GOOD NEWS - 2nd February

So it's February already, how did that happen? We hope that you are keeping well in these colder months when it can be harder to find things to do and motivate yourself to get out and about but of course, there's always something to do in Fleetwood ... We had a fantastic and fun afternoon on Saturday with the 'Creative Voice' event at Fleetwood Library. Thank you to Helen, George and Owen from LPM Dance and to Fleetwood residents Ann and Kath for hosting the series of workshops covering music, movement and spoken word on a seaside theme.

We didn't know if guests would attend one or more of the workshops, so the fact just about everyone stayed for the whole of the afternoon says how much they enjoyed themselves.

Thank you also to the Library team for looking after us and helping on the day and to Jill for taking some photos.

When it was tea break, we listened to answers and suggestions to 3 questions ... Why Do You Love Fleetwood?

How Do We Create A Healthier Fleetwood?

What's Your Wish For A Future Fleetwood? Several common themes emerged ... the beauty of Fleetwood's natural surroundings, encouraging more activities for all generations to enjoy together and the need for investment in the Town. These and other responses will be added to conversations about health, wellbeing and community in Fleetwood. There will be more Creative Voice events later in the year using different mediums and the arts while giving local residents a chance to share their views.

And if you are looking for something new to support your health and wellbeing, please call into the Say No To Loneliness event, Marine Hall, Tuesday 14th February. We're getting a lot of interest about this now and looking forward to welcoming visitors to hear more about groups and activities in the community. Among those attending are Wyre Council, The Bay: A Blueprint For Recovery, Lancashire Volunteer Partnership, The Princes Trust, Friendlier Fleetwood, Art & Science at The Mount, UR Potential, Jars of Joy, and there's a FREE open session of singing for wellbeing with Harmony & Health. We'll have a full preview of the event in next week's Good News bulletin. > Updates are also available on the Facebook page here.

It's Children's Mental Health Week from 6th to 12th February and the work going on in Fleetwood compliments this year's campaign theme of "Let's Connect". Many partner organsiations from health and social care, education and the voluntary sector will be meeting next week to coordinate support in the community. Following hours of honest conversations with children and young people, several initiatives are already in place and making a real difference to the wellbeing of individuals and families. Much of the work is being led by the Fleetwood Primary Care Network and the recent appointment of a young person's social prescriber to the team will be followed soon by a dedicated mental health professional.

Inspired Minds are seeing the positive impact of two ideas launched recently.

The weekly drop-in session at the Youth Hub for parents/carers and children offers friendly and informal group chat or private 1-2-1 sessions, There are also a number of free gym memberships for young people at Maxi Fitness, Fleetwood - for better physical and mental health. You can find out more about these opportunities and plans for further support on the Inspired Minds Facebook page or please ask your GP about social prescribing.

Blackpool & Fylde College has announced they are extending adult education opportunities from their Fleetwood Learning Centre.

'Multiply' is FREE, short, 4-week courses with no exam, to help you with money and budgeting, and for you to help your children with their homework. The courses will be held locally, in the old Fleetwood hospital building on North Albert Street and for each course you attend you will receive either £50 or £80 in supermarket vouchers.

For more information and to book a place on the courses: telephone 01253 504690 or contact the college through their Facebook page.

Fleetwood Ladies Rugby Club has a fixture this Sunday which will bring together players past and present.

The 'green & golds' will be looking for a win when they take on visitors Wirral Ladies, 2pm kick-off at Melbourne Avenue in a game sponsored by the original Fleetwood Ladies Rugby of 1996. Hopefully, the ladies will get the result they want but it's sure to be an enjoyable afternoon, during and after the game ... why not pop along and support Fleetwood! And if you fancy giving rugby a go, Fleetwood Ladies welcome new players to train with them on Wednesday evenings - more on Facebook here.

Looking further ahead, RNLI Fleetwood is planning a unique event to raise funds for their amazing, life-saving, voluntary work.

‘Wreck Trek’ is an escorted walk out to the Wyre Light and back again on June 11th. Numbers will be limited and walkers can expect to get muddy feet so you will need appropriate footwear but the crew will ensure the tide is out! Full details are updated on the RNLI Fleetwood Facebook page - tickets will be available from 24th February.

This week the service received a cheque for over £3,000 from Foulds Metal Fleetwood, funds from scrap metal donated on behalf of the RNLI. This ongoing initiative has now raised over £18,000 in total, a fantastic effort by all concerned but please do continue to support the Fleetwood crew.

Thank you very much to everyone who came along to our first Open Meeting of the year on Wednesday evening.

As always we heard about some of the many wonderful groups and events in the local community and plenty of valuable connections were made for the future. A full summary of the meeting will be shared in a 'Good News Extra' bulletin over the weekend and the next meeting is Wednesday 1st March at Emmanuel Mount Church. A reminder that tomorrow morning (Friday 3rd February) we welcome the lovely folks from Peter Lyttle Foundation to our Wellbeing & Community Information Centre at Affinity Lancashire for their FREE monthly drop-in event. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with dementia, particularly young onset, call in 11am - 1pm for a cuppa and a chat about the support available in the local community. And finally, you'll have noticed how many of the groups, activities and events above link to Facebook pages. We appreciate that not everyone chooses to use social media so if you would like more information on anything you read in the bulletins, please contact us directly and we'd be delighted to connect you. Until the next time ... take care.

TO RECEIVE THE 'GOOD NEWS' DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX EACH WEEK WITH ADDED IMAGES AND FEATURES - USE THE SUBSCRIBE FORMS ON THE HOME PAGE/CONTACT PAGE OF THIS WEBSITE. THANK YOU.