2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing Evaluation Report
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2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing Evaluation Report 1 the world of design, regeneration and health as Foreword well as tens of thousands of local people who have attended and participated in our events programme. The Year of Health and Wellbeing was conceived as an approach that would have both an immediate Through art, culture, sport and education, the ethos impact and a longer term legacy. Our aim was of health and wellbeing was taken out into our to affect behaviour, change attitudes and also to neighbourhoods. At a strategic level major progress influence policy. At a time when public budgets are was also made – placing Health and Wellbeing under extreme pressure, it was important that we firmly on the agenda in areas such as transport, evaluated our activity. business, fire service, police, housing, universities, colleges, schools and the workplace. Over the last 12 months, we have engaged with a diverse and extensive programme of events, Using the Five Ways to Wellbeing as a framework, activities and performances. The year drew together the Year of Health and Wellbeing focused on five people and organisations from across Merseyside – key ways to improve physical and mental health. Gideon Ben-Tovim community groups, businesses, individuals, charities Chair and schools. We have been able to engage Liverpool Public Health Observatory (LPHO) were Liverpool Primary Care Trust decision makers, business leaders, community commissioned to support the collation of this report activists and Liverpool residents in taking steps to and to help draw down conclusions. The report create a healthier and happier City Region. is based on a range of evaluations which were specifically commissioned for individual projects or The year has pioneered many fun, enjoyable and to evaluate the overall impact of the year. effective ways to promote health and wellbeing featuring everything from cycle rides to singing: LPHO were asked to synthesise some of the material kayaking to comedy festivals: football to theatre, and Liverpool Primary Care Trust (LPCT) then drumming and dancing. produced this report on behalf of the Decade of Health and Wellbeing partners. Events have ranged from high profile celebrity performances at the Liverpool Echo Arena through We hope that the findings will inspire others to join Cllr Roz Gladden to small scale singing recitals and nature walks. We in and take action to improve health and wellbeing Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health have recruited internationally celebrated writers, over the next decade. Liverpool City Council broadcasters, artists, and influential figures from Contents Executive Summary 2-11 1 Why a Year of Health and Wellbeing? 12 2 How the year evolved 15 Photographic Timeline 16-17 3 Delivering our objectives 18 3.1 Raising profile 18 3.2 Having an impact 24 3.3 Extending an influence 29 4 Evaluating the year 34 4.1 General population awareness, engagement and response to messages 35 4.2 Views of people at 2010 YOHW events 38 4.3 Focus groups 42 4.4 Other means of evaluating research and response 44 4.5 Stakeholder interviews 46 4.5 Impact on existing wellbeing initiatives 47 5 A Decade of Health and Wellbeing 48 6 Conclusions 50 7 Key recommendations 52 Acknowledgements 53 References 53 31 Executive Summary 1 Why a Year of Health and Wellbeing? The Year of Health and Wellbeing (2010 YOHW) initiative was driven by a simple vision – to improve health and reduce inequalities in the Liverpool city region though a programme of arts and cultural activities, events and projects. Our wider aim was to promote recognition for cultural activity as an important and enjoyable means of enhancing health and wellbeing, to engage people and communities across Liverpool and promote the Five Ways to Wellbeing (see right). The Five Ways to Wellbeing were taken from the Foresight project Mental Capital and Wellbeing, published in October 2008, commissioned by the centre for wellbeing at the New Economics Foundation and aimed at developing a set of evidence-based actions to improve personal wellbeing. This emphasis on culture and creativity recognised their unique value as ways of promoting the Five Ways to Wellbeing and reflected the growing evidence about the direct health benefits of participation in artistic and cultural activity. Arts and culture are increasingly accepted aspects of Liverpool’s civic life and identity and are a powerful means of engaging communities and fostering creative social interaction. The cultural programme has been a hugely effective means of communicating the aims and vision for the Year of Health and Wellbeing in an accessible and tangible way. It enabled the 2010 YOHW to plug into an existing programme of community celebrations and networks and establish a popular connection to Liverpool’s hugely successful year as European Capital of Culture 2008. 42 The YOHW programme set out to achieve the following communication aims; • raise awareness • have an impact • extend influence 3 Executive Summary On the Waterfront Spreading the Message 2 The 2010 programme These riverside events were attended by thousands of people and incorporated the 2010 YOHW Feel Hundreds more smaller events carried the 2010 Good Fairs offering public art, dance performances, YOHW messaging, ensuring everyone across 2.1 Raising profile singing and family friendly activities to engage Liverpool and the City Region had an opportunity Key events and activities people of all walks of life and age, giving them to get involved. Banners promoting YOHW were opportunities to connect. displayed in key city-centre locations and on the main This strand of activity focused on promoting arterial routes around Liverpool. The year had it’s awareness of the 2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing Brouhaha own website which gained many followers. To ensure (2010 YOHW) initiative, specifically promoting the A free outdoor festival and carnival which joined we were on track with awareness and engagement Five Ways to wellbeing with the general population, up with 2010 YOHW to bring the Five Ways to its of the year we conducted street interviews and targeted communities, partner organisations and their audience and was attended by 38,000 people. completed questionnaires with people at events. staff by integrating the Five Ways into existing high Opportunities were provided for participants to profile events and bringing new programmes into engage with all Five Ways, both in the preparation Ambassadors 2010. Highlights from the year included… for the carnival, at related workshops and at the Five well known ambassadors were asked to carnival itself. represent each of the Five Ways to give them a Africa Oyé recognisable face. All have agreed to continue in The UK’s largest African music festival, Africa Pride in Liverpool their roles throughout the Decade. Oyé in Sefton Park attracted more than 45,000 Attended by 21,000 people, this event was people over two days. The 2010 YOHW Health developed to celebrate LGBT cultures; affording Puppets Participation Zone engaged many people with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, their The specially commissioned 2010 puppets – one for African and Caribbean dance workshops, friends, families and supporters. The Pride event was each of the Five Ways – had an undoubted impact drumming and percussion workshops. free, inclusive, visible and had a strong Liverpool at the 26 events they attended. Children and adults identity. alike were eager to interact, talk to, shake hands, Disability and Deaf Arts high five, hug and even dance with the characters. DaDafest, the UK’s leading and biggest deaf and Festival of Health and Activity disability arts festival, celebrated its tenth year in The launch event for 2010, open to all sections of Media Partnership 2010 with a two-week festival featuring the best the community, it included storytelling, climbing, A partnership between 2010 YOHW and the in disability and deaf arts. Over the period of the guided walks of Wavertree Park, tai chi and holistic Liverpool Echo helped raise awareness of 2010 festival there were 43 events, 1,943 people attended therapies. YOHW through a specially-created 2010-branded ticketed events and 65,532 attended exhibitions. page – ‘Feel Great’ – which appeared weekly for six months and carried a wide variety of health and 4 wellbeing-themed stories. The value of the Echo’s Healthy Homes Programme During 2010 the programme also added wellbeing and other print coverage is estimated in the region programmes into the range of services promoted. of £600,000. A key programme of Liverpool PCT run in There was a large uptake from BME groups partnership with the city council, it reached 10,582 and Healthy Homes has been cited by the Audit homes of the city’s most vulnerable residents in Commission as an example of 2.2 Having an impact its first 17 months of operation, making 10,934 good practice. referrals to a range of statutory, public and Key programmes and projects community partner agencies. In addition to our high profile presence at large scale events the Year of Health and Wellbeing delivered a targeted programme of interventions aimed at engaging people directly in activity structured around the Five Ways to Wellbeing. This included a number of specifically commissioned, highly innovative initiatives like our Workplace Wellbeing Charter, the AfroReggae programme, and a large number of Grass Roots projects. Workplace Wellbeing Charter The charter was launched in May 2010, and involved a wide range of voluntary, statutory and private organisations. Tens of thousands of employees have already benefited. It has been adopted regionally and is being adapted for use as a national model. Schools Programme Liverpool Schools Parliament looked specifically at health and wellbeing issues during its sessions, and approved thirty four, 2010 YOHW funded projects delivering health and wellbeing messages in schools. 5 Executive Summary Culture and Health and culture on the health and wellbeing agenda.