Healthy City Week returns in October

Healthy City Week Bristol is returning for its second year this October, aiming to inspire the citizens of Bristol to achieve healthier lifestyles as part of a more sustainable future city. Launched in 2015 by Bristol Green Capital Partnership, Healthy City Week aims to inspire citizens of Bristol to achieve healthier lifestyles as part of a more sustainable future city.

Healthy City Week 2016 will take place from 15 to 22 October with an open call for participation launching in early June.

Bristol Health Partners is working with Bristol Green Capital Partnership CIC to develop this year’s programme, in collaboration with Green Capital Partnership members. Healthy City Week 2016 will offer a unique platform and an exciting opportunity for organisations and individuals across the city to work together to create a legacy from Bristol 2015 and shine a spotlight on health and ‘wellbeing that doesn’t cost the earth’.

Healthy City Week 2015 – what happened last year

The concept of a ‘Healthy City Week’ emerged from voluntary members of the Bristol Green Capital Partnership’s Health and Wellbeing Group as an opportunity to showcase local sustainability and healthcare initiatives during Bristol’s year as European Green Capital.

Across 10 days in October, over 100 events across Bristol received over 3,000 attendances – a concentration of health and wellbeing events included seminars, talks, taster sessions and workshops. 99 local organisations engaged with the week as speakers or event organisers, and the hashtag #HealthyBristol was used over 2,000 times by over 550 Twitter accounts in a fortnight alone, reaching potentially over 2 million accounts.

Find out more about last year’s Healthy City Week by visiting www.bristolgreencapital.org/healthycityweek

Feedback from event attendees included:

“Professionally I feel more positive that constructive change can and is happening. Through the event I was able to meet other professionals which has opened up further collaboration.”

“Great to see so many people engaged in discussion around health and thinking of it from different examples, for example, sustainable environment, connecting with nature, physical activity and bringing ideas together.”

“The week helped me realise how organisations and people are willing to work together for positive outputs.”

“A fantastic opportunity to gain awareness of the local health and wellbeing initiatives in Bristol.”

Getting involved with Healthy City Week 2016

In line with Bristol Green Capital Partnership’s vision of a low carbon city with a high quality of life for all, Healthy City Week aims to actively promote how sustainable living and personal health and happiness are related, and how contributing to improvements in the global environment can make us healthier and happier and vice versa.

It aims to inspire citizens of Bristol to achieve healthier lifestyles as part of a more sustainable future city by showcasing and encouraging participation in the many innovative, grassroots projects in health and wellbeing in the city.

The programme will be inclusive and open to contributions from organisations that align with the Healthy City Week vision of a sustainable future Bristol where:

1. All residents enjoy a physical and natural environment that sustains health and well-being
2. There is a social culture which values wellbeing and personal and community resilience
3. A spectrum of public, third sector and commercial organisations work for wellbeing
4. Integrated health services champion preventative medicine and whole person care
5. Health services provide equitable and effective treatment for illnesses as they arise
6. The health sector is managing its resources to minimise its environmental impact
7. There is a below-average gap in life-expectancy between high and low income groups

Using an online form, organisations and individuals will be able to submit an event or activity as part of the programme from early June 2016. Although there is no funding available, Bristol Green Capital Partnership CIC will offer many benefits to support your involvement:

• Promoting your event in a central Healthy City Week programme, online and in print
• Offering an online platform for related blogs, articles and resources
• Offering free or subsidised social media workshops to help you reach your target audiences
• Offering workshops & events to share ideas and find potential partners and collaborators
• Sending you a HCW branding package to help you promote your event as part of the week
• Helping you to secure a venue

What next?

Start planning and get inspired! Take a look at what happened last year and think about how you or your organisation could take part in Healthy City Week 2016

If you are not already signed up, join the Bristol Green Capital Partnership e-newsletter to receive further information when the programme opens for contributions.

Follow @bgreencapital on Twitter and Facebook to hear about opportunities to get involved.

If you have any questions, get in touch via [email protected].