Mari Lewis - Sustainable Communities Project Wales - Rural Innovation

Mari Lewis is Research and Development Officer at Rural Health and Care Wales. We talk about the Sustainable Communities Lampeter project.  Episode Summary: 01.00  Mari tells us about her role and rural health interest 04.00  What is the background to the Sustainable Communities project? 06.50  What is the context of Lampeter? 10.00  How was the Cardicare/Solva toolkit applied in Lampeter? 13.55  What were some of the insights from dialogue with the community? 18.10  What are some of the opportunities that exist in Lampeter? 24.35  What were the outcomes of the project? 31.55  What would a more sustainable Lampeter look like?   Key Messages: Health is experienced differently by people living in rural areas.   Community support plays a vital role in helping people maintain independence and wellbeing. The project in Lampeter is focused on building community resilience and reducing social isolation for those living in rural areas by providing weekly socialising sessions. Cardicare used the Solva Toolkit, a pilot project started in Pembrokeshire which had positive outcomes in Aberporth.  This was used again in Lampeter. Lampeter is a small market town in Caredigion, with about 2500 people, with a strong sense of identity and a vibrant community.   The community has an aging population, with many elderly residents living alone. Loneliness and isolation continues to be a significant issues, particularly for those with mobility issues and due to limited transportation options. The existing community groups can be difficult for people to engage with so the project tried to establish a single point of contact to act as a link between the services available and the residents.  Aberporth and Lampeter are two different communities so they did some initial research and resident surveys to see how the project would be accepted.  That feedback was used to adapt the toolkit to Lampeter.   Through dialogue with the community they explored the issues that residents faced and what they would like to see. Word of mouth was the best way to spread the word about the project.  It was still challenging to get the word out to more isolated community members.  Residents said they needed support with household chores, the internet, getting transport to appointments, companionship or a buddy system so that they could have a cup of tea with someone once a week. Music based events were popular. The project wanted to approach social isolation in a preventative way. There is a need to provide a consistent weekly opportunity for people to socialize without any pressure with optional activities.  There was already strong social capital in Lampeter. There was an opportunity to create a consistent and welcoming entry point to help link to existing community assets. It is important to find accessible community spaces so that everyone in the community can get to the space.  Findings from the project: The main finding was that the model needs to be flexible to work in different communities. The project and the events need to be community-led to reflect the culture and interests of that community. It is vital to build relationships when you are working on these kinds of projects, to properly engage people and listen to them to build trust.  Partnerships strengthen reach and collaboration with local groups helps to build shared ownership which is a strong principle.   Constantly take feedback on board and avoid over formalization as it can deter people from activities.  You don't always need a large investment to strengthen community resilience.     Solva Toolkit: https://www.solvacare.co.uk/toolkit/  Rural Health & Care Wales    Thank you for listening to the Rural Road to Health! Rural Health Compass