 Welcome to the December Living Well newsletter. Read on for things you and your family can enjoy during the holidays. Learn about a scheme to help vulnerable people at risk of going missing, planning your journey home after a night out and the dangers of drink/drug driving. There’s also info about managing relationships and help for parents who are co-parenting, free health check opportunities for local businesses and more!
Our focus this month is on:
New Year’s Resolutions!
Meet the Living Well team at two events in January!
Make your New Year's resolution to improve your health and wellbeing! We can help you to stay motivated and stick to it too!
Meet the Living Well team and make your New Year’s resolution!
 The Living Well team will be holding two events in January to help people make (and stick to!) their New Year’s resolutions to improve health and wellbeing.
Look out for the pink and blue gazebo and come and say hello to our friendly team!
We will be offering free blood pressure checks, Carbon Monoxide checks for smokers and sharing info on a wide range of health topics including healthy eating, physical activity, alcohol, mental wellbeing, quitting smoking, long term conditions, family health and lots more!
10am – 2pm Tues January 7
Airedale Shopping Centre, Keighley
10am – 2pm Thurs January 9
Broadway Shopping Centre, Bradford
Scroll down to our focus on New Year’s resolutions for ideas of what you could do!
Ideas for outings you and your family can enjoy during the holidays!
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Don’t let the cold weather stop you getting out and enjoying the great outdoors! |
A cold but sunny winter day can do wonders for your physical and mental health. Bradford has lots of great parks, green spaces, areas of interest and beauty to explore which are just a short stroll, bus or train ride away.
Bradford Parks
Enjoy some of our amazing parks and greenspaces. Lots of them offer a wide range of facilities and also host activities and events.
Leeds to Liverpool Canal
The perfect place for a walk, wheel or cycle. You could visit the impressive Bingley Five Rise Locks and have a cuppa in the café! (Please note the section of towpath between Saltaire and Bingley will be closed from 21 Oct - 31 Dec).
Bingley St Ives Estate
A country park with woodlands, coppice pond, an excellent adventure playground and a café.
Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 1 - 24 December 2024
Local businesses, community buildings and homes illuminate colourful and creative window displays. This is one of Bradford’s best, FREE, activities to do with family and friends. Click here to download an online map or you can buy one from participating shops in Saltaire (BD18) or simply stroll up and down as many of the winding streets of Saltaire as much as you like, to “spot” all of the fabulous windows!
Find more ideas for things to do across Bradford district with our FREE 20 Minute Movement A to Z!
A whole alphabet of places to explore and things to do across the district!
Warm Spaces
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Across Bradford District there are Warm Spaces |
Warm Spaces are places where people can gather for free in a safe, friendly place and maybe enjoy a drink and some company.
The network of Warm Spaces is made up of libraries, community centres, church halls, sports clubs and other places. They are totally free to use and are open to everyone.
Click the button below to find your nearest Warm Space.
Helping vulnerable people at risk of going missing
 As part of their Missing Persons strategies, UK Police Forces are encouraging carers of vulnerable people who are a risk of going missing, to compile useful information about them.
This information can be recorded on a form provided by the Police and can save vital time in putting together a search and rescue plan in a missing persons event. It means life saving information can be available for the police at the touch of a button.
The Herbert Protocol is named after George Herbert, a decorated war veteran of the Normandy landings who was living with dementia. George continually went missing from his care home and the police would have to find him.
The protocol originally focused on people in care homes, but in 2015 it was extended to include people living in their own homes too.
Relationships Matter
 Arguments with loved ones are part of life, but when they become frequent, intense, or unresolved, they can deeply impact our emotional wellbeing and all areas of our lives.
Do you recognise any of these signs?
- Are you arguing, having rows, shouting all the time with each other about things like, money, how you parent or housework?
- Are you worried about splitting up?
- Is there sulking, silent treatment, slamming doors or walking away from each other?
- Are you anxious or worried and is this getting in the way of managing everyday life?
- Are you not able to say sorry after an argument and move on?
- Are you using hurtful texts, emails or social media against each other?
If these sound familiar, you may find it helpful to visit the Relationships Matter website for information, links to support and short films you may find useful. They also offer the following free online courses:
- Arguing Better – for improved communication.
- Me, You and Baby Too – for new and expectant parents.
- Getting it Right for the Children – to help separating parents manage conflict and reduce its impact on children.
Separating better
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Help for parents who are co-parenting with a groundbreaking mobile app! |
Separating better is a mobile app designed by a team of experts, developed to support parents navigating the challenges of separation. This child-centric app provides essential guidance on co-parenting and managing disagreements. It has been designed with the wellbeing of the family in mind.
Click here to watch a practical step-by-step animation video to see how to use the app’s various features.
Planning your journey home after a festive night out
 The festive season is now here and that can mean lots of nights out and catch ups with friends, family and loved ones. But if you’re likely to be drinking alcohol, then don’t forget to plan how you will get home safely.
The effect of alcohol varies with your size, age, stress levels and what you’ve eaten, but even very small quantities slow your reactions and affect how you judge speed and distance, putting the driver their passengers other road-users and pedestrians at risk of injury or death.
There is no safe amount of alcohol that you can drink if you know that you’re going to be driving, so the best advice is to leave the car at home and make other arrangements. This might include organising a designated driver (who won’t drink any alcohol), booking a taxi or making use of public transport.
If you’ve had a “big” night out, there may still be high levels of alcohol in your system the next day. The morning after calculator can give you a rough idea of how long it will take for the amount of alcohol you drank to leave your system.
Young men are over-represented in drink-drive casualties; in a survey carried out by THINK! (the government’s UK initiative for road safety campaigning), 50% of young male drivers say they intend to be sensible but often get carried away when socialising, putting themselves and others at risk. To tackle this, THINK! is launching a new winter campaign to highlight the consequences of having even a few drinks before driving.
If you are out celebrating for Christmas this year, please consider the risks to yourself and others that choosing to drive whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs might have.
West Yorkshire Police’s Drink/Drug Drive campaign this year focuses on some of the reasons that people give to try and justify why they drove under the influence.
For more information about alcohol, including advice and support to help you make better choices about drinking visit DrinkCoach
Promote your activity/group to people in Bradford district – for free!
 Do you take part in an activity or run a group that gets people moving more?
Do you currently just use a flyer, poster or word of mouth to tell others about what you do? There’s an easy way to advertise your sessions and facilities to a much wider audience, with our online physical activity finder for free!
We are looking for all groups (and especially those for people aged over 50 years) in Bradford district to add their activities to the physical activity online finder and we can help you to do this!
Try the finder and search for activities by clicking the pink button below.
A limited number of Love2Shop vouchers are available for groups who add their activities for over 50s to the finder. To find out more please email: clare.smith2@bradford.gov.uk
Free health check opportunities for local businesses!
 As part of a pilot scheme, a number of GP practices may be able to provide a free health check event, to help employees stay well in their workplaces in Bradford district.
There will be two types of checks available, a full NHS check for those eligible (sometimes this includes checking bloods) or a slightly quicker, cardiovascular check. No health data will ever be shared with employers, and minimum employee information is required before attendance (not health information).
How can this help businesses?
- Helps keep employees well.
- Shows employees that you value them.
- Offers the convenience of a check at work.
- Trusted health professionals leading the checks.
If you are a medium to large size business in Bradford district and have 25/30 employees who would be willing to attend a free health check, please click the button below to send an email and find out about availability.
Focus on: New Year’s Resolutions!
Making a resolution and sticking to it takes planning, so it’s a good idea to think about what you would like to do before January comes around so that you are prepared and motivated to achieve your goals!
Smoking: You CAN quit! We CAN help!
 If you’re a smoker living in Bradford district, we can help you to quit for good.
Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health and your finances too! The average price of a packet of cigarettes is £15.84, which means smokers who buy three to four packets each week could save around £3,000 a year by quitting.
Quitting is hard - we get it. But with our FREE service you are 3 times more likely to quit for good. Our expert advisors will work with you to develop a quit plan especially for you, that works for you.
Our advisors can offer 1:1 behavioural support along with Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to help you manage cravings. We can now also offer completely FREE 12 week vaping kits too. They will motivate and encourage you every step of the way to finally become smoke free.
Call the Living Well Stop Smoking Service on 01274 437700 or email: stopsmokingservice@bradford.gov.uk
Alcohol: Changing your drinking habits
 If you want to break drinking habits in the new year, join the DrinkCoach Challenge!
Choose from three challenges to help motivate you to make positive changes to your drinking and health during January. Whether you want to reduce the number of days you drink, cut down on your weekly units, or avoid drinking alone, there’s a challenge for you.
DrinkCoach Challenges:
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Glass Half Full
Cut your units, calories, and spending in half by pouring half measures.
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Wine-Free Weekdays
Commit to two or more alcohol-free weekdays (we suggest Tuesdays and Wednesdays). This will help you break daily habits and reduce your weekly units.
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Social Sips
Enjoy alcohol only when you’re out socially. Avoid drinking alone to improve your mental health and mood.
Physical Activity: Move more and be more active!
 As the colder weather arrives and days shorten, we feel less like getting out and about and more like hibernating!
However, physical activity is one of the most effective ways to become (and stay) healthy. It can improve your mental and physical health and can be done by pretty much anyone. It can help to relieve stress, help you to sleep better and generally feel better overall.
The 20 Minute Movement is about making a promise to yourself to be active every day. Government guidelines tell us that adults should do at least 150 mins of moderate intensity activity every week, so we’ve broken it down, into easily achievable 20 minute chunks!
You can do it all at once, or in 5 minute chunks. You could do 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening and you can do it inside or outside. You don’t need to join a gym or buy fancy trainers to join the 20 Minute Movement, it's about making a promise to yourself to do something to be active every day.
Ready to get started?
- Dance while you do housework
- Explore your local area – find a street you haven’t walked down before
- Take the kids to the park for a game of tig!
- Walk the long way to the shop
- Try an online workout or exercise video on YouTube
JU:MP Activity Swapper
Would you like to encourage your children and young people to reduce their screen time? Try JU:MP’s Activity Swapper for some fun ideas.
Eating Well: Making easy healthy food swaps
 In the winter months it can feel harder to stick to healthy lifestyle advice, like eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, limiting carbs and sugary or fatty snacks. But there are lots of easy healthy food swaps you can make that can help you to look after your wellbeing (and heart health) throughout the day.
Easy food swaps
Snacks and treats
Delicious healthy recipes
Take a look at the British Heart Foundation’s Festive Food Swaps interactive quiz to find some healthy alternatives for some typical festive treats.
Mental Health & Wellbeing: Finding support and information
 The Healthy Minds website is your first step to mental health support in Bradford district and Craven.
Use the ‘Support finder’ to help you find the right services, find mental health support across the district, and get practical mental health tips and advice. It includes over 250 support services and activities, ranging from helplines and one-to-one counselling to peer support and walking groups.
Advice, support and self-care tips in Bradford district
If you need support during the winter months, this booklet can help. It's packed with useful information, tips and contacts and it's all in one place.
It covers mental health, support for carers, isolation and loneliness, domestic abuse and sexual violence, food and fuel poverty, finances and bills, benefits and jobs, housing, volunteering, winter wellbeing
Community Events, Groups, Courses & Information
JogOn CampaignMore dates added for free Active Bystander Training
West Yorkshire Police are offering more free training sessions for anyone interested in learning how to become an effective bystander. The courses are 2.5 hours long and will teach you practical skills so that you can intervene and support others if you notice that they are in need.
The sessions are available to anyone interested in learning about how to be an effective bystander, teaching you practical skills to intervene and support others when you notice that they are in need. Don't miss this opportunity to make a positive impact in your community or workplace!
Friday January 10 at 10am
Book a place
Wednesday January 22 at 6pm
Book a place
This training also supports the JogOn campaign in Bradford, designed to eliminate the harassment of female runners and joggers. If you are involved in, or deliver, physical activities or sports sessions in the Bradford district, then this training in highly recommended.
Community Health & Development Team Update
Following Islamophobia Awareness Month, an event supported by the Council of Mosques, November saw several of Bradford district’s mosques opening their doors to people of all faiths (or none) to help them learn about the Islamic faith – Living Well received a couple of really positive stories about open day events that were held.
 mam Abubakar, serving Imam at Masjid Al-Furqaan in Shipley, hosted an open day welcoming people into their mosque. They were delighted to also be joined by representatives from West Yorkshire Police, MPs, and local councillors.
The goal of the event was to break down barriers and foster a deeper connection with their community. It provided an opportunity to share stories, highlight the activities that take place within the mosque, and invite the public to feel like a part of their community.
Initiatives like this are vital for promoting understanding and harmony and Imam Abubakar hopes that events like these continue to strengthen the bonds within and across our diverse communities, helping us all to live together peacefully.
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