New community Health and Wellbeing event held at the Haydon Centre

A new community Health and Wellbeing event held at the Haydon Centre has helped strengthen local partnerships and raise awareness of support services available to Swindon residents.

The event, held on 28 April, was designed to bring together community organisations, charities and local people, providing a space for groups to share information about their services and explore opportunities to work more closely together. Over 30 members of the public attended throughout the day, with several taking part in a chair‑based exercise session designed to be accessible for people of varying abilities. 

The event was supported by a range of local and national organisations, including Macmillan Cancer Support, Live Well Swindon, Swindon Healthwatch, Age UK Wiltshire, The Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, GLL Healthwise and Parkinson’s UK. 

The Mayor of Swindon, Fay Howard, attended to show her support, meeting representatives from the organisations and speaking with visitors about the importance of accessible health and wellbeing services within the community. 

The organisers described the event as a success, highlighting its value in building networks and starting new conversations around future programmes.

“Events like this are about creating the right environment for partnerships to grow,” said Steve Beere, Regional Health Intervention Manager. “It gave us the opportunity to raise awareness of our centres and Healthwise programme, while also opening the door to new ideas – from Age UK daytime discos to exploring Parkinson’s‑specific racket sport sessions with Parkinson’s UK.” 

Plans are already underway to expand future Health and Wellbeing events, with organisers aiming to work alongside a local Primary Care Network to support wider promotion and engagement across the community.