Moray Wellbeing Hub CIC are delighted to announce their growing partnership work with 39 Eng Regt, Kinloss Forces Community. Project ‘Celebrating our Wellbeing Together’ aims to boost the wellbeing of serving families in relation to COVID 19 impact. Focusing on delivering ‘Kicking Back in Kinloss’ events like family walks, outdoor events and online pampering sessions, the project has kept connections growing during unpredictable times.
Community member Alisha Sutton said, “Being part of the military community can quite often involve a degree of uncertainty; to cope with that, the support structures around us are so crucial. Covid-19 has meant the majority of those have temporarily disappeared. These sessions were safe and fun and meant so much to me and my girls/family.”
The project initiated in in October 2020 with funding from The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust as part of their Covid 19 ‘Forces Community Together’ Program. Now extended to the end of April, the hope is to be able to get in-person activity outdoors again as well as keep up online links.
Armed Forces personnel are ‘posted’ to new bases which take them and their families to unfamiliar towns or villages. Whilst those serving are able to socialise and get to know new colleagues during their working day, their families are often at home looking after young families or in a new area looking for work. Making it challenging to get to know new people and make friends.
Johanna Quinney, Moray Wellbeing Hub partner lead for the project, shared, “The current lockdown can feel very isolating for the families of Armed Forces Personnel. COVID restrictions have made it much harder for these families and Moray Wellbeing Hub recognised this and wanted to reach out and help.
Our project is now well under way and we have had some great fun along the way so far! When restrictions were less stringent, we managed to connect and bring families together for socially distanced walks at various locations. One of these walks was followed by a Wreath Making session just before Christmas.”
Other events have been run online including planning meetings with the families, a pamper session and a festive mixology session. The families and team at Moray Wellbeing Hub have plenty more ideas still to come, including a family event.
- “Celebrating Wellbeing Together in Moray” is funded by Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and runs from October 1st 2020 to April 30th.
- Moray Wellbeing Hub CIC has over 300 Champions as part of its hosted social movement, this opportunity is open to any Moray residents.
- Partnership with local authorities such as Health and Social Care Moray, national and local organisations is a core part of delivery of all project work.
