The World Café session will feature various community initiatives from the Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland areas which have focused on working with the ‘place’ agenda and provide background on their community development, planning and delivery.  

 

Table 1 - Tesco Youth Hub (Derek Bain from Police Scotland)  

The multi-activity Mastrick Youth Hub in Aberdeen is thought to be Scotland’s first Outdoor Youth Club. Situated in the car park of Tesco Aberdeen Woodend, the session is run in partnership with the supermarket itself, Denis Law Legacy Trust and its Streetsport programme, Police Scotland, Aberdeen City Council and Developing the Young Workforce.    

The project was originally set up to address anti-social behaviour in the area. Young people and partners have come together to plan and deliver activities. Since the project’s inception, reported anti-social behaviour has plummeted with the area feeling safer for those working, living and visiting. A mural produced by some of the young people attending, has attracted positive attention from the local community and store users, and enabled 5 young people to gain their first Saltire Volunteering Award for their contribution to improving the local area to the benefit of themselves and their friends.    

 

Table 2 - Greyhope Bay (Carole Monnier from Greyhope Bay)   

Greyhope Bay is a charitable organisation based in Aberdeen, offering dolphin watching from the café and community space at Torry Battery.   

 Some activities at Greyhope Bay:   

•  Every second Sunday, Greyhope Bay run beach cleans for up to 60 volunteers. The University of Aberdeen is involved in these and carry out valuable research at the same time.    

• At the community coffee mornings, locals can get a cup of coffee for £1, plus engage in interesting discussions on all things Torry and marine life.    
• Aberdeen College and Greyhope Bay have partnered to deliver the college’s apprenticeship scheme.    

 Greyhope Bay makes the most of the natural environment of Torry while affording the local community an excellent resource for relaxation, volunteering and learning.   

 

Table 3 - Ashgrove Connects (Alan McKay from Aberdeen City Council) 

Ashgrove Connects is a new Aberdeen City Council project to get local people involved in making Ashgrove Road and Ashgrove Road West work better for those who live, work, study and visit there.   

This is being progressed by Aberdeen City Council and Nestrans as part of a programme of improvements across the city that will help provide everyone with more sustainable transport and lifestyle options.  

The project presents an opportunity for the local communities surrounding Ashgrove Road and Ashgrove Road West to benefit further from these changes by investigating what improvements could and should be made to their streets and public spaces.    

 A key part of Ashgrove Connects will be working directly with residents, businesses, pupils, students, and stakeholders to improve the street and public spaces whether people walk, cycle, wheel, use public transport or drive.  

 

Table 4 – Braemar Care Initiative (Aileen Lawrence and Susie Farquharson from Braemar Care) 

The Braemar Care Initiative is a not-for-profit Care in the Community Provider which was developed after it was identified as a need from a community action planning exercise around 2016. Access to care services had been restricted due to a number of difficulties involving local recruitment/retention of carers, access during adverse weather conditions and a desire by the community to create a more community focused service. Particularly for vulnerable older, disabled people and those with special needs in Braemar an effective service provided closer to home, with their needs in mind and providing local employment opportunities, in partnership with Health & Social Care, is now proving to be an effective means of support and delivery. 

 

Table 5 - Huntly Place Planning/Creating a Place that supports a ‘Right to Roam’ (Dawn Tuckwood from Huntly Town Team) 

A brief overview of the work of Huntly District Development Trust and their involvement in the development of the Right to Roam Strategic Plan developed for the Huntly and surrounding areas. The session will also include the community engagement carried out in partnership with Ice Cream Architecture and the Huntly Town Team to produce a Place Plan for Huntly. A whole series of actions are also being developed around economic development, green travel, health and wellbeing, the environment, employment and planning for the future.  

 

Table 6 - Community Planning in Buchan – Poverty & Inequalities (Steph Swales from Aberdeenshire Council) 

A focus on the work that has been carried out in North Aberdeenshire, working in partnership to respond to the emerging community needs during COVID and present developing issues. This will include details of the initiatives that have been developed to respond the needs of funds, food/fuel, housing, employment and those identified through community consultation.  

The Buchan Community Planning Partnership has developed the Buchan Community Plan, a clear and ambitious vision for this area which focuses community planning on a number of local priorities up to 2025. It is a ‘living’ document and therefore will have the ability to adapt and evolve in line with new and emerging needs. 

As Aberdeenshire is such a wide geographical area, 6 Community Plans have been developed which also cover the areas of Formartine, Banff & Buchan, Garioch, Kincardine & Mearns and Marr. These take account of the unique circumstances of each area and the priorities of their communities. However, working together on overarching priority themes such as through the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan is also necessary to ensure we are developing effective and efficient responses. 

 

Table 7 - Moray Community Planning - Forres and Speyside (Martin Robertson from Moray Council)

Examples of community development and community engagement within the Forres and Speyside localities. 

 

Table 8 - Moray Wellbeing Hub (Heidi Tweedie and Aimee Wright from MWH) 

Find out about Moray Wellbeing Hub as a social movement for positive change across the Moray locality. 

Learn about CHIME framework for mental health recovery and how this can empower community members as active citizens to use lived experience. 

This will include information about discover pathways to wellbeing and our newly launched wellness college gym for the mind. 

  

Table 9 - Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 and Think Health Think Nature (Dan Jenkins and Ailsa Villegas) 

Heritage Horizons is empowering people who live, visit and work in the UK’s largest national park to tackle the climate and nature crises.  

Inspired by the Gaelic word Dùthchas – meaning the deep-rooted connection between people and nature – Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 is putting the power to tackle the climate and nature crises in the hands of people who live, visit and work in the UK’s largest national park.  

The programme will put local people at the heart of decision-making; work with land managers to restore and enhance landscapes; make getting around the Park easier, safer and greener; and foster healthier, happier communities with wellbeing at their heart. Heritage Horizons is an unprecedented partnership of over 45 organisations and is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.  

It is easy to feel powerless in the face of a global climate emergency and nature crisis. But we believe it doesn’t have to be this way. Inspired by the Gaelic word Dùthchas – meaning the deep-rooted connection between people and nature – Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 is putting the power to tackle the climate and nature crises in the hands of people who live, visit and work in the UK’s largest national park.  

Across 24 long-term projects, Heritage Horizons will bring about transformational change in the Cairngorms, benefitting people’s health and wellbeing, delivering on climate change and enhancing nature across the National Park. The programme is on a larger scale than anything previously attempted in the UK and aims to inspire rural and urban communities throughout Scotland and beyond to take action and make a difference.  

In particular, Heritage Horizons will focus on:  

• Putting local people at the heart of decision-making and giving them more say in future funding decisions. 
• Working with land managers to explore new ways of managing land, as well as restoring and enhancing large areas of peatland and woodland. 
• Working with communities and partners to improve public transport and better connect the Park. 
• Developing an economy that benefits people and nature and providing green solutions to public health issues including Covid recovery, social isolation and dementia. 

Heritage Horizons is an unprecedented partnership of over 45 organisations and is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to players of the National Lottery.  

For information around the Public Health and the Outdoors strand of Cairngorms 2030, and the work on nature prescriptions. 

 

Think Health Think Nature 

Think Health Think Nature is a programme of work delivered by the Highland Green Health Partnership which is chaired by NHS Highland. It is one of four initiatives in Scotland stemming from Our Natural Health Service which aims to show how Scotland’s natural environment is a resource that can be used to help tackle some of our key health issues.  Our vision involves providing opportunities and building on existing resources that can support individuals and communities throughout the Highlands with improvements to their health and wellbeing, through engaging with the natural environment around them. The work is coordinated by Ailsa Villegas, the Senior Development Officer for Green Health within the NHS Highland Public Health team.   

  

Table 10 - Branching Out (Simon Whitworth from Aberdeen City Council) 

A joint initiative by the NHS and Land & Forestry Scotland, Branching Out is helping people with mental health issues to connect with nature, giving them a chance to unwind in a friendly and relaxed outdoors situation. 

In Aberdeen, the City Councils Countryside Ranger Service runs Branching Out programs based at the Grove in Hazlehead. A small, wooded area serves as a base for the Branching Out attenders, who engage in many outdoor activities including outdoor cooking, tree planting and natural art. At the end of each twelve week program attenders experience higher levels of self esteem and confidence, and the Rangers always see a positive improvement in communication and social ability between members of the group. 

Find out more about Branching Out.  

 

Display Areas and Break Time Presentations: 

We will also have representatives from the following local organisations exhibiting their projects.  

 

Nestrans (Paul Finch) 

Nestrans is the regional transport partnership for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, with a vision to provide a safer, cleaner more inclusive, accessible and resilient transport system in the north east, which protects the natural and built environment, and contributes to healthier, more prosperous and fairer communities.  For communities and organisations, Nestrans can assist with sustainable travel initiatives, including grants and loans of cargo bikes. Nestrans’ partnership work includes the Health and Transport Action Plan, which sees joint working with the NHS and Health and Social Care Partnerships to promote access to health and social care, and also address the issues between transport and public health. Nestrans is also a partner in GetAbout, a joint partnership project across north east organisations who are striving to create a sustainable transport system and greater choices in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. 

 

Public Health Scotland (Anna Gale) 

 

Grampian Hospitals Art Trust (Sally Thomson) 

GHAT arose from the simple idea that improving the hospital environment by displaying art made everyone who spent time in the buildings feel better. GHAT work highlights culture as a central component of wellbeing and is a sector leader in developing bespoke creative projects for people visiting, working or utilising the services within hospitals and healthcare. 

http://www.ghat-art.org.uk   

 

Geronimo Project (Lindsay Dawson) 

ACC Creative Learning Team deliver the arts based Geronimo initiative across Aberdeen. The Geronimo approach supports families experiencing a range of challenges and hardships, offering quality time out together by allowing freedom for child-led risk taking, learning and creative play. The low resource activities delivered through Geronimo removes barriers, increasing confidence and resilience, strengthening family relationships and inspiring families to continue to find creative moments to play together each day. 

Published: 27/09/2022 12:14