Community Health and Well Being
In March 2010 Derry City Council appointed a Community Health & Well Being Manager as part of the growing Sports Development Team. The post has been designed to help Derry City Council design and deliver a range of innovative health improvement programmes meeting the needs of local groups and local communities, whilst delivering on key strategic themes highlighted in the DCAL/Sport NI Strategy for Sport and Physical Recreation and the Derry City Council Strategy for Sport and Physical Activity.
1. Active Citizenship Project – Derry City Council works closely with the North West Development Office and the 4 local Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships, namely: Triax, Outer North, Outer West and Waterside. The Derry City Council Active Citizenship Programme (ACP) aims to enhance the levels of physical activity programmes being developed in the four local Neighbourhood Renewal areas by developing the capacity and building the cohesion within all the neighbourhood renewal areas by way of promoting volunteering and active citizenship to support programme development and delivery. The ACP has been ongoing since 2005 and continues to develop a skills building programme that will enable people from groups such as those who have/or are about to leave school with few qualifications, young people, the long-term unemployed, disabled people, women and local coaches and community volunteers to take part in an integrated range of accredited training opportunities.
2. DESTINED Health & Well Being Programme – DCC Sports Development has been working with local group DESTINED to design a range of innovative health and physical activity programmes for adults with learning difficulties. For the last 3 months the Community Health Coaches have been working with a group of adult males and females on a gym exercise programme. Run out of Templemore Sports Complex, each participant receives a 6-month membership and weekly supervised individual and group exercise sessions as well as taking part in various nutrition and lifestyle workshops. This programme is ongoing and due to complete in June 2011.
3. Drive 2 Heath Project – DCC Sports Development has been working with the North West Taxi Proprietors for over 4 years to develop a range of programmes to improve the health of local Taxi men and women. At present 30 local taxi men and women have taken up a ‘biggest loser’ challenge whereby 6 local firms have recruited 4 drivers to compete against other firms on a 6-month weight loss programme. The team with the greatest weight loss percentage will receive a load of prizes including 1-years free membership at Lifestyle Fitness! This programme has been funded through the Big Lottery’s – Big Lottery Fund and a new group are set to undertake the challenge in January 2011.
4. Active Communities Programme – Active Communities is an investment programme that seeks to employ, deploy and train a network of full time and part time sports coaches and leaders to deliver activities in community and club settings across Northern Ireland, with a view of increasing participation in sport and physical recreation, especially among under represented groups.
Through the Active Communities investment programme, Sport NI has set out to work in partnership with key stakeholders (consortia’s & associated partners) to achieve the following Programme Outcomes:
- The creation of a network of community sports coaches and leaders to deliver sport and recreational activities in sports club and community settings;
- Increased participation in sport and physical recreation among under represented groups including young people, older people, women and girls, people with a disability, people from minority ethnic groups and people from socio-economically deprived groups;
- The provision of opportunities that support lifelong participation in sport and physical recreation in sports club and community settings; and,
- The development of effective working partnerships within and between district councils, governing bodies of sport, schools, sports clubs, and statutory, community and voluntary organisations.
The programme was open to applications from 11 consortia of district councils as outlined in Model 11b of the Review of Public Administration Consultation (March 2005). Strabane District Council has taken the lead in developing the Active Communities Plan in close partnership with Derry City Council’s Sports Development Team. A submission of a Coaching & Leadership Implementation Plans was made in February 2009 and as a result DCC was successful in receiving funding to employ a range of coaching specialists to take the programme forward within the city.
The following sports and physical activity initiatives will be developed under the Active Communities Programme:
- Judo & Wrestling Coach
- Physical Activity for 50+ Coach
- Physical Literacy in Young People Coach
- Health & Well Being Coach (working with people suffering from life-limiting conditions)
- Cricket Coach
- Rugby Coach
- Basketball & Physical Literacy Coach
Since their employment these coaches have undertaken the design, development and delivery of many innovative physical activity, sports specific and physical recreation programmes for a range of target groups including, schools, primary and post primary, special needs groups, older people, women and girls, people with life limiting conditions and sedentary adults. Programmes run throughout the year and all these coaches can be contacted at 02871 361566.
Active Communities Coaches:
John Paul Glenn
Older Peoples Exercise
07872423752
johnpaul.glenn@derrycity.gov.uk
Sean Hargan
Health & Well Being
sean.hargan@derrycity.gov.uk
Michael Moore
Physical Literacy
michael.moore@derrycity.gov.uk
Jonathan Quigley
Rugby Coach
johnathan.quigley@derrycity.gov.uk
Ron McGowan
Judo Coach
07872423753
ron.mcgowan@derrycity.gov.uk
Eddie McCallion
Basketball/Physical Literacy
eddie.mccallion@derrycity.gov.uk
4. Healthy Towns – Derry City Council has been working as part of the Healthy Towns Initiative funded by Investing for Health and incorporates a broad spectrum of interests in the health related fields. This programme was first rolled out in October 2009 and delivered a range of innovative exercise, physical activity and health education programmes for children and young people and adults.
The aims of the healthy town’s partnership are to –
- Use our combined resources to offer holistic and affordable opportunities to improve lifestyle and well-being across the Derry City Council region.
- Offer support networks and signpost people to enhance and improve their lifestyle and wellbeing.
- Assist in promoting and educating our target audience in relation to health and lifestyle choice
- Improve joint-up working between key delivering agencies in the council area e.g. Derry City Council, Derry Healthy Cities, Health Promotion dept. Western Trust and supported by local Gp Practices
- Improve marketing, communication, branding and promotional campaigns between agencies at a local level.
- Measure the success of the projects we manage to ensure the objectives are met.
- To influence Council and other statutory bodies in terms of future policy developments that impact up physical activity and health & well being of local residents.
Derry City Council is committed to developing this project throughout 2010 and to plan further programme developments for 2011-2012. The focus of the healthy town’s programme 2010 will be target and combine resources to engage parents /carers and young people in structured physical activity initiatives, including multi skills, sports specific and swimming. The Derry City Council Sports Development Team will work in partnership with local schools and organisations such as Healthy Living Centre’s Neighbourhood Renewal Health Forum’s and Surestart to effectively target programmes at those most in need. To date a rage of multisport programmes have been developed and delivered in Belmont Schools and Foyleview Special Needs School and early in 2011 DCC will be working with Surestarts across the city to undertake an adult learning to swim programme.
5. Interegg 1V OPERATION – COLLABORATION PROGRAMME – HEALTH AND HEALTHY LIVING
The Health and Healthy Living programme is a strategic intervention designed to deliver optimum regional benefit. The area of benefit is defined as the North West Border Region, compromising the Local Authority areas of Derry, Limavady, Magherafelt, Strabane and Donegal. It will target and address strategic issues in relation to collaboration and investment proposals and is strategically and operationally focussed to build upon previous investments in health and healthy Living activity within the region.
The programme focuses on the development of allotments/community gardens as a key resource for addressing the quality of life, health and sustainability of the region. The programme draws upon the strategic framework for health as presented in both N Ireland and Ireland. Research on the benefits of community gardens and allotments indicates that the benefits attained directly support Government agendas in relation to health, education, climate change and social inclusion. The programme has been specifically designed to contribute to the strategic objectives of reducing the levels of obesity and improving the life expectancy of those within disadvantaged communities; enabling people to make healthier choices; improving mental and emotional wellbeing and improving the neighbourhood and wider environment.
Aims/Objectives/Milestones
The programme aims are to:
- Develop a community garden/ allotment programme as a valuable contribution to the regions overall sustainability by providing health, social, economic and environmental benefits
- Establish a baseline study of health, healthy living within the region as part of an overall baseline of participation rates in sport and physical activity.
- Establish a strategic forum for healthy living in the region comprising of a series of inter connected sub forums
- Establish a collaborative programme of intervention to improve the health status of the region focused on allotment and community garden activity
- Develop an educational programme to support the development of health and healthy living activity
NEED – STRATEGIC FIT
The value of allotment and community garden activity is recognised in a Westminster Select Committee Report, ‘The Future of Allotments’. The report highlights the therapeutic value of allotments to people with physical and mental health problems. The report recommends that allotments are explicitly included in national public health strategies and that they are integrated into local delivery. Community gardens and allotments provide opportunities to engage older, less active, disabled and vulnerable groups in physical activity and therefore can directly contribute to reducing the societal cost of disadvantage and poor health styles.
Research suggests that social relations and networks are life enhancing and contribute to longevity. Participation in activity within a natural environment such as parks, allotments and community gardens contributes to social cohesion by providing inclusive places to meet. Additionally research indicates that ‘place’, including access to natural space, is a strong contributor to health and has the ability to influence the risk factors which result in chronic illnesses such as coronary heart and musculoskeletal diseases, obesity, diabetes, stroke and cancer as well as mental health issues. Additional benefits can also be achieved through engagement with nature including environmental knowledge and sustainability, skills development, and intergenerational engagement.
Local Authorities within the region recognise the need to integrate health within strategies to improve community wellbeing. As a result Sport NI will lead the development of a participation survey addressing both physical activity and health (detailed within the community and sport theme). The North West region will therefore be in the unique position of being able to establish a comparable baseline which feeds into a long term longitudinal study of sport, physical activity and health.
The programme complements existing Local Authority strategies for parks, open spaces, countryside access, biodiversity and physical activity. Allotments are viewed as important assets providing a wide range of benefits to the community and the environment – recreational role involving healthy exercise and social contacts; green sustainable open space; opportunities to address the disproportionate access to green space for those on lower incomes.
Programme Activity
The proposals have been developed to target and address strategic issues and matters relating to collaborative investment and delivery in the Region, and focus on delivering optimum Regional impact and cross-border benefit. The programme will comprise of the following areas of activity:-
- Establishing a health baseline by linking to the regional participation survey of sport and physical activity and health among adults in partnership with Sport NI being undertaken through the sport and community task group
- Development of 5 pilot community garden / allotment sites
- Development of a North West stakeholders forum
- Development of a strategy/forward plan for the future delivery of allotments within the North West region
- Implementation of a training and skills development programme for community mentors
- Delivery of propagation / plant growth training and programmes to engage participation of target groups
- Delivery of specialist seminars exploring nutrition/health benefits
- Appointment of programme co ordinator At present DCC Sports Development is finalising the project application and the plans for the allocation of this community garden/allotment.
Contact
Community Health & Well Being Programme Manager:
Thomas McCallion, email
thomas.mccallion@derrycitygov.uk
Tel: 02871 361566/ 07725707911
Other useful links: