By Karen Loftus, CAN Chief Executive
I’ve recently been through a terrifying personal trauma. I was caught up in the recent floods in Valencia and had to escape my car into a muddy torrent. I thought my time was up. It wasn’t and we were rescued. But when I thought I would die, my thoughts were only of love, love for my daughters, love for my family and friends, love for my job. There was no hate and not a thought about my 500 unread emails I assure you!
So when I recently co-led a day gathering all the charities and community groups from across Dorset along with our NHS colleagues as part of Access Wellbeing, I felt that love. It’s so clear to me that what drives them is love, love for their communities and love for the people they serve and it’s what makes the work successful and meaningful.
Access Wellbeing is all about working together with people and communities to develop new ways of the public sector and voluntary sector coming together that offer earlier access to different types of support depending on need.
As part of Access Wellbeing, 53 groups received grants from a £1,000,000 Community Wellbeing and Mental Health Fund from NHS Dorset. CAN has been instrumental in securing this funding, I’m incredibly proud about that – it’s so important as part of our role as a local infrastructure charity bringing investment into our sector, and then working with NHS Dorset and Dorset Community Foundation to help groups secure this funding and best evidence the impact of their brilliant work.
Hearing about their amazing work right across the county truly fed my soul. We had horses (sadly not in the room!), cold water swimming, art, breath work, activities for older people, talking therapies—I could go on and on! All are making a positive difference to people’s lives.
We heard from our colleagues working together to develop Access Wellbeing Hubs (BCHA, Dorset Mind, Help and Care, The Lantern Trust and The Harmony Centre) – some are already up and running in Poole, Boscombe, Bridport and Weymouth with more on the cards – thinking about how we can all work collaboratively to get alongside people to live happy healthy lives. It is truly inspiring work.
I left feeling very proud and uplifted, and yes, with love.
