HEALTHIER FLEETWOOD AT THE HUB

It's 6 months since we moved into our 'new' Information Centre at The HUB Fleetwood, a good time for a review of how it's going.

The question we are often asked is how busy are we and the simple answer is … it varies. Working in community is not an exact science and you never really know who will call in, what they will ask and how you can help. There is no obvious pattern to how many people we see and yesterday was a good example.

After just a couple of visitors in the morning we had a flurry of activity at midday and passed on lots of information. Then it went quiet again before several more people came in just before we closed. Inquiries covered sports and fitness groups, opportunities to make friends, enjoying the Great Outdoors, support for Armed Forces veterans and upcoming local events.

In our previous two venues at Affinity Lancashire Outlet and on Lord Street, both great locations, our visitors included a high percentage of people from outside the Fleetwood area. Many remarked they’d like something similar in their neighbourhood but questions were often about where is the nearest cash point or which side of the road is the Blackpool tram!

Overall footfall in the Information Centre is picking up steadily but visitors are now almost all local residents looking to make the most of what’s on in their community. We are also able to catch up with staff and volunteers from partner organisations and community groups, and these conversations are a valuable part of our work. Anyone supporting local residents is very welcome to contact us about arranging a visit, perhaps with colleagues so you can see the range of information on display and how it could help your work.

It’s always been the plan for Healthier Fleetwood to join the partners in the former hospital building and we’d like to thank the Fleetwood Trust for their support. We have been at The HUB since February but in the last few weeks there's been an exciting new development, the opening of the fantastic 'The Heart of the Hub' community cafe, operated by One Fylde.

Being literally next door to the café is a great opportunity for everyone involved. Our visitors are delighted they can enjoy a drink or something to eat in a superb setting and diners calling through our space can pick up details on something of interest to them in and around Fleetwood.

And we are delighted to say that we will be extending our hours again.

From mid-September, the Healthier Fleetwood Information Centre will be open on four days a week: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10am to 2pm. The Centre is used by a couple of our partners for wellbeing groups on Wednesdays … we’ll share more about these soon.

For inquiries about using the Heart of the Hub café for engagement events, we can introduce you to One Fylde or email direct to hannah.fletcher@onefylde.org

Thank you to everyone who has visited us so far ... if you haven't been able to yet, we look forward to seeing you soon.