Wellbeing Benefits of Gardening

Gardening Update with Autumn Programme 🌸🌼🌻

Some images from a visit the club made to Hever Castle where the gardening is spectacular.
Visit to Hever Castle

The Wellbeing Benefits of Gardening are just one of many topics West Bergholt Gardeners hope to cover. Last month Colchester Hospital opened their Wellbeing Garden designed by a top RHS designer. Are you passionate about gardening? If so, why not join them and dive into a world of horticultural wonders! They host a variety of engaging speakers who cover a wide range of fascinating topics.

Become a member for just £25 a year, or simply drop in for the talks that pique your interest at £5 per evening. Payments can be made by card or cash.

Meeting Schedule

We gather on the third Monday of each month from September to December and February to May. Doors open at 7:15 PM for a 7:30 PM start.

Upcoming Events

Continue reading “Wellbeing Benefits of Gardening”

e-Scooters Coming to Colchester (& other news)

Lady & man on e-scooters

Lady & man on e-scooterse-Scooters, Befriending, Wellbeing, Fitness & Chitts Hill

e-Scooters will kick off this update but we also have updates on:

e-Scooters Trial Starting Soon

Continue reading “e-Scooters Coming to Colchester (& other news)”

Day 107 since Lockdown – the ‘Free Bus Travel’ edition

On the buses

On the busesDay 107 since Lockdown

On day 107 we see Essex opening a free bus travel scheme.  In other news we have:

Stop. Swap. Go!Stop. Swap. GO! campaign launched

A new sustainable travel campaign aiming to make it easier for people in Essex to switch from cars to sustainable travel, such as walking, cycling and using the bus, is launched today. Continue reading “Day 107 since Lockdown – the ‘Free Bus Travel’ edition”

Day 86 of (stairway to) Lockdown – the ‘MC Escher’ edition

Family cycling

Escher impossible staircaseDay 86 of (stairway to) Lockdown

Day 86 starts off with an update from the Parish Council.  It is also MC Escher‘s birthday who was famous mostly for his ‘Impossible Stairs’ – navigating the pandemic sometimes seems a bit like this!

A couple of mini-snippets:

  • Recycling back to normal apart from textiles on 22nd June,
  • Colchester Zoo opens tomorrow pre-booked entrance only,
  • If you are going into town, remember to keep left on pavements.

After all that we have:

Quality Local Council AwardParish Council Work Continues During the Pandemic

Continue reading “Day 86 of (stairway to) Lockdown – the ‘MC Escher’ edition”

Day 72 of Lockdown – the Bowling Along edition

Volunteers week

Day 72 of (irregular?) Lockdown

The day 72 update starts with Woods Bowls Club keen to welcome you for a rollup.  There then follows:

Woods Bowls ClubWoods Bowls Club Restarts

Woods is a small but very friendly lawn bowls club that is normally open to all ages and abilities throughout the spring & summer months of April to September.  The club consists of a mixture of male and female members with ages ranging from ‘Thirty-somethings’ to, sprightly Octogenarians! You are never too young or too old to play Lawn Bowls. Continue reading “Day 72 of Lockdown – the Bowling Along edition”

Day 7 of Lockdown – The ‘Look After Yourself’ Edition

Asterix vs PandemixDay 7 of Lockdown

So, it’s day 7, coming to the end of the first week and we’re looking at the possibility of there being many more weeks.  Nerves are already fraying at webmaster’s house.  With that in mind, looking after yourself is a key imperative, that’s why we’ll inject humour from time to time, but our first item is from Public Health England (PHE).  Others are:

Guidance on Mental Health & Wellbeing

Over the weekend PHE published a document basically concerned with helping us preserve our sanity in these troubling times.  It addresses a wide range of things you can do to help with your mental health & wellbeing, many with links to external resources such as helplines and the NHS Fitness Studio: Continue reading “Day 7 of Lockdown – The ‘Look After Yourself’ Edition”

Women’s Institute March 2015 Update

WI-logoWI – March 2015 Meeting

Pots, Wellbeing & Gemstones

The president welcomed two visitors and following the business, Susan Leng, handed over the meeting to Roberta Bown who chaired the ‘Member’s Meeting’.  This gave the committee an opportunity to sit back and relax.   Potted plants were presented to them with grateful thanks for all their hard work.

Heather Payne was the speaker, her subject entitled ‘Well Being’.  She also brought along many crystals and explained how they may help people.  Members enjoyed hot cross buns with their tea/coffee.

Social time involved members splitting into groups to make up a verse with a card relating to a gemstone.  The competition was an egg cup with a large variety of styles ranging from china to wood.  A grand raffle followed.

Susan thanked Roberta and her committee for an enjoyable evening.

Who will care? Swap Shop

who will care swap shopWho will care? Swap Shop

This ‘Who will care?’ summit is for community and voluntary organisations, health organisations and the public sector to debate the power of social action, exchange information and generate great ideas for health and wellbeing.  It takes place on 23rd March, 9:30am – 2:00pm, at the firstsite Gallery, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester CO1 1JH.

Who will Care? is an independent commission led by Sir Tom Hughes-Hallett that sets out a number of high impact solutions to prevent future crisis in health and social care in Essex. It called for a new approach to supporting communities and people where the Community and Voluntary Sector plays a greater role and works collaboratively with the public sector.

This Swap Shop is intended to bring different sectors together to spark new ideas that can bring better quality solutions for citizens.

  • Hear about successful projects using social action and volunteering,
  • Consider a new culture of collaboration,
  • Question what needs to change for better outcomes,
  • Think about how community based initiatives can best be supported,
  • Discuss the key issues for Essex communities.

There is more information at www.essexpartnershipportal.org, book a place through [email protected].

Agenda

09.30 Registration, Coffee and Networking

10.00 Welcome and Who Will Care Update and Future Direction

10.10 Who Will Care Schemes Update

Two test and learn programmes will share their progress

  • ‘Maldon Sheds’ – Sarah Laskar, CEO Maldon CVS
  • ‘My Social Prescription’ Louise Willsher, Engagement Officer, Colchester CVS

10.25 Keynote Speaker: The Future of the Voluntary Sector

Kevin Curley CBE, Voluntary Sector Adviser

  • The growing hardship in our society which the local voluntary sector must respond to
  • The tension between delivering services and campaigning on behalf of those in need
  • Our responsibility to exploit new opportunities for raising the funds we need to be sustainable
  • The unchanging values which underlie all our work

10.50 Swap Shop – Session 1

Round table discussions hosted by leaders that bring new and different solutions to health and
social care by using social action and volunteering. Hear about how they do it, the challenges
encountered and the benefits it can bring the people involved.

11.35 Key issues for Essex – A discussion

11:45 Swap Shop – Session 2

12:30 Networking Lunch

13:00 North East Clinical Commissioning Group: Supporting Voluntary Action, Shane Gordon, Chief Officer, North East CCG

13:10 Keynote Speaker: People Powered Public Services

Daniel Farag, Senior Programme Manager, Nesta Daniel will explore how Social Action and people helping people can make a difference. He will consider the role citizens can play in powering public services, and how Social Action can change the nature of public services to achieve better outcomes. Referencing models of innovative practice from across the UK he will provide insight in to the benefits of working closer with our communities across a number of care settings.

13:30 An Interactive Summary – Ask the audience with Paul Hill, ACFO, Essex Fire & Rescue Service

13:50 Closing Remarks – Cllr Anne Brown

Cancer Drop-In Day

We Are Macmillan Cancer SupportFree Health And Wellbeing Event For People Living With And Beyond Cancer

Colchester’s Mayor Cllr Colin Sykes, and his wife Cllr Laura Sykes, will open the event at 10.30am

For the first time in North Essex and surrounding areas cancer patients and their families who are living with and beyond cancer are being invited to a free health and wellbeing drop in cancer information day taking place on Saturday 26 April at the St John’s Community Centre, St John’s Close, Colchester, CO4 OHP between 10.30am and 3.30pm to find out about all there is available for those affected by cancer.  There will be free parking and refreshments.

Macmillan Cancer Support and Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust have joined forces to host this major cancer event to provide people, who have undergone or completed treatment for cancer, no matter how long ago or for what type of cancer, with the opportunity to find out about what support, information, advice and facilities are available, to help them adjust to life with, and beyond, cancer. This event is linked to a new Self-Managed After Care service launched on the 1st April by the Trust and Macmillan Cancer that will provide one of the most comprehensive support and information services to cancer patients and their families in the UK.

The event is funded by Macmillan Cancer and supported by more than 20 local organisations such as Macmillan Welfare Benefits, CHAPS – Men’s Health, Age UK, Breast Care, St Helena Hospice, Health Professionals, Equipment Suppliers, Cancer Support Groups, Marie Curie, St John’s Church Community Centre, Essex Carer Support and many more. The day will include four 45 minute presentations and question times on Benefits Advice, Counselling, Men’s Health, Physiotherapy & Exercise.

Peter Carrington, Lead Volunteer at the Macmillan Cancer Support, Drop-In & Information Centre, based at Essex County Hospital, said:

 We are encouraging people and their families affected by cancer to come along to the event, so they are better informed about how they can make a positive difference to their every-day life. No one with cancer should have to face it alone; they should have easy access to high quality care, treatment, information and support, to meet their medical, practical, emotional and financial needs. Research has shown how important health and wellbeing is to the recovery and long-term health of cancer patients. For more information please phone 01206 744401.

Debbie Farthing, Macmillan Information & Support Manager said:

The cancer journey can be a particularly difficult time for many patients and their families and they need to know there is a robust safety net of support throughout diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, rehabilitation and beyond enabling them to return to everyday life and activities. This event will empower people to live more independently knowing our support and help is always available no matter when on how they need our help. We meet or talk to approximately 5,000 people, families and health professional per year and give out 18,000 plus information booklets with 309 patients and their families receiving on-going daily support from our volunteers with fast track access to health professionals where needed.

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