Links for life helping residents connect

Links for Life Sunderland - launched to offer more and better opportunities for people across the city to form friendships, access support and improve wellbeing - has been set up to deliver non-medical assistance that aims to improve the quality of life of residents. 

A new digital platform - www.linksforlifesunderland.co.uk - where people can access information about community-based activities for people at every stage of life and to cater for all interests, has launched to make it easy for residents to see what's happening on their doorstep. There's lots of useful guidance too, on everything from managing money to families and relationships - all things that might impact on wellbeing and health, but that doesn't need medicine to make it better.

Links for Life is an approach driven by a partnership, that supports social prescribing, where practical and emotional needs that affect health and wellbeing are met by providers, offering support in the community.  As a coordinated network of support providers, each of the services will signpost residents to other organisations and groups if they identify areas of need, with a raft of community-based support across the city shared and understood thanks to the strength of the Links for Life network.

Ryhope Community Association is one organisation delivering services as part of Links for Life Sunderland. Based in the heart of Ryhope, the organisation is offering a number of groups that will bring members of the community together, meeting the social, emotional and practical needs of residents who might otherwise be isolated or unable to access help. Sessions delivered as part of Links for Life include a mother and baby group, reminiscence sessions for older residents and digital inclusion sessions to help people navigate online services.

Paula Hunt from Ryhope Community Association said: "We live in world in which much of the human contact that was once an essential and everyday part of life has been removed. 

"Banking is done online, shops offer digital check-outs where there is little to no contact with people. For people who might have already felt a sense of disconnection, it is an increasingly isolating world and it has a devastating effect on people's mental and physical health.

"We can underestimate the vital importance of routine and of human connection, but we are seeing - day in day out - just how it impacts when people do not have this in their lives. That's where services like ours, delivered in the heart of the community, come in. The difference it makes to people's lives is absolutely huge."

Zara Peart, 37, from Hollycarrside, is a regular at Ryhope Community Association attending a mother and baby group that runs on a Thursday morning.  She started attending as a new mum with her first son, Eli, who is now 2.5 years old.  She now has a second baby, Finn, 1, and has been attending the mother and baby group with her two children routinely since. 

"I was nervous initially about starting to attend groups, but that anxiety lifted the moment I came to the community centre.  This group has such a lovely family feel about it, and I have made friends for life.  Though it was initially about the kids, coming here has been so important to me personally, giving me a routine that has helped me a lot as a new mam. 

"Paula at Ryhope Community Association has also connected me to so much support, helping me access additional benefits that are making a big difference. 

"Having gone from being a single person a few years ago to a six-person household with my partner, my two children and two older step-children, having someone help with eligibility checks to make sure I get the support I need has been a massive help to us as a family."

Ryhope Community Association is just one of a range of organisations that is offering services as part of Links for Life, each aimed at supporting the specific needs within the communities they serve.

Sunderland Community Action Group is another organisation delivering vital provision to communities in the city.  As part of Links for Life, the organisation is connecting with young people, offering everything from cookery classes, to outdoor activities and drug and alcohol support to assistance with mental health. 

Richy Duggan, project manager at SCAG, said one major benefit of Links for Life has been the sharing of knowledge among organisations in the city, enabling the SCAG team to signpost people to appropriate providers to access the help they need.

He said: "We work with young people from all backgrounds, and they may be in need of support with anything from mental health concerns to smoking or alcohol use. 

"Because of Links for Life, providers across the city now have a better picture of what other support is on offer in Sunderland, so we can point people in the direction of the right specialised support if we can see they need it.  It's massively beneficial to the people we work with."

Gerry Taylor, executive director of health, housing and communities at Sunderland City Council, said: "Our physical and mental health is determined by a large number of things, and improving health is not always about medical care. It can also be about connecting people with groups or organisations to improve their quality of life, supporting them to access what they need - from money management support to groups that provide isolated people with company - and many other ways of improving wellbeing.

"This community-based support matters. It is a stepping stone towards better physical and mental health for everyone and we are determined to be proactive about this in Sunderland."

Other Links for Life projects include activities like horticulture, cycling fitness classes and hiking for veterans; a programme to tackle digital isolation; music and creative activities; and cooking workshops.

To find out more about the Links for Life activities on offer, or for any organisations that would like to find out more about signing up to the programme visit: www.linksforlifesunderland.co.uk.