Lets build our local into the community resource for all.
DCIH stands for Digital Community Immuno-Nutrition Hub. The project aims to transform a ‘local’ pub, the Wheatsheaf known as the “Wheaty”, into an innovative digitally supported community hub, that mobilises community resources; pub patrons, the Post Office, and others to support vulnerable, shielded adults and people at risk of acute loneliness in our communities. This seeks to provide a level of community-based care, well-being, and support, with the vision to become a sustainable community-based organisation supported by the community, both digitally and physically.
Our long-term objective is to revitalise community spaces, such as the local pubs, in the post COVID19 era by incorporating safe physical spaces for people to gather in small and medium sized locals and community pubs, utilising social distancing, UV lighting and other cleansing strategies to ensure that COVID health requirements are adhered to.
Through the digital aspect of the model people who are required to isolate or who are self-isolating will have social contact, a network of concerned community members, opportunities to engage with people on a regular basis through routine online social activities managed by the Wheatsheaf team and network of volunteers, through Facebook and other suitable technologies.
Together with the Wheaty, the local Post Office is another community space, whose relationship with local customers means that some of the most vulnerable can be readily identified, as well as through engaging with existing community support structures. Vulnerable people will also have access to a 24/7 support structure, through a duty officer outside of opening hours, using an alert system. Through their contact with the pub and the Post Office they will be encouraged to self-register as needing support.
Both community venues will promote an immuno-nutritional ethos, as a preventative tool to limit the risks of contracting COVID-19 and similar viruses/diseases. This will include the introduction of a well-being box, including foodstuffs, approved by a local expert, to promote good nutrition and boost immunity. In the pilot phase the well-being box would be distributed to 50 vulnerable people on 10 occasions so that the benefits can be monitored over time. This will be supplemented by digital expert advice on enhancing nutrition.
The use of on-line activities is aimed at building a digital “local” which seeks to make the facility sympathetic to people in the community living with disabilities, vulnerabilities and those at serious risk of contracting COVID19, who might be prevented from face to face social engagements. Virtual activities such online quizzes, coffee mornings, bridge sessions, bingo, non-gambling based activities, ‘happy hour’, children’s hour, will provide support to vulnerable, elderly, shielded and disabled members of the community.
The Wheaty patrons have over the years demonstrated their support for charitable activities, having raised more than £40k for different charities over the past 5 years. For example, in 2019 The Wheaty patrons raised £13500 for the Lullaby Trust by a series of activities including a 100 km walk over 24 hours. The pub was national quarter finalist for Best Community Pub 2017; Best Business in Community 2017 and a quarter finalist in the British Innkeepers Institute award 2018. The pub community will financially support the project as part of future fund-raising, as well as engaging practical contributions of volunteers.
(DCIH) is a community project managed by the Institute of Community Safety (registered Charity (No 1092148). All funding sought from this exercise will be used to support the design and delivery of the boxes to vulnerable people in the community and small prizes for promoting online social activity ‘footfall’. The ICS team will continue to develop the support structures to maintain the intervention post initial funding, through sponsorship and other activities in the physical space. The team aims to create a replicable model for other local and community venues across the UK and will create open-source resources for replication sites.
We have the following partners on board:
The Wheaty: http://www.wheatsheafewell.co.uk/
Institute of Community Safety https://icsinstitute.org/
Digital solutions for people in 3rd Age Project – Digital skills for elderly users (see: http://digital-3rd-age.eu/)
DICE Consortium (www.diceconsortium.com)
Ewell Village Residents Association: https://ewellresidents.org.uk/
Nutritional Insight: https://www.nutritional-insight.co.uk/
Suzero - innovative low sugar bars (https://www.suzero.co.uk/