In this podcast we hear from Beky Williams, Managing Director of Stride Active, Dan Thomas, Head of PE and Business at Kingstone High School and Lucy Finch, Teacher of PE at Kingstone High School.

The group discusses projects which have been involved in, that have proved instrumental in gaining feedback from girls within the Herefordshire region, taking action to create space for open conversations to hear from girls on how to reduce barriers to physical activity.

The activities and collaborative events are underpinned by key design principles; aimed at empowering girls to gain knowledge and confidence to increase girls' participation in sport and physical activity within Herefordshire.

The ‘Here Girls Can’ project is the locally adapted offer of the national This Girl Can campaign, commissioned through Sport England and funded by the National Lottery. In 2025, This Girl Can celebrated its 10 year-anniversary.

Insight and data: If you are interested in this work, some impact reports for consideration: PE & School Sport: The Annual Report 2024 - Youth Sport Trust which highlights some national challenges in youths accessing physical activity.

Earlier this year, Stride Active released the 'Here Girls Can 2024 Impact Report'. The report quotes 85% of girls recording an increase in confidence after attending an event. You can access the full report via the links below.

Kingstone High School received the Youth Sport Trust ‘Girls Active Report’ for 2024, exploring girls' motivations, barriers and overall engagement in physical activity. The responses given for key barriers to engaging in sport, physical activity and PE at school were on average more positive for girls at Kingstone High School compared to the national average. In the report, 79% of girls at Kingstone High School enjoyed taking part in physical activity.

This was reflected in many areas, relating to some of the issues and actions referenced in this podcast.

Links related to this episode: Home | Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire Kingstone Academy Trust - Achieving Success Together

Here Girls Can - Stride Active

This Girl Can | Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire This Girl Can | This Girl Can | This girl can

Youth Sport Trust - Youth Sport Trust

In this episode we hear from Toni Martin, Physical Activity Clinical Champion (PACC) for the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) at Sheffield Hallam University and an Associate Lecturer of Midwifery, teaching at BSc and MSC level at the University of Worcester.

Toni shares how PACC training can empower healthcare professionals to understand and communicate the benefits of increasing physical activity to improve health and wellbeing outcomes. Highlighting the hugely positive health impact of going from doing nothing at all, to moving just a little bit more is resourced by Moving Medicine Moving Medicine Consultation Guides; sharing guidance and tips, designed for short patient conversations which can be tailored to health conditions and is backed by insight and real impact stories.

Toni shares a realistic insight into working with patients within the NHS and delivery of the funded PACC training to healthcare professionals. Demonstrating understanding of professional and patient barriers; aimed to support appropriate conversations to get people moving more for long-term health benefits.

For further information regarding the benefits of PACC training, access the PACC section of the Moving Medicine website or express an interest directly by emailing Sheffield Hallum University who currently lead on the national project funded by Sport England.

Disclaimer: Projects are subject to funding which may be liable to change after the release date of December 2024.

Links related to this episode:

We are providing some information relating to some of the external projects and support mentioned in this episode.

Active Hospitals - Moving Medicine

Why Active Conversations? - Moving Medicine We are Undefeatable - Get active whilst managing a health condition Moving Healthcare Professionals NHS - Better Health ELearning for healthcare - elfh This Girl Can The RCGP Physical Activity Hub BMJ Learning

In part two of this episode, Denise Ludlam, Strategic Lead for Environmental Sustainability at Sport England and Stephen Brewster, Chief Executive Officer at Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire, discuss Sport England Every Move strategy, and its commitment to supporting clubs and organisations with measures to address climate change issues.

Part two also reflects on some of the valuable insight raised by Nigel Gould and Don McAll in part one.

Links related to this episode: We are providing some information relating to some of the external projects and support mentioned in this episode. Please remember to never put yourself at risk during a flooding event.

• Home - Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire
• Major investment to help sports battle climate change | Sport England
• Every Move - YouTube video
• Introducing the Movement Fund | Sport England Funding - Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire
• First Aid - Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire Sunguarding course | UK Melanoma Fund
• Buddle - Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire (activehw.co.uk)
• Environmental sustainability | Buddle
• Worcestershire County Council Sustainability Support
• Herefordshire Council Climate Change Support
• Flood alerts and warnings - GOV.UK (check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk)

In part one of this episode, we speak to Nigel Gould from Evesham Bowling Club and Don McAll from Ledbury RFC.

Nigel and Don discuss the impact of flooding on their sports clubs, the learnings gained from increases in flood occurrences and successful funding applications to minimise the damage of sport-related assets.

Links related to this episode: We are providing some information relating to some of the external projects and support mentioned in this episode. Please remember to never put yourself at risk during a flooding event!

• Home - Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire
• Funding - Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire
• Courses & Workshops - Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire
• Home - Ledbury Rugby Club
• Evesham Bowling Club
• Flood alerts and warnings - GOV.UK (check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk)
• Worcestershire County Council Sustainability Support
• Herefordshire Council Climate Change Support
• Sport England Movement Fund
• Environmental sustainability | Buddle

Links related to this episode: We are providing some information relating to some of the projects, support centres and activities mentioned within the podcast. It is recommended that you check that the activities are still valid prior to attending. Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire

Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire | Healthy Ageing

Activity Finder - Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire (activehw.co.uk)

Find Walking Sports Activities in your location

Age UK Worcester, Malvern Hills & Hereford Localities

Age UK | Bromsgrove, Redditch & Wyre Forest Localities

Age UK | National Support and Services

Alzheimer's Society | Find Dementia Services and Support Near You

Ageing Better | Tackling Inequalities in Ageing

In this episode, Rich Hurst speaks with the Health and Wellbeing Team from Tenbury Surgery (Taurus Healthcare), in Tenbury Wells. In line with the national campaign of ‘Know your Numbers Week’ (2nd to 8th September 2024), the podcast delves into collective experiences working as a Senior Social Prescriber and Health and Wellbeing Coach, addressing community health needs by setting up a hypertension (high blood pressure) group. Throughout the podcast, the practitioners highlight successes and learnings, as the group sessions evolved.

Key Definitions:

Hypertension relates to high blood pressure. Persistent high blood pressure can lead to serious problems like heart attacks or strokes. But lifestyle changes and blood pressure medicines can help people experiencing this stay healthy.

Social prescribing is a key component of Universal Personalised Care. It is an approach that connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical, social and emotional needs that affect their health and wellbeing.

Project background and successes:

The hypertension group has been running for over 12 months. With three cohorts progressing through the six-week lifestyle intervention that has now become a core service offered in their locality. This programme is regarded as an example of best practice and other Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are looking to replicate the work. The Health and Wellbeing team were invited to present the project at The National Association of Link Workers Annual Conference and received fantastic feedback. Additional Support: If you are concerned about your health, would like to check your blood pressure, or need advice on lowering your blood pressure numbers, please seek medical advice from a healthcare professional or access the website links below. If you would like to speak with a social prescriber, either ask for an appointment at your GP or ask for a self-referral form at your practice reception.

Links related to this episode: https://www.activehw.co.uk/ High blood pressure - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Blood Pressure UK

What is social prescribing? | Healthwatch