Bath & North East Somerset Council has launched the next stage of its Liveable Neighbourhoods project to help make communities healthier - and it wants to hear people’s views. As part of the council’s commitment to giving people a bigger say and putting them at the heart of decision-making, the council is inviting residents, businesses and organisations to co-design the schemes and help improve their environments to create healthier communities. Over the next three weeks people can go onto a map-based page and pin their comments via www.bathnes.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods as well as taking part in a series of virtual and face-to-face events.
 
Liveable Neighbourhoods aim to give fairer access to residential neighbourhoods, creating healthier outdoor spaces for everyone to share, as well as vibrant local high streets where people want to spend time and money. By reducing the dominance of vehicles, cutting carbon emissions, improving air quality, enhancing road safety, creating more road space and promoting healthy lifestyles, Liveable Neighbourhoods can make it safer to move around actively. This will enable more people to make journeys on foot and over time, help will reduce car journeys to help cut congestion for those with no alternative but to travel by car. This is achieved through a range of measures such as vehicle restrictions, traffic calming, residents’ parking zones and electric vehicle charging.
 
B&NES Council want local people to have ownership of these projects and create the environment they want to live in. Every community is different and has its own needs, so it’s important a range of local people put forward their ideas to address the issues that affect them and work with us to develop tailored Liveable Neighbourhood schemes that work for their area. For more information please visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods. This initial engagement phase runs until 19^th December.

Residents across Bath and North East Somerset are being offered an easy way to make their home more energy efficient and support the council’s net zero carbon ambitions. Homeowners with a joint household income of less than £30,000 a year, or those receiving income related benefits, could be eligible to apply for grant funded energy efficiency improvements to their property. The home improvements could include solar panels, cavity wall, underfloor, or loft insulation.
 
The scheme is being promoted by Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Energy at Home service which provides information and signposting on energy related home improvements and grant and loan schemes. Homeowners can fill out an online application form to see if they are eligible. The homes need to have an energy certificate rating of D, E, F or G on the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Register. More information on the scheme and how to apply can be found here: www.energyathome.org.uk.

Families on low incomes struggling to pay their energy bills can now apply for a £250 grant from Bath & North East Somerset Council. The council is providing pre-paid debit cards to vulnerable families this winter to help them meet rocketing energy costs.
 
Applications should be made via the council’s website here or by contacting the Benefits team.  All applicants will need to provide evidence of their eligibility. Eligibility criteria can be found here.
 
Qualifying households will be entitled to one £250 payment in the form of a pre-paid debit card to pay for energy related bills including gas and electricity; topping up key-meters; purchasing other household fuels and paying for other energy related services such as boiler maintenance. The debit cards must be used by the scheme’s closing date of 31 March 2022.  Due to the limited funding available, once all funding is exhausted no further awards will be made.

The B&NES School Nursing Team have won the Nursing Times Nursing in the Community Award 2021 for their delivery of the Clinic in a Box service.
 
The judging panel particularly noted the work undertaken by the team during the pandemic, and how they’d devised a range of procedures to ensure that the most vulnerable young people could access help and support in a safe way despite Covid restrictions preventing the normal delivery of the service.
 
Congratulations to Sue, Viv and all the team on winning such a prestigious award.

Wellbeing Walk Leaders Wanted
Bathscape is a project working to restore and promote the countryside around Bath. We run the annual Bathscape Walking Festival as well as a year-round programme of walks. We’re looking for volunteers to help lead our weekly Wellbeing Walks. These are short walks of around an hour, aimed at people looking to get some gentle exercise and have a bit of company whilst out in the fresh air. They take place on Mon, Tue, Wed & Thu mornings. If you’re a sociable person who enjoys walking and has some free time mid-week, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.
 
We provide full training and can cover travel expenses. Volunteers wouldn’t be expected to lead a walk every week, but ideally we’d like to hear from people who can commit at least once a month. For more information please contact Julia Kennaby, Bathscape Volunteer Coordinator: info@bathscape.co.uk or 07967 466 807

Finding out your risk of Type 2 Diabetes only takes a few minutes. It could be the most important thing you do today.
By completing this tool https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start you may be eligible for our free Healthier You Diabetes Prevention Programme.
If you are a GP or health professional wanting to find out more about the Diabetes Prevention Programme, the courses available locally and how to refer please visit: Information for referrers in BSW
The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in B&NES, Swindon and Wiltshire is delivered by Xyla Health and Wellbeing.