We are The Community Wellness Company CIC.
We provide a people-centred method of delivering health and wellbeing. Our aim is to see people journey from just surviving to flourishing and thriving and we want to see everyone able to access the tools they need to thrive. We use community building as a way to create emotional and mental wellbeing.
- We especially want to see marginalised and excluded groups given the care they deserve.
- We treat everyone, no matter what their background, as individuals with strengths and potential.
- We want to provide an alternative to the current medical model.
- We want to change the narrative around mental health and the current model that looks to medicate human experiences.
This is done by using our unique, innovative, and proven delivery model. To deliver this, we have created a community centred, holistic model that looks to address everyone’s complete needs.
This model differs from the norm because:
- It involves people in their own care.
- It focuses on wellness rather than illness.
- It uses people’s strengths.
- It is delivered using existing community resources.
- It is people-led and people-focussed rather than service guided.
Our model builds on a wealth of research that someone’s mental and physical health is improved if they are listened to, if they have a sense of purpose and belonging, and if they are part of a community instead of being isolated.
Part of our model is to use partners to deliver wellness activities including storytelling, arts, therapy, trauma recovery, counselling, lifestyle coaching and nature-based pursuits.
One of our participants gave this powerful testimonial:
"Community Wellness saved my life.
I have belonging and purpose again.
It's teaching me important life skills and I'm then able to pass them on to those that need them too. When I had nowhere to go, I was at my rock bottom, my pit of despair. It's a lonely, dark and scary place. Community Wellness showed me that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I was heard, listened to and understood. A door opened up in my life which I always thought would be locked. Once that door opened, I found myself. I knew what I needed to do with my life. Helping those that have been in my situation and guiding them out of their pits of despair was what I was supposed to do.
I have the tools to do that today"
We have led a 12-month pilot of our programme in Shotton in 2022-2023, during which there were 600 attendances. This has shown that our model works, and that we can achieve results. The people involved in the pilot experienced social isolation, homelessness, mental health issues (both low-level and complex), substance abuse issues, learning disabilities, dementia, trauma and unemployment. The pilot showed improvements in community resilience, skills development, community feeling and better health. It also showed the benefits of taking a strengths-based approach and reduced loneliness and social isolation. 100% of the participants questioned said that attending Community Wellness had made significant improvements to the quality of their lives.