Projects Officer, is enjoying a hot cup of tea after returning from his latest tour date with the chatty bench.

The bench is part of our campaign, A Better Medway Together, which aims to raise awareness of loneliness, let people know about local services and draw people into a conversation.

Since starting the tour Bill has spoken to 320 people. He said:

‘Much of what I heard didn’t come as a huge surprise. I met a lot of older people who lived by themselves and felt isolated. But many of the people I spoke to were younger. They told me that even though they had lots of friends on their phone, they felt like they didn’t fit in and were on the edge of their friendship groups. They were lonely.’

One encounter really struck Bill. He explains,

‘I met one lady as she was on her way to the shops. She went there every day as it was the only time she got to speak to someone; family were nearby but they were too busy to visit.’

For people who struggle with loneliness or social isolation, the shorter, colder days of winter can be particularly difficult. These simple tips could help someone at risk:

• Call elderly relatives or neighbours on the phone if they aren’t able to leave the house.
• If possible, drive loved ones or neighbours to doctor appointments, for haircuts or to the shops as these are all opportunities to have social interaction.
• Encourage someone to take up a hobby or pick up a project they’ve been putting off.
• Take a moment to say hello when you’re out and about.

Even though the chatty bench tour has finished, you can still support the campaign. Make a pledge to do something this winter to help someone feel less lonely, visit A Better Medway Together.

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Nurseries and childminders sign up for Healthy Early Years Awards

Helen and Toni from Prima Montessori Nursery in Gillingham are Silver Healthy Early Years (HEY) Award winners. They are currently working towards their gold award and are enthusiastic about what this has meant for their staff and the children they look after.

“We feel our staff have been given the opportunity to learn and upskill in many areas such as oral health, physical activity, cooking with the children and improving meal times.”

Medway Council is currently supporting Prima Montessori and over 60 other settings in Medway as they work towards a HEY Award.

The HEY Award is a great way for childcare settings to demonstrate that they provide tasty and nutritious meals and are committed to giving children an enjoyable introduction to healthy food and food education.

The HEY Award is open to private, voluntary and independent childcare settings and accredited childminders in Medway.

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New Saturday walk to start in January

Why not challenge yourself to be more active this January? We’re launching a brand new weekend walk to help you do just that, taking place on every second Saturday of the month.

Perfect for anyone who works during the week, the walk is aimed at those who want to test their walking fitness.

It lasts an hour and a half and you’ll need proper footwear to navigate gravel and muddy pathways.

The walk is taking place on the following dates:

• 11 January 2020 at 10.30am – RSPB Cliffe Pools, meeting outside St. Helen’s Church, ME3 7QT
• 8 February 2020 at 10.30am – Walderslade Village Library
• 14 March 2020 at 10.45am – Lordswood Library

You can find out about this and our other walks on the A Better Medway website.

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Getting ready for Dry January?

Are you or someone you know thinking of doing Dry January next year?

If you’re still making up your mind, why not take our quick alcohol quiz to find out if a break or cutting down might be a good idea.

 

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Help us improve sexual health services

If you think that sexual health services should be inclusive – open to anyone and everyone – please complete this survey or share it with your contacts. We are working with the EU funded SHIFT Project to improve sexual health services for people aged 45 and over.

If you are aged 45+, by doing this survey you will help us understand how we can make services more accessible and effective. The survey is completely confidential and it won’t be possible to identify you from your responses.

We want to hear from you whether you are in a long term relationship, are happily single, or newly dating; everyone has sexual health. Thank you.

Start the survey.

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Gillingham FC support White Ribbon campaign

The council celebrated the renewal of its White Ribbon Accreditation until 2022 by partnering with Gillingham FC last month to encourage men and boys to take a stand against domestic abuse and support White Ribbon Day.

The event took place during the team’s home game against Lincoln City. Players warmed up in White Ribbon t-shirts, there was a bucket collection and senior council leaders were presented with a White Ribbon plaque in recognition of the council’s reaccreditation.

Wearing a White Ribbon stands for never taking part in, condoning or staying silent about violence against women.

Support is available in Medway for anyone experiencing domestic abuse.

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Child health team shortlisted for CYPN award

We’re delighted that a PSHE initiative led by our Child Health team was one of six projects to be shortlisted for Children and Young People Now’s PSHE Education Award this November. We were shortlisted from hundreds of nationwide entries in recognition of our work with the PSHE Association and local schools to develop innovative, impactful new PSHE resources.

The resources include new lessons on gangs and how to stay safe, and classroom materials on extremism that have been nationally recognised and support the Prevent Agenda.

The short list was drawn up by a panel of experts that included young people. Entries were judged on whether a project had made a real difference to pupils’ lives.

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