New Year Message from the Leader of the District Council

I hope you're all having a wonderful start to the New Year.

This is a time when many of us reflect on ways to boost our health and wellbeing, and so I'm pleased to tell you that we're bringing back our popular 'Feel-Good Friday' Farmers' Market. The market will take place in East Street, Chichester, on Friday 16 January from 9am until 2pm. Alongside our regular traders, who will be offering fresh local produce and artisan goods, we'll be joined by a range of partners who can help you improve your health and fitness, including our own health and wellbeing team.

Our dedicated Health and Wellbeing Advisors are able to help with a wide range of topics. This free, friendly and confidential service provides advice and support to help people become more active, manage their weight, eat healthily, and deal with stress.

If you're trying to stop smoking, our advisors also provide a free one-to-one confidential service for 12 weeks. These sessions can be face-to-face or over the phone, depending on which is more suitable for the individual. The team can also help people access free Nicotine Replacement Therapy, if this is required.

Our Alcohol Wellbeing Advisors can support residents who want to reduce their alcohol intake. If you feel you might be drinking more than you'd like, it can be hard to know where to find the right support. Our advisors work with people to create a realistic, manageable plan that's tailored to their needs.

If you're keen to become more active, our Wellbeing team also run free Heartsmart Walks and a 'walking with poles' course. 'Walking with poles' is led by a qualified walking instructor and is perfect for anyone who's doing less than the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week. In addition, we work in partnership with local instructors, Everyone Active and Thrive gym in Selsey, to offer a free 10-week course tailored for people looking to get back into exercise. If you'd like to find out how our Wellbeing team can support you or someone you care about, please visit Chichester Wellbeing's website.

Everyone Active manages our three district leisure centres — located in Southbourne, Chichester and Midhurst —all of which offer first-class facilities. These include state-of-the-art fitness equipment, squash courts, sports halls, more than 80 different classes. The Chichester centre also has a swimming pool and toddler splash pad. To find out more about the activities they offer, visit our Chichester District Council 'leisure centres' page.

If you're looking to take up a new sport, our Sport & Leisure team have created a comprehensive directory of the district's sports clubs, and how to contact them, which you can find on our website.

There are times when we face challenges that aren't strictly medical but still have a serious impact on our health and wellbeing. Our Social Prescribing Team is here to listen and work with you to plan the next step forward. Whether someone is worried about housing or financial pressures, caring for a loved one, managing a long-term health condition, or simply wants to feel more connected to their community, it's worth getting in touch by visiting: socialprescribers@chichester.gov.uk. The team spends time with clients, working with them to get to the root cause and helping them to find long-term solutions.

We also offer a similar service for young people aged 13 to 25, introduced in response to the impact of the pandemic. It supports young people who may feel lonely, lack confidence, or want to build stronger connections. Appointments are available in person, online, or by phone. Together, the social prescriber and young person create a personalised plan and explore activities, events, and organisations that can help them feel better. You can find out more about this on the Chichester Youth Connections page.

Whatever your goals, we're here to help you take that next step toward better wellbeing.

Best wishes

Cllr Adrian Moss

Leader of Chichester District Council