By Vanessa Powell-Hoyland, Well Doncaster Programme Manager

The Well Doncaster Team and I are very happy to share our 2018/19 Annual Report, where you can read all about the amazing work that has been continuing in our original Well Community of Denaby. The report also shares how we have taken the learning and approaches from Well Denaby into four new Well Communities in the borough. You will read how we have been working over the last year on building relationships in each Well Community, influencing the integrated working agenda and shaping approaches to community development.

This year’s report highlights the impact the work Well Doncaster supports is having on the lives of real people across the Well Communities around literacy, volunteering, access to services and health care, sustaining housing tenancies and avoiding debt to name just a few.

The report also outlines the exciting work of Sport England’s Local Delivery Pilot, which is working closely with Well Doncaster.  The pilot seeks to understand how to shape and embed physical activity into communities utilising Community Explorers from community-based organisations to engage residents in conversations and gathered insight around attitudes and barriers to physical activity. The Community Explorers are also participating in workshops and completing further training as the programme develops in their communities.

March saw the end of Karen Seaman’s secondment with Well Doncaster as she returned to her substantive post as manager of Family Hubs across the South of the borough. As sad as the programme is to lose her, Karen is the manager of Family Hubs in two Well Communities and we will continue to work collaboratively with her as we continue to support individuals and families.

Doncaster Council’s Director of Public Health Rupert Suckling said of Well Doncaster:

Well Doncaster has always focused on local people and place and it is great to see the developments in Denaby continue despite changes in who provides support from the co-ordinating team. So thank you Karen for all your help. Well Doncaster has also been about learning and sharing, and it’s great that other communities have wanted to learn from the approach in Well Denaby and that we now have the opportunity to share that learning with other local areas including Stainforth, Edington Balby and Bentley. I know everywhere is different and many areas already have lots of local leaders and community assets so the approach (as in Denaby) is to continue to work alongside and support what’s strong to help other communities continue to thrive.

At the end of the report we set out key recommendations for 2019-20 and are excited to expand the programme even further into each Well Community and contribute to the exciting things that hare happening across Doncaster.

Read our 2018-19 Annual Report and contact us at welldoncaster@doncaster.gov.uk and follow us on Twitter @welldoncaster