How can social prescribing help you?

Social prescribing is at the heart of Live Well Greenwich, whose free services are commissioned by the Royal Borough of Greenwich and delivered by Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) and a range of partners in the voluntary sector.

A free service, Live Well can help you to find a range of new activities and work towards a healthy lifestyle.

If you would like to meet new people, find fun clubs or new hobbies to enjoy, or if you’re needing some support for you, a family member or friend with housing, finance, form-filling or employment, then call the Live Well line and speak to one of our Live Well advisors.

Whatever your needs, Live Well is the place to go to find the right group or support for you. CACT has seen many success stories of people who have loved the health programmes they’ve been involved with. One great example of this is the CACT Extra Time Hub.

The Extra Time Hub is a group of retired and semi-retired people that get together every Wednesday to take part in a variety of activities, including singing, table tennis and occasionally day trips to the beach.

In October 2019, minister Jo Churchill and officials from the Department of Health and NHS England visited the Extra Time Hub, as part of the launch of the National Academy for Social Prescribing

Jo Churchill said she had a “brilliant morning” at the Extra Time Hub and mentioned that CACT offers “fabulous programmes” improving health for people in the community.

“We’ve seen people do exercise classes, we’ve seen them doing choirs – there is a fabulous story about somebody who had COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and, when they went for their check-up, their lung capacity had really improved. The only difference in their life was that they were part of the choir”.

This is a key approach of social prescribing; bringing a community together for activities and support. This is even more valuable now, as people have gone through years of loss and isolation because of COVID-19. Experiences like these can take a while to recover from, but Live Well is there to help.

Live Well Greenwich supports local people to live healthier, happier lives for longer. Live Well health advisors can help you find community groups and projects to get involved in and offer support and advice with anything you’re working through.

If you, or someone you know, could benefit, call the Live Well Greenwich Line on 0800 470 4831, visit Live Well Greenwich or refer yourself. To browse activities happening locally, head to the Greenwich Community Directory.

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