NOTES OF OUR LATEST OPEN MEETING

Our most recent Open Meeting was held on Wednesday 5th September at Emmanuel at the Mount Hall and we’d like to thank the Church and its parishioners for their continued support of Healthier Fleetwood and the community.

Maurice opened the meeting and began by updating on the plans to form Healthier Fleetwood charitable trust. Trustees have been agreed and the constitution document was being worked through ahead of an application to the charity commission. It’s a long process but worth it for the long-term aims of Healthier Fleetwood.

Volunteers are always appreciated to support the Trustees and the office team at events and groups and the main requirement is to just talk to people, share positive stories and encourage more residents to get involved.

We then looked at some of the groups and projects Healthier Fleetwood is supporting …

Nick told us about ANON, a 12 weeks arts programme for residents in recovery from substance or alcohol and those with depression or mild mental health issues. Funding for the programme was awarded to Healthier Fleetwood by Red Rose Recovery and Nick will support another local artist, Heather, on this every Tuesday morning until the end of November.

Maureen shared with the meeting how much she was enjoying the art classes at the Library and also, along with Fran told us about the recent session of the new sea angling group. They and a few others met on Fleetwood beach a couple of weeks ago to learn about bait and casting from residents Steve and Jonathan, with equipment funded by Healthier Fleetwood. Everyone enjoyed the experience and we will be announcing the date for the next session soon.

Once the wonderful Maureen starts you can’t stop her! As a keen member of Fleetwood’s Just Good Friends we also heard about the group’s new Monday afternoon games session at the Wyre Lights and the Thursday coffee morning at Wetherspoons as well as the main meeting at the Highbury Club on Tuesday mornings at 10am. Just Good Friends welcomes new members all the time to meet and make friends as a way of combatting isolation.

Rachel updated us on progress to bring beach wheelchairs to Fleetwood. There’s a demonstration of some of the chairs on Sunday 16th September between 2pm and 4pm on the beach behind Marine Hall and plans are being made to form a charity to oversee the project.

Richard couldn’t make the meeting but on his behalf we were told that the free table tennis sessions had restarted on Wednesdays, 12 to 2pm at the Milton Street youth and family centre.

David said the recent 'Afternoon of Dance' event had been a great success and Healthier Fleetwood was helping to support more dance classes as a way of boosting health and wellbeing. The six weeks of salsa had ended but the tap classes had started on Tuesday at 6.15pm and the first class is free if you mention Healthier Fleetwood.

Fleetwood now has it’s own Park Run event and Mark told us it wasn’t a race, it wasn’t about how fast you could finish but more about taking regular exercise, meeting new people and being part of the community. As well as taking part in the event, volunteers were also needed to help stage them by acting as marshalls.

Fleetwood surgeries will be partnering the event team and on Saturday 29th September the Mountview Surgery team will be ‘taking over’ for a week.

Mark also said that Healthier Fleetwood has been nominated for the General Practice Awards. The finals ceremony will be in London in November and two residents will be invited to attend as our guests, with travel and accommodation costs paid for.

Kelly updated us on the social prescribing support available through the surgeries which is now connecting residents referred by the GPs and nurses to local groups and activities.

Shirley and several members of the singing group (not a choir) Harmony & Health invited more residents along to the Tuesday afternoon session at Marine Hall. Singing and movement can be a great aid to physical and mental health - positively affecting breathing, dementia and much more. Harmony & Health now also has sessions at Thornton and Freckleton.

John had mentioned about a clean up of the Blakiston play area at the last meeting and he’s been in touch with the local authority about this. There is a consultation on-going about the plans for the space and when that’s completed John will update the group with any news of a community clean-up weekend.

Another John is starting Tai Chi classes and offering a free session at Fleetwood Library on Friday 5th October at 7pm. He is then looking to hold weekly paid-for sessions and will offer the first session free to anyone mentioning Healthier Fleetwood.

Dan from Fleetwood YMCA mentioned that as well as the Park Run a new Couch to 5k programme suitable for all levels of fitness will start in October. Working with Active Lancashire there are free, weekly fitness and sports activities such as the health walk and clean-up on Thursday mornings and rounders on Thursday afternoons plus boxercise and handball starting soon.

Healthier Fleetwood will be supporting several events in the coming weeks including the Martindale Park fun day on Saturday 8th September, Fun Palaces – a creative day for all ages at Fleetwood Library on Saturday 6th October and we will be hosting a ‘tea & talk’ afternoon at Marine Hall to mark World Mental Health Day on Wednesday 10th October.

Any questions about the groups, events and activities mentioned at the meeting please contact Healthier Fleetwood by email to listening@healthierfleetwood.co.uk or telephone 07399 093835 (answerphone) and we will connect you with the right person.

Another hugely enjoyable evening, full of energy and great ideas from Fleetwood residents making a difference to their own health and the community. The next meeting will be at Emmanuel at the Mount Hall on Wednesday 3rd October from 6.30pm …. all welcome!