Cotswolds Community Wellbeing Service helps Radio 4 and Tetbury find The Fix

'The Fix' is a Radio 4 documentary series looking at a variety of social issues and endeavouring to come up with possible solutions.  You can find out about the first series here.

Radio 4 asked GRCC for help with finding a community interested in taking part in the new series, specifically focusing on loneliness and rural isolation.  Lisa Hepworth, one of GRCC's Social Prescribers for the Community Wellbeing Service, found willing participants in Tetbury, all of whom had first hand experience of the problem.  She also identified people trying to find solutions, like Pat Hodges, owner of the local wool shop (pictured above with Radio 4's Jordan Dunbar) who has opened her doors to the community as a meeting place and to teach people skills.

To illustrate the problem, participants kept a diary for two days identifying the human contact that they had.  They were then asked to remove all contacts from work or from social activities that involved driving, including services that only exist in larger towns, like banks.  This left only contacts that people had to initiate themselves, such as saying a brief hello to the postman.

Two teams of local people, including the PCSO, business owners, and members of the town council, plus design experts, were tasked with finding innovative solutions to the problem of loneliness and rural isolation in Tetbury.  Their ideas were presented to a panel of three judges, including Lisa, and the community is now looking at putting the winning idea into practice.

Find out how the discussion went and the ideas the teams came up with when 'The Fix' is broadcast on Radio 4 at 8pm on 29 August.