Whalley Range Community Forum Festive Feast Bags

Festive Feast bags to help local residents feel connected and cared for. In place of usual annual Festive Feast events.

Benefits of wellbeing packs

Staying connected has a strong positive impact on physical and mental health and personal resilience. Social distancing restrictions have made staying connected difficult, particularly for those who do have the technology to connect virtually. buzz has found innovative ways to address this. Distributing wellbeing bags, kits and packs helps people who may not be able to stay connected through technology feel connected with their community. The bags remind people that social support is available and gives them a sense of belonging, both of which have been shown to improve wellbeing and resilience. Receiving functional social support i.e. the bags, has also been shown to have emotional value and be interpreted as emotional support.

Location

Whalley Range

Project team

Buzz

Whalley Range Community Forum

Age Friendly Whalley Range and Chorlton

Aim

To keep in touch with local residents, help them feel connected and cared for. Information sent out to help them keep well included to help further link them with buzz and other local activities.

Evaluation

The project was a success and all bags were gratefully received by local residents who were feeling the effects of a long period of restrictions. Really good partnership working to source materials, pack the bags and identify people to receive.

Strategic links to local/national policies

Benefit	Policy
Social inclusion	Manchester Population Health Plan NHS Five Year Forward View (Department of Health, 2014)
Enabling resilient communities	Greater Manchester Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
Increased mental wellbeing	Manchester Health and Wellbeing Strategy Greater Manchester Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
Helping people live healthier lives	Healthy Lives, Healthy People (MH Government, 2010) The Manchester Locality Plan – A Healthier Manchester Manchester Health and Wellbeing Strategy Manchester Prevention Programme
Addressing health inequalities	Fair Society, Healthy Lives (Institute of Health Equity, 2010)

Research/evidence base

Ambition for Ageing. (2020). Developing social contact models in a time of social distancing: A Response to COVID-19

Centre for Ageing Better. (2020). Gilli's voice - Moments of Joy

Harandi, T. F., Taghinasab, M. M., & Nayeri, T. D. (2017). The correlation of social support with mental health: A meta-analysis. Electronic physician, 9(9), 5212–5222.

Ministry of Social Development (2018) - The measurement of social connectedness and its relationship to wellbeing

Seifert, A., Cotton, S. R., Xie, B. (2020). A Double Burden of Exclusion? Digital and Social Exclusion of Older Adults in Times of COVID-19, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, gbaa098.

Semmer, N.K., Elfering, A., Jacobshagen, N., Perrot, T., Beehr, T.A. and Boos, N., 2008. The emotional meaning of instrumental social support. International journal of stress management, 15(3), p.235.

Contacts

Laura Cassidy - Neighbourhood Health Worker

Laura.Cassidy@gmmh.nhs.uk

T. 07818 522 978

Aron Thornley - Neighbourhood Health Worker

Aron.Thornley@gmmh.nhs.uk

T. 07425 520 199

Yasmin Holgeth - Neighbourhood Health Worker. Age Friendly team.

Yasmin.Holgeth@gmmh.nhs.uk

T. 07425 536 823