A day to share and reflect
On a long project it is good to take pause to share with others your achievements, progress and plans. And as a five year project the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Cornwall is no different! We were therefore thrilled to be able to welcome over 80 people to our annual event in September. The stunning Cornish coast provided the backdrop as attendees arrived at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay to learn about the roots of wellbeing. As well as presentations we made sure to include opportunities for learning and networking. And we encouraged attendees to engage with the subject of health determinants.
Morning presentations
Our event kicked off with some welcome caffeine, and a greeting from our HDRC Service Lead, Charlotte Bramwell. Charlotte provided an overview of the HDRC’s achievements, and a road map for our work ahead. Following this was a video talk by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who sadly was unable to join us in person. He talked about the importance of health determinants and HDRCs. The Viva Co-Design team from Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change (CN4C) then took to the stage. They shared news of their work with local communities, and hearing about the issues that matter to them.
A talk by one of HDRC Cornwall’s research advocates, Janine Bisson, was then planned. Janine was unable to make it on the day, so our own Research Support Officer (RSO) Luca stepped into the breach! The audience were then held spellbound by a poem by Zo. In it they recounted their experiences and difficulties with the healthcare system.
Health and hedges?
After a break attendees took part in a workshop. The aim was to get everyone thinking about health determinants, or the building blocks of health – and their relevance to everyone. (If you’d like to learn more about health determinants please read our previous blog). But being HDRC Cornwall we wanted to give the activity a Cornish twist. So we asked each table to consider these building blocks of health as forming a Cornish hedge! As well as the hedge stones, which formed the understanding of the health determinants; attendees could add flowers, seeds and compost with the opportunities, ideas and adaptations they see needed in Cornwall to address them. Our aim wasn’t just to get the attendees to make a lovely Cornish Hedge (although of course that was a nice bonus!). We wanted to get them chatting to gain a new understanding of the relevance of health determinants, as well as coming up with ideas for solutions. And of course we’ll be looking at what was created in the workshop to inform our own work going forward.
The workshop was devised by Gwyn Williams from Cornwall Council's Public Health team. Sadly Gwyn was unwell on the day, but Caroline Court was able to step up as the workshop leader in her place. We’re very grateful to both Gwyn and Caroline for making the workshop a success!
Afternoon exhibits and panel session
A sandwich lunch followed. Many attendees took advantage of the location to sit on the sunny (albeit a bit chilly!) outdoor terrace overlooking the sea. Our afternoon session then kicked off with an exhibition. Boards showcased posters relating to the work of HDRC Cornwall, and our team were on hand to talk attendees through our projects. CN4C also shared their Lego Labyrinth game, a fun way of sharing and exploring community needs. As well as taking in the exhibits, attendees could also use this time to network, and submit questions for our panel session at the end of the day.
Our afternoon panel was chaired by Katie Ash from Cornwall Council. The panel members were Emma Rowse from Cornwall VSF, Anna Mankee-Williams from Falmouth University, Andrew Abott from NHS Cornwall and IOS Integrated Care Board, and the HDRC’s own Charlotte Bramwell. Our attendees came up with some interesting questions for the panel to answer. This included the topical subject of the importance of tackling health disinformation. Also asked was whether the South West is a Marmot region, and the importance of place in our work. The panel even tackled the use of mapping exercises, and ways their organisations can collaborate! Unfortunately we weren’t able to cover all the questions submitted. But we plan to address some of them in future blogs - so watch this space.
What are the roots of wellbeing?
With our panel closing our event came to an end. Despite some technical issues and a sticky wall that wasn't sticky (long story!) we felt that the event was a success. It gave attendees a chance to engage with HDRC Cornwall, and our team inspiration for more we can do in the future. We’re very grateful to everyone who attended, and hope that our future events will be even bigger and better!
So did we discover the roots of wellbeing at our event? To be fair, that was a big ask for a single day! But we think our attendees went away more aware of what can be at the roots of wellbeing, and confident that there is work to address inequalities in wellbeing in Cornwall moving forwards.