Social Prescribing Day is an annual celebration of the people, organisations and communities who make social prescribing happen. Since 2019, thousands of local and national organisations, link workers, medical professionals, acedemics and students have taken part across the country.

Look out for more information on our social media pages next week.

The Little Orange Book contains advice and tips on how to manage common illnesses and problems that babies, and young children, often experience in the first 5 years of their lives. 

It also has information on more serious conditions, what to look out for, and how to help.

The Durham Tees Valley listening service has switched to a new telephone number: 0800 046 1313.

Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the service offers emotional support for adults aged 18 and over living in Teesside, Durham and Darlington.

Staffed by experienced NHS mental health crisis professionals, the listening service offers a safe space to talk, confidential emotional support, information and advice.

Cycling can be cheap, fun and easy to do. From a five-minute potter to the shops or a ten-minute ride to work or school, through to a fifty-mile cycle, there are benefits and routes for all. 

There are many miles of cycle-friendly routes in and around County Durham. Durham County Council have recently launched 12 new maps for their main towns which have all you need to know about cycling for these areas including cycle routes, safety, security, secure cycle parking and tips.

You can download one at: https://www.durham.gov.uk/wheretocycle or alternatively if you email their active travel mailbox activetravel@durham.gov.uk with your map preference and your postal address a member of their team will post one out to you.

Schools and academies across County Durham are prioritising workplace health by taking up the Better Health at Work Award (BHAWA). Several local educational institutions are now on board with the BHAWA County Durham, including 18 schools and one college.

Photograph: Pioneering Care Partnership

A new birthing and bereavement suite was officially opened at University Hospital of North Durham in February.

Developed in partnership with, and co-funded by, CDDFT Charity and 4Louis (a charity that works across the country to support anyone affected by child loss), this suite is a collaborative effort to support families navigating miscarriage, stillbirth, and child loss.

The Serenity Suite is designed to provide a sensitive and supportive environment for families during an immensely difficult time and will be used where parents have experienced or are likely to soon experience pregnancy loss from 18 weeks gestation.

Photograph: County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Across the North East and North Cumbria, the Integrated Care Board has asked local Healthwatch organisations to support a piece of public involvement.

This is seeking to understand the experiences people have had over the last year in relation to Dentistry services. Please do share with groups and networks where you are able to help hear as many experiences as possible.

The deadline for the survey is 31st March

Foundation For Good (FFG) is on a mission to uplift the most vulnerable members in the region’s most deprived communities. Their core commitment is to empower disabled individuals, disadvantaged youth, and marginalised populations, fostering resilience and transformation.

FFG’s pioneering approach revolves around alternative education, tapping into the latest research to promote positive behavior change. It is tailored to students who have faced challenges in traditional classrooms, providing them with a customised learning environment.

The focus on deprived young people is a point of pride, offering transformative pathways to reduce the risk of offending and antisocial behavior. A diverse range of wellness programs and mental health support are offered, to ensure the young person’s holistic development, keeping them healthy, engaged, and inspired.

FFG also operates a food bank and cultivates an inclusive, welcome space for meaningful connections. They collaborate with a range of stakeholders including the police, Social Prescribers and local education, to work towards a brighter, more promising future for communities. 

The Pioneering Care Partnership have a dedicated Cancer Awareness Team covering the whole of County Durham.

The team can talk to people on a 1:1 basis; deliver community workshops; deliver a workplace workshop or attend community events.

For more information or to arrange a workshop, please email andrea.mackrell@pcp.uk.net  or telephone 07912 293196.

You can also download a screening leaflet which can be printed and displayed in workplaces or community venues: What screening programmes are there in the UK? (pcp.uk.net).

Burnhope Community Centre offer a wide range of groups and activities, as well as a community gym and a Wellbeing Hub.

One activity on offer is the Vitality Group which supports those living with fibromyalgia through a four-week rolling rota of Mindset Matters (addressing negative thought patterns), Reiki and Reiki Drum, crafts and pain management.

The Community Centre also offers weekly yoga classes. Yoga is adapted to the needs of the individual making it fully accessible to those with pain or other long-term conditions.

You can pop into the Community Centre whenever the gates are open whilst current opening times and a full activity timetable can be found on the website or telephone 01207 780382.

Silver Talk is a free telephone befriending service for people aged 50 and over living in the North East of England.

Managed by Karbon Homes, Silver Talk has been running for over ten years. It gives people who may feel lonely the opportunity to connect for regular, social telephone chats. Their friendly and fully trained volunteers call people for a chat of up to 30 minutes at the same time each week. 

The service now offers telephone befriending to over 180 people, delivered by 65 trained volunteers.

To find out more about Silver Talk or Silver Friends, call 0191 223 8662, email silvertalk@karbonhomes.co.uk or visit their website 

Getting our and about with Silver Friends

The team behind Silver Talk have recently started the Silver Friends community group.

Made possible through the UK Government’s Know Your Neighbourhood Fund, Silver Friends hosts face-to-face events and activities for people aged 50+ in the north of County Durham.

Activities include regular free coffee mornings with refreshments, bingo and raffles, a monthly men’s group and events providing information and advice around health, finance, support and more.

If you would like to find out more and take part, you can join their Facebook page by searching for ‘Karbon Homes Silver Friends’. You can also get in touch by calling 0191 223 8662 or emailing silvertalk@karbonhomes.co.uk.

A 6 week course for adults with a learning disability who have type 2 diabetes is starting at East Durham Trust next Monday 11th March from 1.00 - 3.30pm.

The course is open to those who are:

• Over 18 years of age and have a learning disability
• Have type 2 diabetes (but are not pregnant or just had a baby)
• Live in County Durham and are registered with a local GP

For more information and to book a free place email diabetes@skillsforpeople.org.uk or call 0191 381 8737 (ask for Sara or Sally).

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences.

It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by providing schools, universities, and organisations with the opportunity to recognise the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.

Depending on how our brains are wired we think, move, process information and communicate in different ways. Many people in our community use neurodiversity as an umbrella term used to describe alternative thinking styles such as Dyslexia, DCD (Dyspraxia), Dyscalculia, Autism and ADHD. But regardless of labels, neurodiversity is about recognising those who think differently. And no matter whether you are a school, university or organisation you can benefit from different thinkers!

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust are offering free taster sessions for their mindfulness courses.

Mindfulness is a particular way of paying attention to the present moment and can help people to become more aware of their thoughts and emotions.

The courses can help those experiencing depression or those stressed by parenting or caring for someone with mental ill health, dementia or a learning disability.

HOPE is a course developed by Macmillan Cancer Support and Coventry University to support people after cancer treatment.

Each course is run by a health and social care professional and a trained volunteer who has a personal experience of cancer. Clients can share their experiences and get support from others.

It helps strengthen coping skills for dealing with different problems like anxiety, fatigue, and concerns for the future, so clients can feel more like themselves again.

• When & Where
  21st March to 25th April – Butterwick Hospice, Bishop Auckland
• 8th April to 20th May (excluding 6th May BH) – Tesco, Consett
• 9th April to 14th May – Healthworks, East Durham

Wellbeing for Life (WBFL) is a service which works to inspire individuals and communities to improve their health and wellbeing. 

WBFL host a wide variety of events, delivered directly in local community venues or online to provide learners with the opportunity to increase their knowledge and skillls in health improvement and community related subjects. 

The training and awareness sessions are subsidised by Durham County Council and therefore free to attend for anyone living or working in County Durham.

The service is delivered in partnership by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) and the Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP)