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
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Benefit |
Policy |
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Social inclusion |
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Enabling resilient communities |
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Increased mental wellbeing |
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Helping people live healthier lives |
Healthy Lives, Healthy People (MH Government, 2010) The Manchester Locality Plan – A Healthier Manchester |
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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
T. 07818 522 978
Aron Thornley - Neighbourhood Health Worker
T. 07425 520 199
Yasmin Holgeth - Neighbourhood Health Worker. Age Friendly team.
T. 07425 536 823
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