ESTATE UTILISATION
Above left: Creating a welcoming space where people feel would feel comfortable was an important factor for the long-term success of Ashfield Community Hub.
Above right: Nicki Glencross said: “The work desk is beautiful: bright yellow, and absolutely ideal for sewing machines, sharing IT skills, and crafting.”
who suffer from mental health issues, like anxiety or stress, might not want to meet in a public space, or in their home. A Community Hub like Ashfield can provide that third place – neutral, welcoming, and easily accessible. Nicki Glencross and the social prescribing link workers
operate in partnership with district and county councils, and in liaison with local community voluntary sector groups. If they identify a need that isn’t currently met, then they are able to mobilise to provide it, if possible, with the community hub providing the venue for that to take place. Partnership and co-production are at the core of their operations: “We focused on children and young people’s mental health, and worked with local people to find out what they needed, as well as doing insight work with schools and mental health services,” Nicki Glencross explains. “As a result of this, a need was identified for a group to support parents of children and young people experiencing mental health problems. Muddled Minds Community Interest Company, who were involved in the insight work, have now set up this group, and will be one of the first to make use of the Ashfield Community Hub.”
Inside the Flourish Wellbeing Hub at Victoria Infirmary in Northwich, Cheshire.
Getting projects of the ground Ashfield Community Hub’s primary role is exactly this. Nicki Glencross explains further: “Sometimes there will be a need that has been identified and volunteers available to deliver it, but for various reasons – often the cost of venue hire – it can’t get off the ground. Or an existing group is expanding and it can’t find, or finance, the right venue to allow that growth. It’s really exciting and nice to have something that you know is meaningful that has come from an identified need in the community, and to be able
to say ‘here you go’, and offer a space at no cost.“ Providing this flexible, free, and bookable space for community groups and networks allows more support to be given, more patients to be connected to social and community support, and more health and social risks to be minimised. By co-locating these services at health centres, the organisations present will not only deliver services which are more convenient for patients, but will also better understand each other’s offer and ambitions, which can encourage collaboration. Listening carefully to future users is the best way to start
any project, and vital to understanding the subtleties of the brief and the requirements of all involved. Early in the project, our team at Collective Works consulted with representatives from Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB, Nottingham FM, Ashfield Voluntary Action Group, Property Services FM, Primary Integrated Community Services, Self Help Connect UK, NHS Property Services, and others. This brought together facilitators, users, and the estates management teams, as well as others who currently use the same building. Martin Meltzer, Senior Capital manager at NHS Property Services, and part of the Client team for Ashfield Community Hub noted that ‘early engagement with Alasdair and the team at Collective Works really benefitted the delivery’. We listened to their needs and wishes over three engagement sessions, with one online, and two in person, at the hub itself. We used these conversations to share our early ideas and fine-tune the brief to ensure that we uncovered the most important aspects of the hub.
A key factor for long-term success While theoretically any space can be used for social prescribing, creating a welcoming space where people feel comfortable would be an important factor to the long- term success of Ashfield Community Hub. By creating a space designed with specific users in mind, our aim was to show respect and value to the community, and ultimately contribute to supporting their wellbeing. Just how many possible uses there were for the space was one of our key takeaways from the engagement sessions. Broadly, these could be sorted into three groups: one-to-one conversations; a co-working base for the social prescribing link workers, and activities and training to support people’s wellbeing. From digital skills tutorials to film screenings, drumming, tea dances, crochet, and yoga, there was little limit to the imagination on what might take place. The Community Hub would re-use the former canteen
of Ashfield Health Centre, which comprised a large and slightly awkward space, with orange columns and few clear zones. Our engagement led us to divide the space
52 Health Estate Journal October 2024
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