Around 1,800 Cotswold residents were able to make connections, try out new things and explore options for help and support at a series of community health and wellbeing events.

The three events, which took place during the summer months of 2024, were the result of a partnership project involving a range of different organisations working together for the benefit of communities.

More than 25 agencies joined forces to promote health and wellbeing activities, advice and support in areas of the Cotswolds where people face challenges.

Attendees gave feedback saying the initiative was valuable, giving them a chance to try something new, spend time outside, meet up with friends and learn more about community organisations.

An evaluation showed the benefits were particularly noticeable for children, with 71% sharing that they would otherwise have been at home.

Ben Williams-Shaw, Locality Manager for Stroud and Berkeley Vale and Cotswolds Integrated Locality Partnership (ILP)/Localities at NHS Gloucestershire said:

“Having such positive and detailed feedback from people has been very valuable in determining how useful the events have been.

“By involving so many different organisations and agencies, we were able to provide a wide range of help and support including informal health advice and signposting to financial advice.

“Isolation can be a theme for people living in rural communities, so the events were key in bringing people together.”

St Michael’s Park in Cirencester hosted the first event in June with eight organisations attracting more than 250 people.

A team of nurses from Gloucestershire Health and Care Foundation Trust (GHC) took blood pressure readings, offering advice and guidance to several people who reported episodes of dizziness and fainting due to low blood pressure. They were advised to contact their GP in the event of further symptoms.

Oonagh Wilson, Clinical Lead with the Community Outreach Vaccination and Health team at GHC said:

“Being out in the community is a vital way of reaching people who might otherwise find it hard to seek help.

“We were able to have a number of really valuable conversations about things which impact on people’s health like stopping smoking, diet, and exercise.

“As well as physical health, people also spoke about mental health and having a Talking Therapy team on site meant we were able to direct them to the right help.”

Around 90 people attended an event in July at King George V Field in Stow-on-the-Wold. Activities included a trapeze, circus workshop and bouncy castle and the final September event at Kingshill in Cirencester drew more than 1,500 people. A total of 17 organisations showcased sports and physical activities from judo to cheerleading.

As well as NHS teams, police and fire service representatives also attended. A total of 39 blood pressure checks were given as well as advice on diabetes, diet, exercise and talking therapies. Awareness was raised about support for mental health, stopping smoking, prostate cancer and treatment and menopause. The Rotary Club promoted sports bursaries which help young people access healthy activities.

Ben Ward from World Jungle, the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) representative for the Cotswold ILP said:

“The events demonstrated great partnership working between the NHS and VCSE organisations and how we can support each other and our communities.

“We were able to bring the community together, showcase wellbeing opportunities, promote community health services and provide a great day of entertainment for all ages.

“The feedback from the public was really positive and I hope we can do more of this in the future.”

The project illustrates NHS Gloucestershire’s commitment to tackling health inequalities (the term which describes unfair or avoidable differences in health across the population).

Ben added:

“Our aim was to reach out to the areas where people experience the greatest number of challenges.

“We used population health management to identify which areas most needed help. Beeches, Chesterton, Stow and Watermoor, had the highest prevalence of health conditions so we selected venues local to these areas to reach children and families with support.”