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Healthy City Week Bristol - wellbeing that doesn’t cost the earth

Press release issued: 8 October 2015

Bristol’s inaugural Healthy City Week [10 to 18 Oct 2015] aims to inspire citizens of Bristol to achieve healthier lifestyles as part of a more sustainable future city. The event, which involves University of Bristol researchers, will comprise a range of talks, workshops and taster sessions exploring the links between health and sustainability.

Healthy City Week is a new initiative delivered by Bristol Green Capital Partnership CIC and Love The Future CIC, formed in collaboration with members of the BGCP Health and Wellbeing Group, the University of Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol and sponsored by Bristol Health Partners.

Over 100 events can be found across the city during the week, each promoting the idea of wellbeing that doesn’t cost the earth.  Bristol 2015 Lab Space will host a ‘Weekend Takeover’ on 10 and 11 October, where visitors can enjoy half-hourly engaging taster sessions from health practitioners, community groups and environmental organisations. There will also be ‘Big Green Chair’ talks from inspiring local leaders, plus yoga, qi gong and other drop-in sessions.

Bristol Health Hub will be hosting three days of free taster sessions and workshops to explore ways to achieve wellbeing. Plus, in various locations across Bristol there will be free workshops, walks and talks linked to food, energy, nature, resources and transport - from a Goodgym run and a Big Green ‘Virtual Sponsored Walk’, to being a farmer for the day with The Community Farm, classes with Yogasara, to cycling in nature with TravelWest and Lifecycle.

Health organisations will be addressing sustainability throughout the week, with Wellspring Healthy Living Centre, Penny Brohn Cancer Care and local hospitals opening their doors to showcase what is being done to reduce their environmental impact, and to share their approaches to environment, sustainability, health and wellbeing. Additionally, the ‘Workplace Wellbeing Week Pack’ and Health Creation @ Work initiatives launching in Healthy City Week will offer businesses and organisations a great opportunity help raise awareness of the importance of health and wellbeing in creating a more sustainable workforce.

The programme includes a series of talks and conversations that share innovative solutions, address key challenges and encourage collaboration in healthcare and sustainability. Speakers include the West of England Nature Partnership, Dr David Pencheon, Director of the NHS Sustainable Development Unit and Dr William Bird MBE. Bristol City Council’s Healthy Urban Team will be asking ‘Is Bristol a Healthy City?’ in an interactive session and SHINE, a Bristol Health Partners Health Integration Team will be sharing their aims to develop an evidence-based ‘checklist’ for supporting healthy inclusive neighbourhood environments. In the final weekend, there will be an innovative hackathon style ‘Make It’ weekend that brings together patients and the public, health and care service providers, designers, artists and developers to develop collaborative sustainable health solutions.

Liz Zeidler, Chair of Bristol Green Capital Partnership, said: “We would like to thank everyone who has given so much time and effort to create this exceptional week of events and activities. Putting on such a programme was only possible due to the energy and engagement of so many local organisations and groups who have offered activities and projects that add up to what we hope will be the first annual Healthy City Week.”

Dr Trevor Thompson from the University of Bristol’s School of Social and Community Medicine, a local GP and Chair of the Partnership’s Health and Wellbeing Group, added: “There are so many strands to healthcare in this city. It's great that hospital bosses, NHS clinicians, campaigners, complementary medicine practitioners, and patients of all ages and backgrounds have somewhere to debate the health issues of the day.”

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