Picture: Members watching Wimbledon Guild's presentation. 

 

A huge thank you to the 12 members that joined us for our Craftivism & Chat session on 7th July 2022. 58% of those that attended told us that Craftivism & Chat helps them to feel less lonely and isolated. And, 100% of attendees rated the session 'good' or 'great'. 

This session was less craftivism and more chat. We got together to discuss how to stay well this summer, support that was available around the rising cost of living and our experiences of health and social care. 

We started the session with a presentation from Olivia of Wimbledon Guild - she is the warm and well project manager. Olivia shared top tips on how to stay well in hot weather, energy saving advice and how Wimbledon Guild could help local Disabled people.

Some of the support offered includes; a £49 fuel voucher for eligible individuals, grants and financial support for those experiencing financial difficultly and a free handy person service. You can find out more by visiting their website and contacting Olivia - Warm & Well Website 

If you were unable to come along but would like a warm and well pack please get in touch.

We then heard from Katie also of Wimbledon Guild - she manages the Merton Moves project. Katie shared details of how the programme aims to help people have a more physical lifestyle as regular physical activity is key to healthy ageing.

You can watch Katie introducing the programme below: 

The programme offers free taster sessions for people over 50. This will allow you to try a range of exercise classes for free. If you are interested in finding out more about the programme please visit their website and contact Katie - Merton Moves Website

Lastly, we were joined by the care quality commission/choice support to discuss our experiences of health and social care. Our feedback will feed into the 'Because we all care' campaign, that aims to understand the quality of care people are getting to help make things better. 

Some of the points and themes that were raised around health and social care expereinces were: 

• No joined up thinking or working between different health departments 
• Delays to treatment and medication having a damaging affect upon mental health 
• How inaccessible it is to get a doctors appointment 
• Social care processes 
• Only being allowed to discuss 1 issue at GP appointments 
• Mental health services either not there or unsupportive 
• And more.

If you have any comments that you would like to share please email info@mertoncil.org.uk by 15th July 2022. 

You can also log complaints about health or social care providers on the Care Quality Commission Website