Launch of the First ‘Wellbeing Creating Community’ Initiative.

February twenty-third saw the launch of the Community Wellbeing Initiative at Chandlers Ford Methodist Church (CFMC). This is the first church/IBEX partnership focused on supporting a church to champion wellbeing in the church and wider community.

The initiative has been in discussion for a while and follows on from the project CFMC have had, to update the premises that are now 30 years old; making them more suitable for community use through measures such as improving disabled access and such like. It is now all the more important to think about how the premises can best serve the community.

So a little about what’s going on and plans:

There were two launch services which included small group discussions on"What things made the most difference to our wellbeing/thriving in times when we have  been at our best?” or “What has helped us to be ‘ok’ in periods when challenges could have overwhelmed us?"

In the lay pastors gathering, there was a similar and wider discussion.

Reflecting on these discussions, minister Ruth Fry said

“It was inspiring to see the energy of discussion around the room. People who normally keep themselves on the fringes opened up and were willing to share openly. But what really struck me – and has got me mulling since – was how quickly the questions enabled people to get into deep and meaningful discussion; much more quickly than previously. And that [the questions] were such a non threatening and easy way to enable conversation, to help people consider the different facets to being whole and to enable ‘spiritual’ conversation with or without drawing on ‘religious’ vocabulary."

We are now starting community dialogue looking to explore:

·        What do people feel makes a difference to the different facets of their wellbeing*

·        What places and activities in the locality they make use of and the difference these make to them

·        What would people like to see to help them maintain and improve any aspect of their wellbeing.

*The working definition for the dimensions of wellbeing, thriving & wholeness currently on the table is physical & mental health, connectedness/spiritual health, practical wellbeing and mutual support/‘the common good'. We are currently collating resources to identify and help reflection on the different contributing factors. Keep an eye on updated on our wellbeing page here.

We will be looking to:

·        Improve awareness and access to things currently going on in the locality

·        Create more connectedness between different activities; seeing if we can stimulate a culture of cross-signposting and invitation, to nurture a community that spans the boundary of individual activities

·        Link with other groups, including signposting to the NHS and social prescribing

·        Help groups work on ways to develop their ‘stickiness’: becoming more ‘attractive’ and appealing to the diversity of the population, making it easier to create strong, life-enhancing relationships,

·        Begin to liaise with others on creating some form of ‘open forum’, as well as ‘Opportunities for Inspiration’, which may (if we are lucky) include some bespoke wellbeing related comedy poetry as well as more mundane but important topics like ‘nurturing our microbiomes’.  We will see what unfolds...

We are looking to develop the framework and resources for wider use and to link in with others (active or interested in being active) in the area Chandler's Ford.

If you would like to get involved locally, have ideas/stories/resources you'd like to share or want to learn more please contact Esther Ridsdale at community@ibexsouthcoast.org.uk