Local residents in the Landgate area had previously been reluctant to engage with services due to a lack of trust and limited opportunities to build relationships with professionals.
Feedback highlighted a range of local challenges, including health inequalities, fuel poverty, financial hardship, environmental concerns, difficulties accessing services and dissatisfaction with local neighbourhood spaces.
Rather than starting with a traditional engagement event, Be Well began with a community litter pick, bringing together residents and local stakeholders including the primary school, church, convenience store, dog groomers and public house.
This informal approach helped build relationships and led to the identification of a local community champion. Acting as a trusted link between residents and services, they encouraged participation, shared local insight and helped build trust. Through conversations, surveys and interviews, residents were able to share their priorities and the support they felt would benefit the community most.
In response, Be Well and the Family Hub worked together to organise a free Community Day. Services were selected based on resident feedback and included Green Doctor, Tom’s Pantry, Community Health Nurses, and Family Hub and Be Well support. By bringing services into a familiar community setting, support became more accessible and less intimidating.
The event attracted more than 170 attendees, a significant achievement in an area where previous community events has seen little or no attendance. Success was driven by consistent community presence, relationship-building and the involvement of local residents and organisations who championed the event.
One Community Health Nurse reflected: "A fantastic event. I managed to engage with residents and get ten referrals. The atmosphere was great and made it easy to break down barriers and have genuine health conversations."
The impact extended beyond the event itself. Stronger relationships were formed between residents, community organisations and services. A local group now meets regularly to organise neighbourhood litter picks, supported by equipment jointly provided by the Family Hub and Be Well. Resident feedback also led to greater involvement from environmental services, helping improve local green spaces.
The Community Day demonstrated how collaborative working can increase engagement, make better use of shared resources and help identify local champions and volunteers. It has also strengthened partnerships between organisations and provided valuable insight to shape future support across Be Well, Family Hubs and Primary Care Networks.
A more traditional approach may have focused on promoting services and hoping residents would attend. Instead, this relational approach started by building trust, listening deeply and working alongside the community. As a result, residents felt heard, services gained valuable insight, and stronger connections were created between people, organisations and the place they live.