Social Prescribing Day is an annual celebration of social prescribing, recognising the UK wide community groups and projects which have kept us healthy throughout the pandemic and beyond.
What is social prescribing?
- Social prescribing, also sometimes known as community referral, is a means of enabling health professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services.
- Recognising that people’s health and wellbeing are determined mostly by a range of social, economic and environmental factors, social prescribing seeks to address people’s needs in a holistic way. It also aims to support individuals to take greater control of their own health.
- Social prescribing is designed to support people with a wide range of social, emotional or practical needs, and many schemes are focused on improving mental health and physical wellbeing.
- The NHS Five Year Forward View and Long-Term Plan, commit the NHS to developing social prescribing (over 900,000 people are expected to be referred to social prescribing schemes by 2023/24), and as such have created considerable demand for delivery of this type of intervention*.
*European Centre for Environment and Human Health
How is Fordhall Community Land Initiative involved?
In 2021 Fordhall became a social prescribing provider offering two opportunities to join sessions on the farm aimed at improving peoples mental and physical wellbeing.
We currently offer Farm Friday’s, an opportunity to join our weekly volunteering day, building skills and confidence undertaking maintenance tasks around the farm with a group of like-minded volunteers in the outdoors.
Our other offer is Afternoon Amble, a weekly guided walk around the farm, followed by a natural crafting activity over tea and cake. An accessible walk in our beautiful farm land (we have an all-terrain mobility vehicle available in needed). The walk was first established early on the pandemic to support those suffering from isolation and loneliness, it is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and benefit from the hugely positive benefits that come from spending time in green spaces.
We hope to welcome many more people to our farm and to play an active role in improving our local communities mental and physical wellbeing.
Nic Syred – Community and Partnerships Lead
Find out more
To find out more contact Nicola Syred, Community and Partnerships Lead via email on community@fordhallfarm.com or 01630 638696
socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/social-prescribing-day-2022/
@nasp_insta (Social Prescribing Academy)