Healthy City Week programme announced

Bristol’s inaugural Healthy City Week will take place from 10–18 October 2015, and the full programme is now available online.
Over 100 events can be found across Bristol over the 10 days, each
promoting the idea of wellbeing that doesn’t cost the earth. There will be a
diverse range of talks, seminars, workshops, open days and taster sessions exploring
the links between health and sustainability.

In the Bristol 2015 Lab Space ‘Weekend Takeover’ on 10 and 11 October, visitors can enjoy half-hourly engaging
demos and 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,
events and workshops to promote a variety of ways to achieve wellbeing. Plus, in
various locations across Bristol there will be workshops and talks linked to
food, energy, nature, resources and transport will take place for free – 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 local hospitals, Wellspring Living Centre and the Penny Brohn Cancer
Care amongst others opening their doors to share what they are doing to reduce
environmental impact, and raise awareness of the links between our environment,
sustainability, health and wellbeing.

Additionally the ‘Workplace Wellbeing
Week Pack’ 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.

A series of talks and conversation events that address key challenges,
share innovative solutions and encourage collaboration in healthcare and
sustainability will take place in OpenSpace in Bristol, with talks from the West
of England Nature Partnership, Dr David Pencheon (Director of the NHS
Sustainability Development Unit) and Dr William Bird MBE, founder of Intelligent
Health.

Events encouraging discussion and debate include Bristol City Council’s
Healthy Urban Team who will be asking ‘Is Bristol a Healthy City?’ and the
Bristol Health Partners SHINE HIT who will share their aims to
develop an evidence-based ‘checklist’ for healthy inclusive neighbourhood environments
and will be holding a ‘Make It’ collaborative hackathon style weekend to enable and support innovations and improvements
in local health, care and wellbeing.

Healthy City Week emerged from Bristol Green Capital Partnership’s
Health and Wellbeing Group as an opportunity to
showcase
current sustainability and healthcare initiatives during Bristol’s year as
European Green Capital and to raise awareness of the links between our personal
health and the health of our environment. The programme of events covers a
variety of topics and themes that fall under the health and wellbeing agenda,
with contributors from all health sectors from the mainstream to complementary
practitioners, and the week also celebrates Healthy City Week’s flagship
programme,‘Kitchen on Prescription’, and the launch of Portland Centre for
Integrative Medicine.

Liz Zeidler, Chair of Bristol Green Capital
Partnership, said: “We would like to thank everyone who
have 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
events, activities and projects that add up to what we hope will be the first annual Healthy City Week.”

Dr Trevor Thompson from University of Bristol’s School of Social and
Community Medicine, a local GP and Chair of the Partnership’s Health and
Wellbeing Group, said: “There are so many strands to healthcare in this city.
Wouldn’t it be great if hospital bosses, NHS clinicians, campaigners,
complementary medicine practitioners, and patients of all ages and backgrounds
had somewhere to debate the health issues of the day? Well they have – its
Healthy City Week!”

Rosalind J Turner, founder of Netwalking South West, added: “Taking part
in Bristol’s Healthy City week offers a great opportunity for all of us to
simply get out more. Walking is recognised as the best way to stay healthy
physically, emotionally, intellectually and if eco-psychologists are to be
believed, even spiritually. I am especially excited to be working with 500more
offering the free Harbourside Netwalk which will improve your health and
wellbeing, help raise money for four local charities.”

Sam Willitts, Energy and Sustainability manager at University Hospitals
Bristol and Vice Chair of the Partnership’s Health and Wellbeing Group, said:
“From a hospital point of view, sustainability is best achieved through keeping
people healthy and out of hospital. The health system is struggling, and to
make it sustainable requires reaching out to our communities for solutions.”

David Relph, Director of Bristol Health Partners who are sponsoring
Healthy City Week said: “No one can deny that our health and the health of our
planet are inextricably linked. Bristol’s first ever Healthy City Week brings
this connection into focus, with events that will inspire people in this city
to improve their health, while also taking action to create a more sustainable
environment.”

“Bristol Green Capital Partnership is delighted to be supporting this
unique week of events that bring together people from organisations large and
small to share, and inspire and support healthier lives across the city for the
long term,” explained Liz Zeidler, BGCP Chair.

Dr Elizabeth Thompson, Chief Executive Officer and Homeopathic Consultant said: “The Portland Centre for Integrative Medicine has been delighted to be
part of the Partnership’s Health and Wellbeing group, and to have won a Bristol
2015 grant to coordinate the ‘Kitchen on Prescription’ initiative. In
Healthy City Week we will be celebrating the work of KOP so far and
transforming KOP as a mainstream health offer across Bristol. We’ll also be
celebrating the delivery of PCIM NHS and private services from our new home in
Litfield medical centre in Clifton, with public lectures and a health care
seminar all with a focus on lifestyle and holistic approaches to support health
and wellbeing.”

The open call out for programme contributions closed earlier this year,
but there will be many opportunities to participate and attend events during
Healthy City Week –
find out more at www.bristolgreencapital.org/healthycityweek. Healthy
City Week can offer all organisations and individuals an opportunity to share
how they are helping Bristol to become a healthy and sustainable city – please
share your thoughts, events and activities on social media using the hashtag
#HealthyBristol.