Section 1: Engaging
Engaging
Organisations often refer to community engagement in quite generic terms – listening to community members means surveys and focus groups. Acting on what they say, organisations devise strategies and programmes to tackle the issues they hear about. The Brighter Futures partners all work in this way – but take engagement a step further by offering activities that will appeal to people and get them to build a relationship with the provider.
There are many examples of innovative and appealing activities offered by the partnership members, here are two examples. Both offer immediate benefits to participants but also provide a way to connect individuals and community groups, opening up further opportunities for community members to participate in more activities.
| Story | Lead organisation | Theme 1 | Other themes | Everybody's wellbeing link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round and round arts project | CDC | Stronger Communities | Mental health | Live Well |
| Ruscote tea dance | Ruscote Community Centre | Stronger Communities | Mental health, physical health, Age Well | Age Well |
Round and Round Project
Our first stop is the famous Banbury Cross Roundabout, a town landmark where a statue of the fine lady from the nursery rhyme can be found!
Cherwell District Council commissioned the Round and Round project, a creative recycling art initiative, deploying a resourceful approach to work with community intergenerational groups.
Alongside artist Anne-Marie Cadman, residents were invited to reimagine some ex-floral display frames for the high-profile Banbury Cross Roundabout.
“I just wanted to send a big thank you from myself and our service users for inviting us to be part of this lovely project’ - Rebecca Salvesen, Wellbeing Worker, Oxfordshire Mind Wellbeing Service
The aim was to repurpose stands to celebrate a reduce, reuse, recycle theme and become a temporary public art feature to complement the annual floral display around the historic Banbury Cross. The display was in place from May to September, and was timed to be in situ for mental health awareness week (15 May).
Hundreds of people of all ages took part. Community organisations The Hill, Orinoco, Oxfordshire Mind, Activate Learning, Grimsbury Community Centre, Banbury Larder, and the Cornhill Centre for older residents in adopting a hobby horse frame each and transformed it into this amazing multi-coloured and textured artwork.
Taking part meant people could have a sense of pride in their work and know that it would be seen by many residents and visitors to the town.
‘I can’t wait to see it finished on the cross’ - Participant
In addition, it brought together people from different generations with a shared aim. Loneliness is an issue for all ages, and this project helped people meet one another in a community project. Participants really felt the benefits of the project, commenting
‘This is really fun; I love craft opportunities and learning something new’
‘I find it really therapeutic’
‘It’s great to be part of community project’
Nicola Riley, Assistant Director of Wellbeing and Housing Services, said: “Trying your hand at something you’ve not done before is a great way to make friends, learn new skills and boost your mood. We are proud to provide residents with the opportunity to come together to create something that reflects the heart and spirit of the Banbury community.
What are the long-term effects of loneliness?
There has been lots of research on the effects of loneliness on our mental and physical health – it’s seen as one of the biggest health concerns we face.
Loneliness has been linked to early death and an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, cognitive decline and poor sleep. It’s as harmful to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. People who feel lonely are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s (and other forms of dementia) than those who do not feel lonely.
“We are excited to welcome Anne-Marie to our upcoming sessions to ensure that attendees can unleash their creativity under the tutelage of an expert and wholeheartedly encourage everyone to join us at our free sessions.
“Sustainable practices are important to us as a council, and we are delighted to be able to repurpose pre-existing materials and transform them into a bright, cheerful, and personal welcome to Banbury.”
Anne-Marie said: “I am thrilled to be involved in this public arts project. The aim of the initiative is for participants to have fun and harness their creativity with the techniques on offer, use some vibrant recycled materials and bring the outcomes together for four eye catching community arts installations.”
Five in-person sessions were held across three venues in Banbury throughout early April. The free sessions were open to all, and no previous experience is required. There were also drop-in and bookable sessions at an empty unit in the Castle Quay Shopping Centre, and a limited number of at-home packs were also available for those unable to attend an in-person session.
The State of Ageing 2025 report from the Centre for Ageing Better, reveals that older people living in local authority areas with the highest proportion of residents on low incomes are almost three times as likely to be disabled than those living in the areas of the country with the lowest proportions. See Our Ageing Population | The State of Ageing 2025 | Centre for Ageing Better.
‘‘The finished work at the Cross looks amazing, such a vibrant addition to the space! Thanks again for including us in such a creative and inspiring project.’- Taraji Ogunnubi, No Limits Programme Manager
Ruscote Tea Dance
Next, we visit Ruscote Community Centre, where Age UK Oxfordshire presented older people with a new way to improve and maintain fitness as well as to have fun! A monthly group was started in the area in February – traditionally known as a month when people feel low and lonely. Age UK led the initiative to help people reduce their isolation and make new friends by hosting a tea dance which was followed by other monthly activities such as quizzes, boccia, tai chi and talks, offering both social enjoyment and opportunities for gentle exercise, suitable for people with disabilities and those who had not participated in exercise recently.
The tea dance was on a pay what you can basis, with a suggested donation of 50p to make the sessions available to everyone in an area of economic deprivation.
The tea dance and subsequent activities were so successful, in an area where it has proved challenging for Age UK to engage people, that the organisation has decided to offer the same activity in Grimsbury, another of the Brighter Futures wards. One person who attended commented “Really enjoyed this activity and dancing with the tutor and learning new skills’.
Once people had made contact with Age UK through the dances, they could be introduced to the organisation’s full programme of activities including digital inclusion and many other initiatives to improve physical health and wellbeing.
Age UK Oxfordshire told us “The Ruscote Tea Dance in February was just one of the sessions of monthly activities we were running at Ruscote so we have also held quizzes, boccia, tai chi and talks to reach out and target this area which we know has been difficult to reach.”
Along with other Councils in Oxfordshire, Cherwell is using The Low-Income Family Tracker (LIFT), developed by Policy in Practice. The tool uses a mix of welfare policy analysis and council data to help identify households who may be missing out on support including benefit payments and vital services The tool also helps the Council plan the right kind of support and monitor the impact to ensure it is making meaningful difference.
Cherwell District Council targeted Pensioners who were not taking up their Pension Allowance – and since a letter was sent out 69 pensioners have claimed pension credit generating £219,272 in unclaimed credit that they are owed. This is just one example of how LIFT can provide a targeted way to support older people and target certain demographics, which are highly represented in the Brighter Futures wards.
What the data shows
Percentage of people with a disability aged over 65 in Ruscote, compared to the district and county percentages
| Ruscote | Cherwell | Oxfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| 36.8% | 28.9% | 28.7% |
Source: Oxfordshire Data Hub
Pensioners receiving pension credit:
- Ruscote 19%
- Oxfordshire 6%
In Banbury Ruscote, there are 28 health indicators that are worse than the Oxfordshire average, and 0 that are better than the Oxfordshire average. This includes preventable mortality, deaths from circulatory disease and emergency hospital admissions for heart attack, stroke and for hip fractures in people over 65.