Staying Well Winter Campaign

In keeping with our ethos of delivering fun health events, a Welderlies Staying Well Winter Campaign was held for the first time at the Croydon Voluntary Action Resource Centre on 6^th December 2018. It’s main purpose was to alert our Welderlies Friends, their carers and families about the challenges they could encounter during winter season, suggest and promote ways they could cope.

We were 27 in all and event drew a wide range of representatives of supporters who included:

• Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group, that facilitated importance of taking the flu jab, doing selected exercises, dressing warm and wearing the right shoes to prevent falls, taking hot drinks and soups and above all continuing to take our prescribed medications.
• Broad Green Metropolitan Police Community Support Team gave a highly informative exposé on how to prevent Frauds and Scams that were prevalent at that time. Here is a link to their site to get more information.
• Healthwatch Croydon shared information about their role as independent consumer champions of health and social care. They also took photographs of the event
• Bump Dance and Fitness lead chair dancing exercises motivated by a fitting Christmas carol
• Friends of Strategic Enterprise provided tasty nutritious snacks
• Southwest London Partnership team members supported as volunteers and also took photographs
• Healthwise Croydon promoted their new service in the community

Earlier on we started with an ice-breaker quiz focusing on living well and preventive measures that could be followed during winter. Answers to the quiz were given, distribution of token prizes and singing of Christmas Carols took place before the end.

Feedback included:

What worked well: NHS Campaign Talks, fresh foods, fraud and scam prevention, dancing/exercise, singing and company of friends

What could be improved on: more publicity, having song sheets, timing, more power point presentations

Suggestions for the future: safety in the house/falls prevention, Welderlies themed events, more dancing.

We thanked all our supporters and Welderlies Friends for a very successful event