TWO years after Whitehill and Bordon was selected as one of 10 towns in the country to have the status of “healthy”, East Hampshire District Council has assessed its wellbeing to date.

Bordon is part of NHS England’s national pilot scheme, and is considered a so-called Healthy New Town.

The district council said the aim was to put the foundations in place to help residents live “healthier, more active and independent lives”.

The council has been leading the Healthy New Town programme in partnership with a wide range of public-sector, private-sector and voluntary organisations, including the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company (which is developing large parts of the town), Hampshire County Council, Radian housing group, the Winchester-based charity Energise Me (see page 26), NHS England and Community First.

The focus has been on “benefiting all residents of the town and not just people from the new developments”.

This week the district council said the Healthy New Town partners wanted to share the success of the programme so far as it “continues to transform the town into one of the healthiest in the area”.

“Radian has launched a Food Academy at Cafe 1759 (at the Quebec Park housing development), which teaches youngsters how to cook healthy, nutritious meals from scratch while on a budget,” the council explained.

“More than 100 residents attended the launch of the new pop-up community garden at the junction of Savile Crescent and Chalet Hill in July. Residents came together with local schools at the event to help reclaim the streets and green spaces for pedestrians and cyclists while creating a new local growing area for the community to enjoy.

“The district council has worked with Radian and the University of Portsmouth to produce two videos which show some of the technology that residents of all ages can use to improve and manage their mental and physical health and wellbeing.

“Around 129 pre-school children, aged three and above, have received balance bike training to teach them how to ride a pedal bike without stabilisers.

“Around 200 residents, including eight classes of students from four local schools, have taken part in interactive wayfinding workshops, whereby they explored the town and mapped out their experience – this will help the Healthy New Town partners to find ways to make getting around town easier, safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

“Cafe 1759, Radian’s new community cafe at Quebec Park (in Camp Road), offers a wide range of healthy food and drinks and provides a relaxing and social environment for residents to enjoy. In its first five weeks the cafe had more than 1,300 customers and sold almost 3,500 items.

“Cafe 1759 holds lots of events and local initiatives, including a Cops ‘n’ Coffee session, at which local people can come to chat to the police.

“The Hogmoor Inclosure Parkrun was launched in March 2018 and has an average of 170 runners each week with its biggest turnout being 284 runners.

“Scooter training will be offered in PE lessons in five Whitehill and Bordon schools to improve children’s confidence and safety in scooting and encourage families to travel actively to school together.

“In February 2018, the district council surveyed local people to find out about levels of loneliness and social isolation.

“The district council then carried out several in-depth interviews with residents who said they were lonely or socially isolated.

“The information will be used to shape projects that will combat social isolation.

“The surgery-signposting scheme, which takes place at Badgerswood Surgery (in Headley), has helped 34 people over the past year.

“The scheme was launched in Whitehill and Bordon in April 2017 and sees trained volunteers offer residents one-to-one support with their mental and physical health and wellbeing.

“Staff from the Havant and East Hampshire Mind Social Crisis Pilot (HEH Mind) worked at Pinehill Surgery to deliver on-site mental-health support and practical help to tackle social issues. The coordinated work helped 88 patients and reduced GP attendance by 42 per cent on average.

“A total of 208 families took part in surveys to find out what makes it difficult to be active in the town.

“Several families then took part in some in-depth interviews to find out more. This work has shaped current and future initiatives in the Healthy New Town programme.

“The Runnyhoneys started a Couch to 5k running group. In the past year, it has helped 66 people who were not running before to run 5k. Following this success, the Runnyhoneys set up a running group in the town which has grown to 114 active members in just 14 months and offers weekly runs.

“Three temporary Park and Stride schemes have been introduced to the town which encourage parents and children to park their car in one of the designated car parks and walk at least the last five minutes to school.

“Making Every Contact Count has been rolled out in Whitehill and Bordon.

“This training gives people who work in the community the skills to have conversations with residents about their lifestyle choices.”

Other highlights included Healthy New Town partners influencing the planning application for the new town centre to make it more accessible for people of all abilities.

The Hogmoor Inclosure is also being further transformed into a fun and accessible space which is said to be “dementia friendly”.

There are currently seven so-called “safe places” in the town - somewhere vulnerable people can go if they feel “anxious or intimidated while out and about”.

Last year, more than 100 people attended the Spring into Health Festival - the aim of the event was to promote sports clubs and general health and wellbeing.

Ferris Cowper, the district council’s portfolio holder for Whitehill and Bordon, said: “The highlights speak for themselves. Ensuring Whitehill and Bordon is one of the healthiest towns in the area has been, and continues to be, a major success.

“A lot of work and considerable effort has gone into making the town as healthy as it possibly can be and I think residents are really starting to see and feel the results.

“There is still work to be done but we hope that residents feel they are starting to have everything in place to live a healthy and active lifestyle and are proud to live in a town that promotes this in the way Whitehill and Bordon does.”