Winter Wellbeing Events Could Run Across Cornwall After Successful Summer Festivals

The success of a series of summer wellbeing festivals across Cornwall has prompted discussions about organising similar events during the upcoming winter months. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB), alongside various partners, is considering hosting winter wellbeing events from December 2024 to March 2025 and is seeking feedback from the public through an online survey.

Summer Festivals: A Community Success Story

The summer wellbeing festivals, held in locations including St Austell, Bude, Penzance, Wadebridge, Redruth, Camborne, Launceston, and Hayle, saw over 2,000 attendees. These events featured stalls and activities designed to encourage health-conscious habits and showcased available local support services. The festivals included:

• Health checks such as blood pressure and oral cancer screenings
• Nutritional advice on eating well
• Taster sessions for physical activity, facilitated by Healthy Cornwall and Active Cornwall
• Opportunities to explore new hobbies from crafts to sports
• Mental health support and volunteering information

The Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust’s vaccination team was particularly popular, conducting over 300 health checks during the events.

Feedback and Future Planning

Kate Shields, Chief Executive of NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Boards, highlighted the importance of maintaining the wellbeing of residents during the colder months. She said, “The summer wellbeing festivals were really enjoyable and a great way to showcase the local health and wellbeing support available. Over winter the physical and mental wellbeing of our residents is really important and that’s why we are keen to hear if people would be interested in attending winter wellbeing events to find out how they can stay well in the colder months.”

Ruth Goldstein, Assistant Director of Public Health for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, echoed these sentiments, noting, “The feedback from the wellbeing festivals shows how useful they have been in helping local people find out more about their health, and the small changes they can make to bring about a big difference in their long-term health.”

Attendees provided positive feedback, with comments such as: “I got some great advice for a friend with a learning difficulty, who’s recently undergone surgery and more to come,” and “this was fantastic, thank you! Please definitely do more. I found it very helpful, lots of important and useful information and great to be around such supportive, knowledgeable and friendly people.”

Ongoing Community Engagement

The ICB’s partners—Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change, Volunteer Cornwall, Healthy Cornwall, CHAOS Radio, and various town councils—played a key role in the summer’s success. As the ICB looks to expand this support into winter, residents are encouraged to share their thoughts through a survey to help shape these potential events.

For those interested in providing feedback, the online survey can be accessed here. To stay updated on the Healthier Together campaign, residents can sign up for the monthly Cornwall Together bulletin.

The new ‘Your Cornwall guide to wellbeing’ continues to be available at vaccination events across 23 local GP surgeries, following its initial distribution at the summer festivals.

Cornwall’s communities are set to benefit from continued health and wellbeing support, and with sufficient public interest, winter could see a fresh series of events aimed at helping residents stay well during the colder months.