A Tale of Two Wards Version Issued 30 Th April 2014

Findings report Issued 30 April 2014

A Tale of Two Wards Version issued 30 th April 2014

This report has been prepared by eskimosoup Ltd on behalf of NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group. The information and opinions expressed are not intended to be the opinion of NHS Hull CCG, the research team or any single participant in our research, but are a collective representation of a wide range participants consulted and secondary information gathered.

This summary of findings is intended to be shared with key partners so that ideas are generated and recommendations be made. The findings, along with the supporting video evidence will then be made publicly available.

ContentContentssss

Methodology 3 About the Beverley ward 4 About the St Andrew’s ward 5 About the two wards - Survey Findings 6 Adapted model of health 12 Health & social care services 13 Housing & living conditions 16 Crime & safety 21 Employment & local economy 23 Education for everyone 24 Lifestyle facilities & options 26 Heritage & social norms 35 Social and community networks 38 This project was made possible thanks to the participation, honesty and passion of people living and working in the St Andrew’s and Beverley wards of Hull. Important to me and what I look forward to 38 My life and personal circumstance 40

Methodology

The main focus for primary research has been through depth interviews and focus groups with local residents and those providing community-based services within the Beverley and St Andrew’s wards of Hull during February, March and April 2014. This comprises of:

27 interviews with individuals involved in community-based services in the Beverley and/or St Andrew’s wards. Participants include representatives from: Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, Humberside Police, Humber NHS FT, City Health Care Partnership, a Member of Parliament, St. John’s Newland church, Goodwin Development Trust’s Community Warden scheme, Northern Area committee, Hessle Road Network, Hull and East Yorkshire Community Foundation, Giroscope, Homestart Hull, Groundwork Hull, Hull City Council’s Public Health Directorate, Edinburgh Street Community Centre, North Bank Forum and a selection of local businesses.

4 focus groups (33 participants) and 24 face-to-face interviews with residents of the St Andrew’s ward.

2 focus groups (14 participants) and 15 face-to-face interviews with residents of the Beverley ward.

Additionally we carried out 125 brief face-to-face surveys in each of the wards.

A two-part video documenting responses from selected participants and those stopped at random on the street is also available for viewing.

In total, approximately 380 individuals were consulted with through this research.

In compiling this report, the qualitative findings and trends have been cross referenced with data gathered by and field research conducted by partners including: Hull City Council, Humber Police, Humberside Fire and Rescue, as well as the People’s Panel Hull, Census and pre-existing NHS Hull CCG data.

About the Beverley ward

Hull’s Beverley Ward is situated to the north of the city, bordered to the East by the river Hull, to the South by Clough Road, to the West by the University Ward and North Hull estate, and to the North by rural areas and the East Riding village of Dunswell. Its population is made of young families and an older population from 55+ that is significantly higher than the population of Hull. To the South of the ward is a community of students at the University of Hull popular due to its proximity to the University and large houses suitable for student accommodation. Beverley is the 4th least deprived ward in Hull (out of 23), although it is more deprived than 57% of wards nationally. None of the areas in the ward fall within the most deprived fifth (20%) of areas nationally.

About the St Andrew’s ward

Hull’s St Andrew’s Ward is situated to the west of the city, bordered by the Myton, Newington and Pickering wards. St Andrew’s combines predominantly residential homes between the main roads of Anlaby Road and Hessle Road, with an industrial estate and large retail park on the St Andrew’s Quay.

Its population is perhaps most notable in its diversity of age and ethnic make-up which includes a large Polish, Russian and other Eastern European community. The ward is arguably most notable for Hessle Road with its heritage in the, now declined, fishing industry and its diverse range of independent and chain stores.

St Andrew’s is the 2 nd most deprived ward in Hull (out of 23), and only 10 wards nationally (out of 7,593) are more deprived than St Andrew’s.

All of the areas in the ward fall within the most deprived fifth (20%) of areas nationally.

About the two wards --- Survey Findings

St Andrew’s Beverley

Top Social Challenges - St Andrew's Ward Top Social Challenges - Beverley Ward

Roads 3 Students 3 Noise 3 Drainage 3 Car damage Fly tipping 3 3 Noise 4 Dog mess 3 Bin raiding 5 Ethic integration 3 Facilities to exercise 5 Availability of healthy food 3 Crime 6 Unemployment 5 Parking 6 Nothing 5 Mental Health 7 Immigrants 6 Homelessness 7 Anti-social behaviour (young people) 8 Availability of healthy food 7 Social isolation 7 Burglaries 8 Crime 11 Nothing 12 Bins / Rubbish 12 Lack of things to do 16 Housing 14 Housing 16 Lack of things to do 17 Drugs 17 Prostitution 32 Bins / Rubbish 20 Alcohol abuse 50 Social isolation 21 Drugs 55 Alcohol abuse 29

0 20 40 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Of 125 respondents surveyed March/April 2014 Of 125 respondents surveyed March/April 2014 Graph shows only answers given by 3 or more respondents. Graph shows only answers given by 3 or more respondents. If “bin raiding” and “burglaries” were counted as crime, the score would be 19.

St Andrew’s Beverley Top Social Challenges --- Comments of interest: Top Social Challenges --- Comments of interest:

• No one likes it around here. • Nothing is a problem in the area. Very quiet and not that many • I have lived here for 10 years and it is a nice area. students. • It's quiet living around here. • Too many student properties. • Cheap housing. • We have 6 people living in the house and only 1 bin! • Quite untidy/unclean. Shops are good however. • The houses have thin walls. • Crap area. • You see cars smashed all the time. • Nice and scenic around Boulevard and the neighbours are good. • Rented accommodation is bad. Houses not maintained. • Grew up around here and knows the area well. Lots of people • The students have their bins out all the time and a skip full when who grew up here like it. they leave. • Friendly people if you are prepared to be friendly. • Lots of elderly people are isolated • Everything she needs is here. Good for children. Neighbours are • Lack of things to do during the day. Lots of alcohol abuse at night. elderly and nice. • Homeless people raids bins. • There is too much "riff raff". • Kids come from north hull and play on streets • Quiet during the day, no one gets up till half 4 in the afternoon. • Thomas Ferens is a bad academy. • Immigration is a problem. • Elderly people get "pushed aside" once they turn a certain age. • People are down to earth and humble. We feel neglected. • Quite deprived. • There is a provision of good, affordable activities for the elderly. • Bustling area. • Communication between students and elderly is lacking • No sense of community. No one talks to each other. Too rough. • Gangs of people hanging on street corners. • You get to know who's who. Close knit community. • Lots of people keep themselves to themselves. • Ok if you can understand a foreign language. • I live alone. And if I don't get out the house I would be very bored. I'd go crazy. Just getting out and seeing people is so important. • Lack of money. People don't expect anything of themselves. • I can't do much due to my limited mobility. • Best place in the world. • I don't think there is a lack of healthy food. Lidl sell lots of fruit and • Lots of shops closing down. Also lots of boarded up houses. veg. • Optimistic about what is happening in the area, good community • Need more activities to get me out of the house feel. • I know some elderly people who live alone and don't go out much. • People live in very poor conditions. Frequent crime.

St Andrew’s Beverley

What do you like about living round here? What do you like about living round here?

St Andrew's No of responses % of all responses Beverley Ward No of responses % of all responses

Area (Positive) 46 38% Area (Positive) 63 42% People (Positive) 26 21% Location (Positive) 28 19% Area (Negative) 25 20% People (Positive) 26 17% Shopping (Positive) 13 11% Shopping (Positive) 12 8% Location (Positive) 6 5% People (Negative) 12 8% People (Negative) 3 2% Location (Negative) 3 2% Schools (Positive) 2 2% Housing (Positive) 2 1% Housing (Positive) 1 1% Services (Positive) 2 1% Schools (Positive) 1 1%

Please see the following page for an expansion of what was said in relation to Services (Negative) 1 1% these general answers. Transport (Positive) 1 1%

Transport (Positive) Services (Negative) Schools (Positive) Services (Positive) Housing (Positive) Location (Negative) People (Negative) Shopping (Positive) People (Positive) Location (Positive) Area (Positive) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

St Andrew's Beverley

St Andrew’s Beverley

Top answers and trends of associated comments: Top answers and trends of associated comments:

Area (Positive) 1. OK / Not bad Area (Positive) 1. Quiet and peaceful 2. Quiet 2. Clean and tidy 3. Unique character 3. Pleasant people

People (Positive) 1. Friendly Location (Positive) 1. Proximity to university 2. Nice 2. Nearby shops 3. Down to Earth 3. Green space

Area (Negative) 1. Rubbish / not nice People (Positive) 1. Friendly 2. Declined 2. Families 3. Unpleasant people 3. Know neighbours

Shopping (Positive) 1. Good range. Area (Negative) 1. Noisy students

Key words: Key words: Community Loved Nice Lovely Friendly Disliked Quiet Friendly

Key observations: Key observations:

1. Older and longer-term British residents are significantly more 1. The University is much more of a talking point south of the ward positive than younger people. around Beresford Avenue. Students view the location as the big plus, whereas many older residents see student noise/rubbish as the main problem. 2. Non-British residents are more positive about the area. 2. Comments about crime and trouble exist, though are a significant 3. Young males were very difficult to engage in surveying and minority. meaningful dialogue. 3. Shops mentioned significantly more than other amenities including green space. 4. Hessle Road has the strongest identity of the St Andrew's ward. 4. Neighbours and friendliness significantly more important amongst older people.

St Andrew’s Beverley

What would make a positive difference to your life? What would make a positive difference to your life?

What would make a positive difference to your life? What would make a positive difference to your life? - St Andrew's Ward, 3 or more answers - Beverley Ward, 3 or more answers

Better policing 3 More information about health service 3 More parks/green area 3 Doing more exercise Pavements and roads (improved) 3 3 Free gyms/exercise 3 Safer area 3 Sort the drugs problem 4 Better quality doctors/GP 4 Move away from the area 4 Family's health 5 Better house/home 5 More for children 6 Safer area 5 More areas for children 5 More frequent bin collections 6 More community services/activities 6 More community services/activities 8 Cleaner streets/area 7 Cleaner streets/area 8 Good personal health 7 More support for older people. 9 I'm already happy/Positive 9 Jobs - good job /prospects/availability 10 Better access to GP and appointments 10 Family and friends around me 10 More money 14 More money 13 I'm already happy/positive 45 Better access to GP and appointments 18 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20

Other answers from St Andrews with one or two responses:

Bus routes, 2 Landlords, 2 Mix of students and elderly, 2 Poverty, 2 Prostitution , 2 Young people, 2 Car theft, 1 Communication, 1 Dark alley ways, 1 Dog owners, 1 Gangs, 1 Health services, 1 Lack of money, 1 Lack of shops, 1 Muggings, 1 Neighbours, 1 Rented properties, 1 School, 1

Other answers from Beverley with one or two responses:

Gambling , 2 Gypsies, 2 Lack of street lights, 2 Pavements, 2 Burglary, 1 Cheap housing, 1 Council houses, 1 Drivers (dangerous), 1 Education of healthy food, 1 Facilities to exercise, 1 Kids out of school, 1 Families, 1 Lack of jobs, 1 Lack of money, 1 Mental health, 1 Low aspiration, 1 Poverty, 1 Security, 1 Shops closing down, 1 Vandalism, 1 Violence, 1

St Andrew’s Beverley

What would make a positive difference to your life? What would make a positive difference to your life?

Comments of interest: Comments of interest:

• Being seen by a GP can be difficult. Sometimes there is a 2 week • A University on-campus GP for students would make waiting list, and it can be difficult to get appointments that fit accessing easier. around working hours. • Better security in the area, especially around Beresford • Safer area at night as it can be scary to go out. avenue. • Family and Friends-for them to be healthy and happy, and having • Some staff in health centres can be very rude. them in my life. • More financial support. Sometimes I have to choose • Doctors to open weekends, rather than certain hours! More whether to eat or turn the heating on! availability. • I'm happy. £64 a week pension is enough for me to do • Free gyms and exercise/ memberships would entice a lot of everything and more! people to get healthy. • The park is good, but there could be more facilities in the • A good mental health service in this area is needed. area for kids • Good health service at Elliott Chappell, but would rather ring up for • Instead of all the shops, takeaways, food shops etc., There prescription than book online, too complicated. should be a veg shop, bakery, butchers etc. Healthier • More bus routes down Boulevard as it is hard for people with places. disability to get anywhere • Lots of elderly people are alone. If they use a service, they • Signposting as can be quite confusing with all these new can be sent home by themselves late at night and they buildings are vulnerable • Need more skips to clean streets. Council need to do more about • There could be a service that helps elderly more, as lots in rubbish. area who may need support. Mum lives up the road and • Cleaner area in general. Parks can be littered with alcohol cans. she lives by herself- can be hard for her to get to places • Walk in centres for drug users as they need support. • More "in-house" support for elderly. A "Put to bed" service.

• Sort out druggies and alcoholics in GP waiting room- disruptive • Need to keep my bus pass. Wouldn't be able to go anywhere without it. • Stop people walking streets with drugs and alcohol • Safety at night improved as it can be scary in some areas. • More community activities to get people interacting and engaging • Not much. I get by. Our generation is tougher and we grew with each other.

up very differently to kids now. • Somewhere that is cleaner, and there is less rubbish. Horrible seeing all the bins full and on the paths.

Adapted model of health

All data recorded, amounting to several hundred pages and hours of video footage has been securely stored and can be accessed should the information need to be revisited for further analysis.

We have presented the key findings points using a modified version of the Dahlgren and Whitehead’s model for health.

Health & social care services

Thoughts and feelings ––– general

Although the general feeling towards NHS service and frontline staff is positive, it should be noted that a single bad experience with a health service can act as a huge barrier to accessing other services. We encountered several people who would not use NHS services due to a bad experience, examples given included a GP who made a participant feel foolish and a lady left feeling neglected at Women’s and Children’s centre.

The idea of community hubs where a range of public and voluntary sector services is generally welcomed, however with the following points strongly advised:

a. Hubs should include space and opportunity for community activists to host meetings/activities so that the community is visibly seen to be doing things for itself.

b. Community hubs does not necessarily mean construction of a new building. There were several examples given that indicated that new buildings were intimidating, “not for us” and distrusted. Conversely, a familiar place within the community was seen to be more approachable.

c. Bringing together health and social care services might create additional barriers of fear. “You have to remember that some people are frightened of going somewhere official, particularly when it comes to social services. Old people are worried that if it looks like they can’t cope they’ll get put in a home and families are worried that if they aren’t doing thing properly they might lose their kids.” “Most people are more likely to let you come into their home than they are to walk into a centre.”

We found that whilst public services seemed to be well connected at senior management level at the NHS. However, there were examples of disconnect between voluntary and public services with GPs and GP practices who seemed “resistant to interact” in both wards; this was more prevalent with newer practices.

Time pressures on practitioners was identified by the practitioners and local people alike. “All services, in particular social services are overstretched. Quality is dropping, this leaves more people in vulnerable situations.”

Participants and practitioners identified variances in the way that services were delivered when it came to language, bedside manner and communication styles. In particular were examples when one well-used and trusted service would refer a patient to another who would report back that they don’t want to use the newly referred service again due to the way they were spoken to and the way they were made to feel.”

“If people have a negative experience of health care, particularly when they are new to the country, they won’t engage again.”

Health & social care servicesservices…… Thoughts and feelings ––– St Andrew’s We found evidence of exercise classes that were subsidised through NHS Hull CCG and other sources with a great importance placed on this by those involved. It was a well-held belief that cost was a major barrier and that without support classes would be cancelled. Classes we attended by a core of members, with other attendees fairly infrequent, and not running at full capacity. “Better access to GP and appointments” was the top ranked item amongst survey participants when asked “ThinkingThinking about what makes you happy and sad, what are the top 3 things that would make a positive difference to your lifelife?”* *it is worth noting that as the survey, which was visible to participants, was headed with the NHS Hull CCG logo which might cause some bias.

Where would you go to access health and social care services? Example residents (based on real situations): ---St Andrew's Respondents Shirley, 50, agoraphobic with mobility issues who says 50 44 that she is unable to make it appointments to support 45 her mental health problems. She volunteers during her 40 35 good spells to get out of the house. 35 30 John 54, volunteer who spends as much time as she 25 can in and around his community centre so that he has 20 15 people around him to help him with his mental health 15 9 8 10 problems. Currently unsettled as his gastric band 5 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 operation has now been cancelled because he has lost 0 weight without it.

Debbie, 44, joined the committee at her community centre a year ago and has been welcomed back into the community she had lived apart from for many years. She has poor health, but has not registered with a GP and refuses to go due to a negative experience 10 years ago. Comments: “The Polish people use A&E by choice as they can’t get an appointment with their GP.”

“Hull Royal is an old and crumbling building and the only problem is when you go to A&E it’s full of druggies and alcoholics and I think they should be separate.”

“”People that work in housing and the job centre don’t actually care about the people they are meant to be helping. They just say that they can’t help and leave you nowhere else to go.”

“I’ve worked (as a nurse) in St Andrew’s for a few years and find that people are quite demanding. Maybe because they are quite knowledgeable about their health?”

“A lot of migrant workers can’t attend their screening because they are at work. Some end up treating themselves by importing unlicensed medicine.”

“Hull Royal Infirmary has introduced these huge forms for non-UK residents to fill out. Some can’t do it because of language barriers or if they think they are being tricked into being found to be in the country illegally.”

Health & social care services… Thoughts and feelings ––– Beverley ward

Participants in the Beverley ward were generally contented with the health and social care services available to them. Many participants reasoned that although they had to travel to access services this was not a problem due to good bus networks and a high car ownership.

Where would you go to access health Example residents (based on real situations): and social care services? June, 82, retired and widowed, stays as active as she ---Beverley Respondents can through walking her dog and visiting her family 27 that live nearby. She looks after her health and receives 30 treatment for an ongoing condition. She doesn’t mind 25 21 20 using health centres around Hull whilst she can still 20 drive. 15 11 11 8 Phil, 61, semi-retired and actively involved in his 10 6 community to keep occupied and maintain his health. 4 3 5 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 He has mild health problems though don’t feel they stop him doing much. Whilst he is able to walk for 0 services and is used to dealing with the police and council he worries for others that are stuck at home.

Emily, 19, full-time student and moved to the area to attend Hull University. She has had mixed experiences with health and social care though feels well informed of where to go for help. If she encounters something new she is confident she can call or find the information she needs online.

Comments:

“The Orchard centre is a brand new, state-of-the-art health centre with lots of facilities available, however, people round here would only go there at a last resort due to the area’s (Orchard Park) reputation.”

“Mental health problems do seem to fall through the gaps. Lots of people look fine, but it’s only when you go into their home that you realise something is wrong.”

“Now we have these health centres. I mean I’m a person who’s been to every centre in West Hull, North Hull and East Hull.”

“The problem now in this ward is that the doctors now is based on the Orchard Park estate, which is a fair walk for a lot of people. I’d like to see a little bit more back on the estate.”

“A gap will be left when the community wardens are cut. They fill in the gaps and are invaluable service to local people.”

Housing & living conditions

Thoughts and feelings ––– general

“There is no point even trying to get people to eat healthily or exercise until housing, proper care and facilities are sorted out.”

We have observed some clear characteristics from sub sections of both wards about who is to “blame” for social challenges. In all cases this is a symptom of location and housing:

In Beverley, long-standing residents in the south of the ward, e.g. Beresford avenue, attribute social challenges such as litter and noise pollution to students living in the area.

The student population are aware of these issues too and tend to blame other students along with younger people from Hull as the cause of crime.

Residents of all ages in the north of the ward, e.g. Compass road, attribute crime and anti-social behaviour to young people coming across from North Hull estate / Orchard Park.

One participant described Beverley road as a “moat” between the Beverley ward and Orchard Parks that was sometimes crossed by people from the estates.

In St Andrew’s, many residents attribute social challenges such as alcohol and anti-social behaviour to immigrants.

However, there is also a vocal few that claim that the social issues are caused by young British males who have lived and grown up in the area.

One participant stated, “It’s not the immigrants that are the problem you know? It’s the local scroats nicking things and doing drugs.”

Thoughts and feelings ––– St Andrew’s

“Housing is all over the place. They started but didn’t finish the regeneration and now a lot of people don’t know what to think.”

A recurring theme of concern for residents of the St Andrews ward is that the increase in bedsits and mixed occupancy homes in the area. In particular a feeling that landlords don’t take into account who moves into a neighbourhood.

“We have a reasonably friendly community, but all it takes is a couple of nasty people to move down the street to ruin it for everyone.”

“It’s nice where I live and the people are really diverse. Well, there is the smack house across the road… they don’t really cause any problems but it does get noisy when they shout in the street at all hours.”

“There is no support for young people with nowhere to go. We have someone staying with us because the Job Centre can’t help him, housing can’t help and he can’t go back home. Rather than see him on the street we are letting him stay until he can himself sorted and get a job, but even then it’s hard to see how he’ll have enough money to live.”

Rubbish and litter was frequently raised as a concern amongst participants in the St Andrew’s ward and from walking around the area, on the main shopping areas and residential zones, you can see why. Streets such as Constable Street and Ribble Street, have particular problem with this and residents feel aggrieved that it makes it an unsightly place to live. Local people want the rubbish cleared and the green spaces/parks cleaned up to make it a much more child-friendly area. There are some local initiatives formed to address this, though there are areas throughout St Andrews where it appears that little action is being taken.

Housing was another heavily discussed concern for people living in St Andrew’s. Many participants cited that the renovating of houses in the area needs to improve, with most of these references houses in the area that had been left empty due to funding being cut for regeneration projects.

“There’s only me and one other family left down our street. The rest of the houses are boarded up.”

Boarded up houses, and in some places, nearly whole streets of empty houses ruins the area and makes it susceptible to vandalism, damage, and drug use in the empty properties. Local people feel directly affected by this and want to see houses renovated/built to bring the area back to its former glory to develop the community once again. Alongside this, some participants stated that just having a nice house/home would make them happy.

“A lot of people in St Andrew’s seem to have a mentality that living in poor conditions is an OK thing to do. If you want to help someone to improve their lifestyle then you need to address this attitude first.”

Example residents based on real situations):

Mary, 42, professional who loves living on Coltman Street since the community “took her in” as a young mum and now has her daughter’s 17 year old friend sleeping on her sofa as he has nowhere else to go.

Nick, 37, is a professional tradesman who has purchased four derelict flats and Coltman Street and has converted them into a fantastic home with a traditional frontage and spacious interior. He believes that significant property upgrades can be a catalyst for positive changed and will raise standards in the area.

Thoughts and feelings ––– Beverley

“In some parts of Hull people have to live with drug dealers and prostitutes. Around here people complain if people leaves their bins out too long or if kids leave conkers on the road.”

“It’s quite easy to build relationships round here because a lot of people own a house they are proud of and are staying here for good.”

“Streets such as Beresford Avenue, are becoming much more “student-like” as some of the houses have been turned into multiple occupancy. Some residents have started selling their houses to the landlords and moving away because of this.”

One challenge often identified was the mixture of students and elderly people living in the area, particularly Desmond /Beresford avenue area. Issues raised that caused problems for older residents was that students are too loud and leave their bins at the front of their house.

Linked to this were issues of overflowing bins and rubbish in front gardens when the students move out of the house, contributing to an unsightly living space.

“I’d rather go to prison than have to go in a (retirement) home. You’d get treated better in prison.”

“The amount of fag packets blown into my garden shows that a lot of people smoke around here.”

Example residents (based on real situations):

Mick, 36, moved to the Beverley ward three years ago with his wife as they plan to start a family. Previously he lived close to London and found that in Hull within a nice area he could buy a 5 bedroomed semi-detached house for less than he got from selling his 2 bedroom flat down south. He says this was a “no brainer” and now actively works to become part of his community.

Sue, 72, moved to the Beverley ward in the 70s from the St Andrew’s ward and has lived in the same home ever since. Widowed, she maintains her home herself and has recently overseen a refitting of wiring and plumbing. She can’t see herself living anywhere else and is surrounded by friends and family.

A snapshot of housing and architecture in the Beverley Ward

Etherington road Etherington drive Parkstone road Heathcoate street

Riverside Community Centre, Parkstone Beverley road road

Oak road The Trafalgar Centre, Compass road

Desmond avenue Strathmore avenue Oxenhope road The Golden Star, fast food takeaway.

A snapshot of housing and architecture in the St Andrew’s Ward

Gordon street Woodcock street Somerset street Bean street

Hessle Road Network, Massey street Beech close 2 Sugars café, Hessle road Boulevard

Anlaby Road pharmacy and shops Ena street Hunter grove Coltman street s

Crime & safety

Thoughts and feelings ––– general In addition to a specific remit around crime and safety, it is clear that both Humberside Police and Humberside Fire and Rescue see themselves connected to issues around physical health, mental health, in particular isolation, at a strategic and front line level.

Thoughts and feelings ––– St Andrew’s

“Lots of people round here just stop caring and stay in their homes. They are just too scared to go out at night.”

When interviewed, many participants were eager to tell us about how friendly people were in the St Andrew’s ward, however shortly afterwards they told us about problems the area faced. Mainly this was centred on drug abuse and alcohol abuse; the area around Boulevard fountain, and on Hessle road outside Elliott Chappell were frequently mentioned.

“Foreign males usually come out of the house to drink on Boulevard as it is not acceptable to drink in front of their wives for cultural reasons. Although they usually take a bin liner with them to clean up the beer cans, they can still be antisocial and intimidating for other people.”

“There can be the occasional fighting down Boulevard, usually following alcohol, though it is usually sorted out by the group before it gets out of hand.”

Example resident (based on a real situation):

Tony, 16, who looks for a youth centre or somewhere to go every night as he can’t stay at home in the evening and going out isn’t safe; it’s dark and there are people starting random fires. He knows it’s important to be healthy, but says it’s hard when you’ve got no money.

Thoughts and feelings ––– Beverley

There are several Neighbourhood Watch schemes operating in the ward and in the Northern parts of the ward CCTV is in operation closed to areas where many older people reside and around the Trafalgar Centre.

“There are lots of vulnerable, isolated elderly people, who may need more support than they are actually getting. A lot of them have accidents because they can’t look after themselves properly and do things like climbing up ladders that really they shouldn’t be doing any more.”

“Kids from Orchard Park come here and knock on windows, bike on the streets, vandalise the bus shelter steal things from gardens.”

Examples of crime in the Beverley ward, including a street theft, burglary, anti-social behaviour and a physical attack are described in the video.

Crime and safety… cont. St Andrew’s Beverley

The data illustrated above supports the anecdotal evidence gathered The contrast between least and most vulnerable areas in the Beverley through our primary research. ward is characterised by a higher student population living in the most The most vulnerable areas shown also reflected the areas frequented by vulnerable ward and is supported by our anecdoatl evidence gathered prostitutes, drug users and street drinkers. through our primary research.

Employment & local economy

Thoughts and feelings ––– general “Volunteering is a very good concept, though it’s a very thorough process which puts a lot of people off. Usually it’s older people who are volunteers, but targeting young people would be better for all kinds of reasons.” “I had to do some volunteering or something as a replacement to my job. I couldn’t just go from working to nothing.” Variations in employment are shown in the “healthy lifestyles and social norms” section of this report.

Thoughts and feelings ––– St Andrew’s “Think about it. If you’re a young man living round here with no job who are you going to go to for help? You’d look around and see that the only people that seem to be making any money are the drug dealers so what does that say about your options?” “There are a lot of prostitutes around here. It’s all about drugs though. They are doing it to feed their habit and sometimes to feed their boyfriend or even husband’s habit too. Just come round here after dark and you’ll see them all out.” “Girls usually have to be drunk or under the influence of something to do it. In some cases prostitution becomes a family business and has been a regular thing for maybe four generations.” “A lot of young people are just stuck in a trap when you have plenty of time and no money.” “You see prostitutes on Hessle road in a morning on your way to work.” “Deprivation creates a sense of community, almost.” Some respondents described how the shops along Hessle road were in decline and were boarded up. Some identified this as being a symptom of the global recession, whilst other attributed this to the Asda supermarket taking trade away from independent stores. “Giving out free food vouchers can create a dependency culture. They need vouchers for food, but somehow have the money to buy cigarettes.” “You still get kids going around tatting on Hessle road to make a living.”

TTThoughtsThoughts and feelings ––– Beverley “It is really hard to get by on your pension. You have to choose between having something to eat or putting the heating on.”

“£64 a week is enough for me to do everything I want. Young people are looked after too much. We just put up and get on with it.”

Education for everyone

Schools are an important influencer for a ward, however they are just one key aspect of education and communication. The following insights concern “education for all” in a wider sense when it comes to education about your health, your entitlements and services available to you.

Thoughts and feelings ––– general

Health and social care services must be approachable and less intimidating. “The people who don’t have the confidence to ask for help are the ones that fall through the gaps.” “Most people are more likely to let you come into their home than they are to walk into a centre.”

“It’s all very well making health and social care services available, but if people don’t know them or understand them they won’t use them.”

“In this age of communication there has never been such a lack of communication.”

“How am I supposed to know what is available to me? It’s confusing and there should be a central point that you could go to.”

“It’s all about educating people about their area. What is available to them what we are good at; accentuate the positives!”

“I’ve always liked the idea that local ambassadors are the ones to promote better health. When a doctor does it, it feels like you are being told off!”

“A lot of patients don’t understand the negative effects of things they do and need to be educated.”

“I still don’t think we are using social media as well as we could do. It’s a great way to reach young families in particular.”

“We need to figure how to educate people about what services are available to help them. Some kind of central point of information as lack of knowledge is a big problem. For older people in particular; it’s confusing about who to go to for what.”

Thoughts and feelings ––– St Andrew’s

Whilst the research team had a positive experience and impression of local youth projects in one focus group it was noted that youth work was focussed around the “bad kids”, and that it was not therefore accessible to most young people in the area who are frightened to mix with them for fear of bullying.

“I think the best way to young people round here to stay away from drugs and alcohol is through the schools. We should send in drug users and alcoholics to talk about how they’ve ruined their lives to show them what it is really like.”

“We need to start educating about health from a young age. Parents’ attitudes can have a massive effect on children’s’ development and if the attitudes are not good then more often than not the children will not turn out good either. Education for both parents and children would be a good thing if you want to change attitudes and lifestyles. We need to think about what they’d enjoy doing to really engage them.”

Thoughts and feelings ––– Beverley

“Beverley ward is an area where people want to live, but a lot of families would rather send their kids to school in the East Riding than the new Thomas Ferens Academy as it attracts a lot of kids from Orchard Park.”

“We (social enterprise in the ward) would like to start running training courses for older people so that they have better IT skills and can communicate with people through social media.”

“I think anyone working in a service from the council or the police, or even in a local shop should understand basic health and where to go for specialist help when you need it.”

Lifestyle facilities & options

Thoughts and feelings ––– general

“Lack of things to do” was a theme that spread through both wards and was present at all age groups, with the exception of students living in the Beverley ward. Participants made a clear link between taking part in activities (whether they are direct exercise or not) with better health and wellbeing. Social prescribing was strongly supported as a concept, particularly for those not engaged with a social network or community, though it was noted that to work this would have to cover a broad range of activities and be constantly available.

“I think prescribing exercise and activities is a great idea, particularly when it is preventative of health problems. One of the problems I can see though is that people go to their doctor’s expecting to get some medication so I’m not sure how it’ll go down with some people.”

“You go to people and ask things like, “would you come to this exercise class?”, and they yes, and you ask “would you come to a coffee morning”, and they say yes, so you put them on and hardly anyone turns up!”

“It’s cheaper and easier to eat unhealthy snacks than it is cook a healthy meal.”

Thoughts and feelings ––– St Andrew’s

“We should put the money into community projects run by local people, rather another building another big new health centre that scares people off.”

A lack of places to go and things to do was a strongly identified throughout the St Andrew’s ward and spanned across a range of age profiles and situations, most notably:

a. Activities for teenagers and young people. “We are desperate for a place kids can go and do things for free that gets them off the streets.” “Some of the kids round here have horrendous lives at home and that’s been passed down the generations. To keep them away from drugs and crime they need to be bombarded with things to do day and night.”

b. Children’s centres and support for young parents. “Young parents are particularly isolated around here and there are a lot of absent dads. A lot of young mums are frightened to ask for help because they think that if they are doing something wrong they’ll have their kids taken off them. The people who don’t have the confidence to ask for help are the ones that fall through the gaps.”

c. Older people. “There’s not really anywhere to go or anything to do round here. Particularly when it starts getting dark so everyone just stays in watching telly.”

There was a clear conflict of perception in many cases where young people felt that there was very little for them to do and lots for older people, whereas conversely the following statement typified opinion; “There’s lots thrown at kids round here and us old ‘uns get forgotten about.”

There is a vast amount of choice and availability of fast food in the St Andrew’s Ward, in particular along Hessle and Anlaby Road. Much of this food is inexpensive and open from early until late. One observation made during research was that it is difficult to buy healthy fast food in this area and that in a chain of bakeries with shops in the ward it is more expensive have salad added to a sandwich than it is purchase a sausage roll.

The St Andrew’s ward has a wide range of shops selling food and groceries, however it was noted this had significantly dwindled since the opening of the large Asda store. On the avenues and streets connecting Anlaby Road and Hessle Road there are several convenience stores (large supply of alcohol) and takeaways, with a range of groceries and fast food outlets on Anlaby Road. Throughout the ward there is also a Sainsbury’s local and a Tesco Express close to the ward.

There is an organic food business operating within the ward which is used by local people, however we understand that cost is a significant barrier here and that most of their trade is done with people living outside of Hull.

There are examples of initiatives being run with schools and local people to teach them about growing their own fresh food. Indeed a local tree planting project was filmed as part of our research and supported by local people who were collective activists involved in various local projects.

View of a young person living in the ward: “Having a youth centre with a pool table is a bit old fashioned really. But we do like going out so we need something that interests us to do. Maybe a project we could get involved in?”

“Foreigners get £3,000 for a gym, but local British people aren’t allowed to use it! It is ridiculous. No wonder we get angry.”

“We don’t get people from different countries coming here (community centre). There was a coloured lady that came a couple of times, but I don’t know where she was from.”

“The foreign nationalities hold theme nights for their culture, but us Brits don’t go. I suppose we should really so that we can integrate and learn more about them.”

“Lots of new parents want to go and meet people but there isn’t really a platform to do this. I can’t think of any parent & toddler group or anything like that round here. It’s not good for your mental health being stuck at home with a baby.”

Lifestyle facilities & options… cont.

Example residents (based on real situations):

Julie, 72 widow who takes three buses to go back to see her friends most days and to keep as active as she can. Lives in fear that her bus pass will be taken away in government cuts or that she becomes unable to physically make the journey.

Sue, 72, takes her 95 year old mum to exercise to music once a week as otherwise she won’t get out anywhere. Sue struggles to push her mum’s wheel chair due to arthritis and needs help from her 88 year old uncle but is worried that it’s too much for him too and that soon they’ll lose this time together.

Eve, 19, smokes cannabis and eats whatever she wants, but understands the need to be healthy so cycles everywhere. At her age life is about having fun and she’ll be more careful with her health when she’s older, right now her priorities are around planning her future and finding things for her and her mates to do.

Thoughts and feelings ––– Beverley “We run debt advice sessions for people. The ones that need help are usually the ones in work that have access to money but that borrow too much which causes stress and extra problems.”

“I suppose there isn’t much round here for health now I think about it. But I suppose most people have a car and we’re on a good bus route so I suppose it doesn’t matter that much?”

“There just aren’t enough facilities to exercise, so how can you promote a healthy lifestyle?”

“Very few buildings in the area host community events, which is what I think is lacking in the area.” Note: we understand that the Trafalgar Centre and Riverside Church are “booked up” – some participants identified this as something that restricts activities in the area.

“The Trafalgar Centre is great for a lot of older people who come together for coffee mornings to bring them out of isolation.”

“I heard they do some coffee mornings at the Trafalgar Centre, but that’s too far away for me.”

“There isn’t anything for young people to do round here. Some people think that the kids that hang around have come across from Orchard Park, but it’s actually the kids that live round here. They wouldn’t go to a young centre or anything like that across the other side of the road so they do get bored and cause trouble some times.”

There are two main areas within the Beverley ward for takeaway food and several other areas nearby. There is only one open and active pub in the ward, though there are several across Beverley High Road which serve different types of clientele. Whilst the unhealthy food options during the day are significant fewer than the St Andrew’s ward it is worth stating again that options are very limited when it comes to buying healthy takeaway food and in one coffee shop, for example, a coffee can be upgraded to a hot chocolate with cream and flakes for only a few pence more.

The Beverley Ward is towards the north served by a Tesco supermarket, and to the south there is a Sainsbury’s local and a Lidl Supermarket. Some student participants identified that Lidl provided healthy food at “good prices”.

“When you think about it there really aren’t enough services for people to be healthy. You’ve got Beverley Road baths further up, but what else is there?”

Car ownership and frequent buses run down Beverley road means that many local people feel able to travel to use amenities.

However, some residents, specifically older residents towards the north of the ward did identify this as barrier:

“There used to be a bus that came around Compass road, which was great if you had a mobility issue, but that’s gone now. It’s hard for some people to get onto Beverley road.”

Lifestyle facilities & options… cont.

Example residents (based on real situations):

Damien 25, a student who believes he is very healthy (exercises a lot) and the area in which he lives in provides the services he needs. However, due to long days in the University, it is more convenient to eat junk food on an evening, as to be eat healthily takes cooking and preparation. He feels the healthy foods from Sainsbury’s are too expensive anyway.

Craig 40, lives and works locally, and is active in the community in trying to “make things happen”. He snacks regularly and knows the health risks of not eating well yet still does it. He believes only when people go through a life changing experience, are they willing to change.

Shelia, 80, has severe arthritis limiting her mobility however she uses as many local services as she can to keep occupied. She is fearful of the mobile library service being taken away and recognises that she needs to find something else to keep her occupied as she feels her options are limited.

Heritage & social norms

Thoughts and feelings ––– general

All participants in this project live or work in the specific wards of Hull. At the time of undertaking the primary research and compiling this report (February to April 2014) there are several high profile and largely positive occurrences that are widely discussed through the media and through word-of-mouth locally. These include: Hull being awarded UK City of Culture status for 2017, confirmation of the Siemens renewable energy investment and plans to create thousands of jobs locally and the football club reaching the FA Cup Final for the first time in their 110 year history.

Whilst participants strongly identify themselves as living in / from Hull, it is clear that all were able to relate to micro-local issues in their ward, street, within their families and in their own lives. This suggests that local people are able to contextualise issues at various levels and scale.

Thoughts and feelings ––– St Andrew’s

The perception of the area; its strengths and its challenges, amongst those providing health and care services was consistent with the feedback we received from local people. This suggests that customer-facing practitioners are in tune with what is going on locally.

The strong Hessle Road heritage, in particular ties to the fishing industry and to a lesser extent Hull FC, was of great significance to older residents. The accompanying video documentary shows residents fondly remembering the area in its prime in the 70s & 80s and includes mention of the Hessle Road memorial which recognises the big characters of Hessle Road past and present.

The heritage is less important to young people and migrant workers, however they do seem to be aware of aspects of local history.

Interesting and ttypicalypical comments:

“Old people on Hessle Road see life round here thro ugh rose tinted glasses.”

“If you cut me down the middle you’d find Hessle Ro ad down one side and Hull FC down the other.”

“The biggest issue is with young British men. They are intimidating and difficult to speak with, you try but unless they are with their girlfriend they j ust tell you to piss off or ignore you. There is a real risk of having a lost generation here and that is only going to make things worse in the future.”

“Do you know? All of people round here put up with things and just exist. That’s not good enough, but they just can’t see that.”

“Neighbourhoods aren’t what they used to be. All my friends where I live have died.”

“Some of the kids round here have horrendous lives at home and that’s been passed down the generations . To keep them away from drugs and crime they need to be bombarded with things to do day and night.”

“St Andrew’s has community, but no aspiration.”

Thoughts and feelings ––– Beverley

The heritage of the Beverley ward is not regarded in the same way as it is in St Andrew’s, principally because the estates were more recently built. Anecdotally, our interviewees have informed us that many older residents are former manual skilled, lower middle-class workers who have moved from less affluent areas of Hull when they have been in a position to buy a home.

The strong social norms in the Beverley ward seem to be around self-sufficiency. There is a high proportion of people with formal academic qualifications and anecdotally it suggests a higher than average proportion of self-employed and retired-self-employed residents.

The number of older and retired people in Beverley is higher than the average for Hull and many participants refer to a strong community-spirit amongst their neighbours with whom they have common interests. Neighbourhood Watch schemes are set-up throughout the ward and engagement with the local police officer are high, however these interactions are centres around small numbers of local activists and some streets/estates on the ward are significantly less engaged.

The festival on Oak road playing fields was a recurring example of activists successfully bringing a community together in the Beverley ward.

Although the Beverley ward runs alongside the main Beverley Road and is separated from East Hull by the river Hull, the identity to being “from Beverley road” is not as strong as the Hessle Road association in St Andrews. This is possibly due to the fragmented retail rows and less association with a particular industry.

Interesting and typical comments:

“Looking after each other is the responsibility of the community, not just services.”

“Honestly? It’s just lovely around here. Everyone looks out for each other and there’s a great communi ty spirit.”

“There doesn’t seem to be much of a community spirit around here at all.”

“There is a big problem with community spirit. We should be more aware of our neighbours and get peopl e to pull together. If anything bad were to happen we’d be better off if we knew each other and how to help each other old. It’s a big job though. ”

“There’s a pretty big Polish community around Clough Road. The Church runs English classes, but they a re very self-sufficient.”

“People look out for each other.”

“People round here are proud and won’t access servi ces for help, when really that’s what they should be doing.”

“Many retired people in this ward are from an industrial working life, either labouring or in a trade. A lot of them have health conditions that stem fro m working in poor conditions. You won’t find many ret ired doctors round here.”

“We coped in the War and we’ll cope now.”

Health and lifestyle data and social norms

St Andrew’s Beverley

The Hull 2011-12 Health and Lifestyle survey taken from the 2013 JSNA provides a valuable snapshot of a range of key lifestyle characteristics.

When comparing the St Andrew’s and Beverley wards side-by-side the data is very telling.

St Andrew’s Beverley

Selected points: Selected points:

In St Andrew’s residents are more likely to live alone than the average for In Beverley residents are more likely to live alone than the average for Hull Hull and are less likely to trust and communicate with neighbours – see however are more likely to trust and communicate with neighbours – see “Social and Community networks” section for more detail. “Social and Community networks” section for more detail.

The Humberside Fire and Rescue Service statistics give a good insight into Whilst walking around the Beverley ward you can see that houses and life inside the home. Those visited in the St Andrew’s ward are significantly gardens have a generally well kept exterior. The Humberside Fire and more likely to have poor housekeeping or be a risk of arson than the Rescue Service statistics give a good insight into life inside the home Beverley ward and are above the average for Hull. suggesting that conditions inside the home are significantly better than St Andrew’s and are better than the average for Hull.

Social and community networks

“My life and personal circumstance” is influenced by an individual’s and community’s social capital, that is; the networks together with shared norms, values and understandings that facilitate co-operation within or among groups. A concept that was developed almost 100 years ago, it still plays a crucial role in an individual’s view of their life, community and choices they have.

The following data tables are taken from the 2011/12 Adult Health and Lifestyle Survey commissioned by Public Health Sciences to show telling and significant variances in key aspects of social capital and community networks.

St Andrew’s Beverley Top 3 Customer Segments (Hull City Council) > Top 3 Customer Segments (Hull City Council) > L 39%, E33%, C 11% F39%, H 29%, I 15%

How many of the people in your neighbourhood do you trust? How many of the people in your neighbourhood do you trust?

Segment Response Percentage Confidence Interval Segment Response Percentage Confidence Interval L Most 17 (14.5 to 19.7) F Most 50.8 (48.0 to 53.6) L Many 14.7 (12.5 to 17.4) F Many 22.6 (20.4 to 25.1) L A few 42.5 (39.1 to 45.9) F A few 18.4 (16.3 to 20.6) L None 13.4 (11.2 to 15.9) F None 2 (1.3 to 2.9) L Don't know 12.4 (10.3 to 14.8) F Don't know 6.2 (5.0 to 7.7)

E Most 14.5 (12.4 to 16.9) H Most 37.6 (35.6 to 39.6) E Many 16.3 (14.0 to 18.8) H Many 25.2 (23.4 to 27.0) E A few 48.6 (45.4 to 51.9) H A few 27.1 (25.3 to 29.0) E None 10.1 (8.3 to 12.2) H None 2.4 (1.8 to 3.1) E Don't know 10.5 (8.7 to 12.7) H Don't know 7.7 (6.7 to 8.9)

C Most 23.8 (22.0 to 25.6) I Most 47.7 (45.1 to 50.3) C Many 15.7 (14.2 to 17.3) I Many 24.6 (22.4 to 26.9) C A few 43.4 (41.4 to 45.5) I A few 18.8 (16.8 to 20.9) C None 8.3 (7.2 to 9.5) I None 1.8 (1.2 to 2.6) C Don't know 8.9 (7.7 to 10.1) I Don't know 7.1 (5.9 to 8.6)

With confidence intervals considered, segments mainly represented in the St Andrew’s ward With confidence intervals considered, segments mainly represented in the Beverley ward are are significantly less likely to trust people in their neighbourhood than in the Beverley ward. significantly more likely to trust people in their neighbourhood than in the St Andrew’s ward.

Social and community networks… cont.

St Andrew’s Beverley Top 3 Customer Segments of ward population (Hull City Council) > Top 3 Customer Segments of ward population (Hull City Council) > L 39%, E33%, C 11% F39%, H 29%, I 15%

Do people in your neighbourhood lookout for each other? Do people in your neighbourhood lookout for each other?

Segment Response Percentage Confidence Interval Segment Response Percentage Confidence Interval L Yes 38.9 (35.6 to 42.3) F Yes 73.2 (70.7 to 75.6) L No 36.5 (33.2 to 39.8) F No 11.8 (10.1 to 13.7) L Don't know 24.6 (21.8 to 27.7) F Don't know 15 (13.1 to 17.1) E Yes 44.4 (41.3 to 47.6) H Yes 65.4 (63.4 to 67.4) E No 33.2 (30.3 to 36.3) H No 15.8 (14.4 to 17.4) E Don't know 22.3 (19.8 to 25.1) H Don't know 18.8 (17.2 to 20.4) C Yes 51.1 (49.0 to 53.2) I Yes 73.2 (70.9 to 75.4) C No 28.6 (26.8 to 30.5) I No 11.4 (9.9 to 13.2) C Don't know 20.3 (18.7 to 22.0) I Don't know 15.4 (13.6 to 17.3)

With confidence intervals considered, the percentage of segments mainly represented in the With confidence intervals considered, the percentage of segments mainly represented in the St Andrew’s ward are less likely to answer “yes” than the segments mainly represented in the Beverley ward are more likely to answer “yes” than the segments mainly represented in the Beverley ward. St Andrew’s ward.

Frequency of speaking to neighbours (who are not family members or Frequency of speaking to neighbours (who are not family members or friends) friends)

Segment Response Percentage Confidence Interval Segment Response Percentage Confidence Interval L Weekly 72.2 (69.1 to 75.2) F Weekly 85.4 (83.3 to 87.3) L Monthly/bimonthly 17 (14.5 to 19.7) F Monthly/bimonthly 12.3 (10.6 to 14.3) L Biannual/rarely 10.8 (8.8 to 13.1) F Biannual/rarely 2.3 (1.6 to 3.3) E Weekly 73.2 (70.3 to 75.9) H Weekly 80.1 (78.4 to 81.7) E Monthly/bimonthly 18.2 (15.9 to 20.9) H Monthly/bimonthly 16.2 (14.7 to 17.8) E Biannual/rarely 8.5 (6.9 to 10.5) H Biannual/rarely 3.7 (3.0 to 4.5) C Weekly 78.8 (77.1 to 80.5) I Weekly 81.5 (79.4 to 83.4) C Monthly/bimonthly 15 (13.6 to 16.6) I Monthly/bimonthly 15.9 (14.1 to 17.9) C Biannual/rarely 6.2 (5.2 to 7.2) I Biannual/rarely 2.6 (1.9 to 3.6)

Social and community networks… cont.

“Communities often need a focal point to bring all kinds of people together. Somewhere you can bump into neighbours and make things happen based on shared interests.”

“There are activists and potential activists out there that need some support. Often it’s about just getting things started, so maybe we could produce a “5 steps to starting a voluntary group”, or have some people share “how I did it”.”

“Off Bev Road” is a secure website built by a local resident for people to share community news, security issues and interaction with the police: “I think that older people are on the Internet, you only have to look at how many online deliveries there are round here to see that.” “I like to immerse myself in my area and know what’s going on. There are two types of people in the world; those that sit around waiting for things to happen and those that make it happen. My passion is to help and improve our neighbourhood to make everyone a bit happier and boost our social capital.” “Most people seem to just know their next door neighbour and maybe say hello to people in the street, but they don’t really know who is around them. I figured that around Beverley Road there were a lot of middleclass people with lots in common and I figured we could do more to help each other out.”

“The Beverley Ward has such great potential. There are lots of self-employed people, or people that have retired after being self-employed who know how to sort things out for themselves. They need to be inspired to go ahead and do it; we need to create a spark and then support them.”

“In Hull we need to give people the foundations and the confidence. Lots of people are told that they can only achieve nothing but you really can make things happen. Let’s not nanny people and put the jigsaw together so that we have a happier community.”

“We need to bring the leaders together in Hull to decide once and for all how we are going to engage local people. We need a champion who is high enough up within the city to have the power to change.”

“Try to focus on engaging people through social activities rather than focusing on health problems. The NHS has talked too much about the negative aspects of campaigns and should just get people talking before try to get them to change what they do.”

“A lot of the time you attend a health service a couple of times, then you stop going and that’s that. It’d be great if there was a way of keeping people in touch, you know socially. It’d be easier to get them engaged in something new if the group was still together.”

“People are much more engaged when emotions are involved. Something needs to inspire a community to get everyone working together.”

“We’ve got crime and social problems, all of which can be helped by the people in the area themselves… with a bit of support from the council and the health service and things like that, but, I think we’ve got to go back to helping ourselves. Because of the funding situation and everything else we can’t depend on the council, the facilities and skills are here on this estate and we need to get back to being independent and looking after ourselves and being independent, not waiting for the services to do everything for us. We can do it for ourselves and I think it’s something we should be doing all over the city.”

Important to me and what I look forward to

Thoughts and feelings ––– general

“People need something to look forward to. I want t o wake up on a Monday morning and think, “yes, I’ve got my exercise class and I’m going to get to talk with my friends”. Without these things to do I’d be lost. I might as well be dead.”

“If it weren’t for activities for people like me I’d be stuck at home with the television as my best friend.”

“People need to enjoy themselves. Find people who e njoy what you enjoy and keep getting together. It’s that simple.”

When talking with community activists it was clear that they shared a set of traits listed below. They seemed to be motivated personally by the idea of being around like-minded people and making things happen in their community to which their benefits were often indirect. The traits included: being busy, more likely to be self-employed and what we’d subjectively suggest was above average intelligence.

Similar to traits of an entrepreneur, they saw their “get up and go” and resourcefulness as something “people did”, however they did identify that were many other potential activists in the community who just needed a spark, information and guidance to get things started in their community.

Three examples in the Beverley ward are a local activist that runs the Trafalgar Centre; a confident man who cares deeply about the needs of his local community, a local activist who has reopened a Post Office for the Beverley ward after the other was closed for three years and hopes to expand the building to accommodate community workshops and learning opportunities, and a third activist who having moved to the local area as a self-employed web developer has built an online community to share safety concerns, upcoming events and is an active supporter of local campaigns and provision of improved local facilities.

We found by visiting and talking with groups of mainly older and retired people at community centres that there were contained vibrant groups of friends who were socially crucial to their members; particularly where they were widowed and/or otherwise socially isolated. Here were examples of older people, predominantly women, who had made a conscious effort to engage with a service/group often though not always for health reasons and had found that they became part of a social circle whose activities and purpose broadened far beyond their initial purpose.

When describing this social group, participants in different groups referred to this as their “lifeline” and their main (often only) extension to enjoying life outside of their home.

Whilst these groups were very positive, it was noted that these clusters often around one dozen per group were relatively small when you consider the scale of social isolation amongst older people in the communities they were intended to serve. Indeed, at community centres in the St Andrew’s ward, residents of that ward were actually a minority with many people travelling from other parts of Hull to be a part of it.

It is worth noting that community centres in the St Andrew’s ward are run by activists that live within their community and whilst they are actively encouraging participation they identify needing more income / people in as their priority.

The point that more activities were needed in the area for “young kids”/ teenagers was a commonly brought up by participants in both wards, though to a stronger degree in St Andrew’s. This was brought up young people themselves, and adults of all ages along with the identification that “there is nothing to do for kids rounds here, so it’s no wonder really that they hang out on the streets and can cause trouble.”

“A lot of young people in Hull don’t have any ambit ion to move away. What happens then is that choose to stay local and live on deprived estates.”

The notion of having a “social life” with friends, family and likeminded people around you is something a vast majority of people want in their lives. Whilst this cannot and should not be forced upon someone; for most people having people you can identity an association with, relate to and interact with is good for wellbeing and is linked to physical health benefits as shown throughout our research.

Being actively connected to a community means more than simply living in the same street. Our research into both the Beverley and St Andrew’s ward has shown that connecting yourself to a social network is not always easy but can be done where there is a common interest or purpose.

For example: the “dozy dozen” utilising the community centres in St Andrew’s a tightknit group of friends who met on a weight loss programme, though have maintained a social relationship that was very much needed amongst people who would otherwise be living in isolation.

To use their words, for many members of this social group it is their “reason to live” and “reason to get out of bed in the morning.”

We have also observed that a social group of friends or neighbours made up of more than a dozen people tends to be more formalised and be bound together by a common goal. For example: the football and rugby teams playing on Oak road playing fields in the Beverley ward are bound together as a sporting team, though have a social life revolving around this. Similarly, the Friends of Oak road are focussed on improving facilities and community spirit in their area and have joined together successfully to create the annual festival on the park.

My life and personal circumstance

Thoughts and feelings ––– general

“People’s mental health can be improved purely by i nteracting with other people.”

“I think we should focus on one major change in lif e at a time. If you are trying to change everything at once, such as stopping smoking, drinking, losin g weight, it is too much and not as effective.”

“I think when you get know someone well and start t alking about their life and the future, you get a pretty good idea about their readiness for change.”

“I feel like crap if I don’t exercise at all in a day. I see it in other people too, they get grumpy and start feeling depressed and it’s because they ha ven’t done any exercise for a while.”

“Some people with mental health problems shouldn’t live on their own. It’s not fair.”

“When you build up a relationship with someone, any one, you are more likely to open about problems and how to solve them.”

Speaking generally, for many people setting goals and defining what will make them happy or happier is difficult. For young people it can be difficult to plot a career for various reasons, for older who have retired they are less connected to the world of work and the roles they fill, and for everyone in between you play several roles often without any clear definition of what your priorities are.

The primary research has shown that people are very aware of social issues in their community and how the challenges we are faced with affect them personally and fit in with the bigger picture.

It occurred to us throughout that it would be interesting and hopefully beneficial on a number of levels if we were to ask members of a community to assess their lives and their ability to influence things around them to set positive goals.

For instance, to define: • What am I going to do for myself to make me happier? • What am I going to do improve the lives of the people I care about? • What am I going to do to help improve life in my community?

For some people this process of goal setting will be audacious, though for many it will be practically minded and one step at a time.

It should be noted that for many people, fulfilling a decent standard of living will be a requisite of achieving goals and that this exercise could be a tool to help people understand how they are empowered and what support is available for them to get what they need.

When the requisite standard of living is achieved, the research we have undertaken has strongly suggested to us the power of having a social life, activities and interests is to someone. When you are engaged with friends, families and your community you are more likely to want to live a healthier lifestyle and play a more active role in your community.

There are a range of traditional social activities available in both the Beverley and St Andrew’s ward, for example: coffee mornings, bingo nights, exercise to music, etc. however to relatively low levels of attendance across the board suggests that either they are: 1. Not the right activity for many local people, 2. Not promoted sufficiently to the right people, or 3. Not popular due to another barrier.

To be successful an activity or initiative needs to overcome all of these challenges.

When available a process of inspiration, information and motivation can be used to engage with individuals in a community.

Accepting that a range of social activities that contribute to a range of health and social benefits should be led by community interest and demand we should consider that an instigator or activists needs the tools, confidence, skills and perceived benefits (what’s in it for me?) to make this work.

For example: • An isolated older man / lady might see the wellbeing benefits from forming a group to discuss aspects of history / culture with likeminded people though might not the confidence, knowledge or facilities to know where to start. • A young mum might find that a parent and toddler group would be her social lifeline, though has she the confidence, knowledge or access to facilities to know where to start? • A full-time worker concerned about their health and wellbeing might feel that a walking/jogging group in the evening would be greatly beneficial but might struggle with the time or knowledge to know where to start.

Next Steps

This research has provided a level of insight into the lives of people living within the Beverley and St Andrew’s wards of Hull. Whilst there are certainly commonalities of concern, it is apparent that the solutions would need to be tailored at a local and micro-local level.

This report, along with accompanying videos has been shared amongst a network of partner organisations throughout Hull and has been prominently discussed amongst the Hull 2020 Board made-up of senior representatives from publicly funded and community-led services.

This information will also be available publicly at www.taleofwards.co.uk from July 2014.

Additionally, NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group has commissioned a provider to return to the Beverley and St Andrew’s wards to understand if and how individuals and groups wish to engage in the development and delivery of the Hull 2020 strategy to the benefit of people within their community.

Specific activities and campaigns will be updated on www.taleofwards.co.uk from September 2014.