Connecting during COVID | Healthier Fleetwood

The Healthier Fleetwood Story

Connecting During COVID

Partners within the community including the Men’s Shed, Westview Community Association, Fleetwood Town Community Trust, Wyre Council and the churches under the title of Faith in the Community soon took on the immediate and pressing task of a food distribution service. Others like Harmony & Health looked to support their own membership by going online for weekly wellbeing sessions and when they could, get out and drop off parcels so nobody felt isolated and forgotten.

Dr Spencer was fully occupied as a front-line GP but within a few weeks of the first lockdown starting had also galvanised community leaders into a new group that would become Future Fleetwood (more about this later). Once again it was clear that the most effective way Healthier Fleetwood could support the community at this time was by making safe and appropriate connections.

Karen supported the setting up of the newly formed Fleetwood Social Prescribers team, passing on what we’d learned from the previous three years of community engagement work. Together they reached out to isolated individuals and connected them with the support available and access to services operating.

We launched our GOOD NEWS weekly e-blast in April 2020. Even during the lockdown there were so many positive stories to share from the community and these bulletins did just that. They celebrated community heroes and signposted to the help available. Four years on, with at least 5 or 6 items of Good News every week, it’s a fantastic tribute to Fleetwood that a relatively small community can achieve so much.

A new start for Healthier Fleetwood

As lockdown restrictions eased and public gatherings were allowed again our Open Meetings resumed with our friends at Emmanuel Mount Church. Pauline hosts these with a light touch, encouraging anyone and everyone to be involved by speaking or listening as they prefer. Numbers have slowly risen back to pre-pandemic levels and at the time or writing we’ve just had over 60 people attend on a cold, dark evening with 30 different speakers sharing their Good News and ideas.

Read a summary of a typical Healthier Fleetwood Open Meeting

The monthly Healthier Fleetwood Open Meetings are central to how we continue to engage and support with residents and we’ve had visitors from all over the Country attend, taking back what they see and hear, and maybe start their own journey.

In April 2021, the Affinity Lancashire shopping outlet based in Fleetwood was open post-lockdown but had unfortunately lost some tenants. The outlet’s management kindly offered Healthier Fleetwood a unit free of charge and to benefit the community.

To be honest we did not have a fully-formed vision of what we would do with the space but opened soon after as a Community Information Centre. At that time we had about 10 posters of local wellbeing opportunities on the walls but the empty spaces soon filled. The unit literally gave us a shop window, somewhere to find out about the amazing Fleetwood community.

It was also a base to host drop-in events and make even more connections as we developed the Healthier Fleetwood Partnership, bringing together professionals in the same way we have tried to with residents and the voluntary sector. The Partnership meet every two months to update on wellbeing-focussed projects, share new ideas and enjoy the networking opportunity. We also support the work of the Future Fleetwood board which is looking at many of those defining themes mentioned earlier: transport; education, training and jobs; economic development; tourism and leisure and more.

In 2022 we were honoured to be nominated for and receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in recognition of our work connecting the community. As we’ve said we are a small team but backed by the many, many volunteers in groups and at hubs around the Town and the award was accepted on their behalf.

In October 2023 with Affinity back to 100% occupancy, we left the outlet and took down an amazing 152 posters - all Fleetwood-based groups, activities and community events.