Confidence Building Courses

We are coming to the end of the 4 week Confidence Building Courses being run by Building Healthy Communities (Machars) in partnership with Community Learning and Development and Employability & Skills.

This has been a successful set of courses at Whithorn, Newton Stewart and Stranraer with some 16 people taking part. The 4 week format is described below and there is an opportunity for the groups to have an additional “Catch up” in a few months time.

Building Your Confidence – Week 1

Activity	Description	Resources	Time
Introductions:	Make sure we all know names	Name game	5 - 10
Group guidelines	get group to set out guidelines	Flip chart + Dave’s guidelines	10
Course content	Outline each week	Course Outline sheet	5
What is confidence?	Describe. Good and not so good. Read out chart. DVD	DVD player DVD Confidence Chart	15 - 20
Feeling Good and what I want from the course	Complete worksheets and discuss	worksheets x2	15
Achievements, Strengths and Things you admire	This is about positive thinking. make lists	worksheet achievements	15
Roles in Life	list and feedback	worksheet, Flip chart and pen	10 – 15
Introduce home activity	bring in things which say something about you or mean a lot to you	none	5
recap and close

Building Your Confidence – Week 2

Activity	Description	Resources	Time
welcome back feedback from session 1			5 - 10
“Shoebox” carrier Bag	invite all to share their things about them	bring own bag.	15
Things that you can do	read through the positive statements. discuss.	POWERPOINT AND worksheet	60
Strengths, Achievements	Home activity	Worksheet

Building Your Confidence – Week 3

Recap strengths achievements things you value	All feedback		15
Goal setting: long term medium term short term	discuss why we start at long term and break down to bitesize pieces	powerpoint	30
Continue with goal setting: SMART goals: discuss	worksheet based setting own goals	worksheet “goal setting”	30 - 40
Recap and close		Homework: set and achieve 1 short term goal.	15

Building Your Confidence – Week 4

Recap goal setting 1 goal	All feedback		15
Confidence quiz	Website	Access to computers	15
Introduce Luke. Talk on how confidence and volunteering has affected life	Luke		15
Q and A	The group		15
Recap of course	powerpoint		15
Evaluation and close	Evaluation sheet		15

Monday Club

At this week’s Monday Club, 18 brave souls battled against the rain to attend the meeting. We were met with a warming cup of tea and an interesting Newsletter prepared by Esme which included a funny caption competition. After an introduction from Dave in which he asked the members to come up with some ideas for future meetings, 12 of the group settled to gentle exercise with Pam, which was thoroughly enjoyed.

We were then introduced to Morag Halliday from Age Scotland who gave an informative talk about the activities of her organisation and how Age Scotland could help the group in moving forward as well as letting people know about some excellent schemes that are available in Dumfries and Galloway. Many people took advantage of the leaflets and information that was available before venturing back out into the rain!

Access Art Isle of Whithorn

Wigtown Cancer Support

Taster session in Isle of Whithorn

9 members attended this weeks I.T support group, with Luke and Samantha. There where many issues covered this week from adding email address to their contact lists, how to set out labels, setting up mobile phone and many other issues covered.

After a successful 2 week taster session, the people in the isle of whithorn (and surrounding areas) were very interested in the group continuing in the near future.  

Monday Club

16 of us attended this week’s Monday Club, including 2 new members. After the usual cuppa and a catch up amongst the group, we were introduced to Vivien Green from Dumfries and Galloway “See Hear Project”

Vivien started off by telling us how the See Hear Project started in Dumfries and Galloway. She brought along all different types of gadgets, including a vibrating alarm clock that’s placed under your pillow and a flashing door knocker.

Visibility Dumfries and Galloway offers support for visual and hearing problems. They also offer technical and emotional support which includes 1:1 and group support. Since April 2013 they have held 8 information days throughout Dumfries and Galloway. 

Vivien talked to us about their new project starting in the next few weeks, a try before you buy service, as some of the equipment can be expensive to purchase initially. For more information please contact Dumfries and Galloway Office, See Hear Project, Nithbank, Dumfries, DG1 2SD, Telephone: 01387 267 131 or visit their website www.seehearvisibility.org.uk

Our next meeting will be on Monday 17^th February with a talk from the Age Scotland followed by exercise with Pam.

If you would like further information on the Monday Club, please contact Building Healthy Communities on 01988 501111

Isle of Whithorn

7 members attended our very first laptop session with Luke and Samantha at the Isle of Whithorn, Village Hall. Where we are working in partnership with Isle Futures, we would like to thank the Thursday Club members for inviting us to join them for a cup of coffee.

There where many issues covered in our first week such as attaching pictures to emails, how to download apps, broadband speed, downloading photos to social media sites.

Another session is on this week 6^th February. From13th February there will be a four week block of free art class provided by Access Art. Look out for more information coming soon.

Isle of Whithorn events

Jills of all Trades

The Jills in the last two weeks have been trying out the new “Toy” in the workshop. An electric tile cutter which allows for complicated cuts and corners. The results have been very good so far!!!

Confidence Building Course

Building Healthy Communities have been asked to set up and run a Confidence Building Course over the next 4 weeks. This is in conjunction with Community Learning and Development and Employability and Skills.

Courses are running in Newton Stewart, Whithorn and Stranraer.

If there is anyone interested in attending a similar course, then please contact the office. 

Carers' Health and Wellbeing Project

Seeking Carers for Free Health Checks

A new Putting You First project is trying to contact Carers in order to offer them free health checks so they can stay healthy and well for longer.  The Carers’ Health and Wellbeing Project covers the whole of Dumfries and Galloway.

Keep Well Nurse Joanne Hird (pictured above with colleague Keep Well Health Coach Janice Bannister) will carry out the health checks.  She said: “Carers are an invaluable resource and we recognise that their contribution means many people can live independently for longer.   We know many people carrying out a caring role don’t see themselves as Carers and these are the people we are looking for.

“Carers may overlook their own health and wellbeing because their focus is on the person they are caring for.  Our free health checks are designed to help keep Carers as well as possible to enable them to carry on in their caring role. 

“The health check is free and completely confidential.  We look at physical health and wellbeing needs including general health and lifestyle.  We can offer appointments at an arranged clinic or even in people’s own homes, whichever is most convenient. “

Keep Well Health Coach Janice Bannister added: “We want to ensure that Carers in the region know what support and services are available to help them continue to fulfil their very important roles.

“We take a person centred approach and offer professional advice suited to each person.  I’ll be able to provide information on coping strategies to help reduce anxiety or stress as well as offering advice to help people to improve their physical health through healthy eating, exercise and a range of other options.”

If you are, or know of, a Carer living in Dumfries and Galloway and you, or someone else would benefit from a free health check please contact Joanne or Janice by email at dumf-uhb.Keep-Well-Project@nhs.net or by phone on 01387 272 718.

Carers' Health and Wellbeing Project

Seeking Carers for Free Health Checks

A new Putting You First project is trying to contact Carers in order to offer them free health checks so they can stay healthy and well for longer.  The Carers’ Health and Wellbeing Project covers the whole of Dumfries and Galloway.

Keep Well Nurse Joanne Hird (pictured above with colleague Keep Well Health Coach Janice Bannister) will carry out the health checks.  She said: “Carers are an invaluable resource and we recognise that their contribution means many people can live independently for longer.   We know many people carrying out a caring role don’t see themselves as Carers and these are the people we are looking for.

“Carers may overlook their own health and wellbeing because their focus is on the person they are caring for.  Our free health checks are designed to help keep Carers as well as possible to enable them to carry on in their caring role. 

“The health check is free and completely confidential.  We look at physical health and wellbeing needs including general health and lifestyle.  We can offer appointments at an arranged clinic or even in people’s own homes, whichever is most convenient. “

Keep Well Health Coach Janice Bannister added: “We want to ensure that Carers in the region know what support and services are available to help them continue to fulfil their very important roles.

“We take a person centred approach and offer professional advice suited to each person.  I’ll be able to provide information on coping strategies to help reduce anxiety or stress as well as offering advice to help people to improve their physical health through healthy eating, exercise and a range of other options.”

If you are, or know of, a Carer living in Dumfries and Galloway and you, or someone else would benefit from a free health check please contact Joanne or Janice by email at dumf-uhb.Keep-Well-Project@nhs.net or by phone on 01387 272 718.

Laptop Heaven

8 people attended this week’s session with Luke and Dave at the Riverside Centre.

There were many ongoing issues were resolved this week. The issues covered this week included: Downloading kindle books, setting up and testing printers, social network privacy settings, introduction to the internet, copying and saving photos from device to device.

New members always welcome , contact the Riverside Centre on 01671 402010

Monday Club

18 of us attended this week’s Monday Club, including 1 new member and after a cuppa and a natter, we were introduced to Dave Groves from Building Healthy Communities (BHC) who was leading today’s session entitled “Winter Warmers and Chillin Chinese”

Dave started the session by preparing a large pot of warming parsnip soup from scratch (ably assisted by Luke, BHC Volunteer) and whilst this was bubbling away on the stove, introduced the concept of cooking on a budget and not wasting food by demonstrating how to use all parts of a chicken, without waste. He did this by showing the group the best way to de-bone a whole chicken, using the breasts and thighs for a quick Chinese meal, freezing the drumsticks and wings for later use and suggesting boiling the carcass to use as stock and any remaining chicken taken off the bones. This could be used for soup or could be fed to your pets. Thus getting real value!!

The parsnip soup was now ready and was served to all and proved to be very tasty!!

Some of us were then invited to cook 2 very quick Chinese style meals, Lemon Chilli Chicken and Chilli Chicken with Noodles. These were all tasted by the group and although having a bit of a kick, were well appreciated. Recipes for various warming soups were handed out as well as the recipes for the Chinese meals.

The session concluded with 9 members expressing an interest in a course of Healthy Cooking which would help them with their specific diets and would be delivered by the Let’s Cook Project, from the Wigtownshire Health Improvement Team.

Our next meeting will on Monday 3^rd February with a talk from the D & G See Hear Project followed by exercise with Pam.

If you would like further information on the Monday Club, please contact BHC on 01988 501111 

Monday Club 3 Month Programme of Activities

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