AFC Bournemouth, in partnership with Wessex Cancer Trust, will be holding a monthly MENTalk group at the football club to support local men living with cancer.  
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The initiative will launch at Vitality Stadium on Thursday 7th November. Men of any age, who either have cancer themselves or are supporting someone through it, can visit the club, enjoy a stadium tour and find out more. The group will meet on the first Thursday of the month between 7.00 and 8.30pm starting on 5th December.

MENTalk enables men to come together to share knowledge and experiences whilst supporting each other. They will also be able to learn skills to help them deal with stress and adjust to their changing situation.  Additionally, it will provide a safe place to talk openly about feelings and fears. It will be led by a trained facilitator and attended by cancer specialists.  Wessex Cancer Trust already runs well-attended MENTalk groups at its Support Centres in Cosham and Waterside, Hythe.         
Steve Cuss, the Head of AFC Bournemouth’s Community Sports Trust, said:

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Wessex Cancer Trust. We are fully aware through community engagement and our fanbase how cancer affects so many people. The opportunity to support through the MENTalk group is one that we are looking forward to, and welcoming to Vitality Stadium.”

Colette Cowan, Wessex Cancer Trust’s Head of Service Delivery said the launch of the new MENTalk group will address a specific need in Bournemouth:    

“Wessex Cancer Trust is a charity set up specifically to provide emotional and practical support to anyone living with cancer in the Wessex region, but men make up just 22% of clients accessing our support services. This is despite them being 16% more likely to receive a cancer diagnosis and 40% more likely to die from the disease.   This year, in partnership with the Wessex Public Health Community Fellowship, we commissioned an assessment into why men living with cancer might not be seeking support as readily.  We found that men diagnosed with cancer were mainly concerned with their own prognosis and how their family would cope. The main barriers to them seeking support were a lack of awareness of the support services available, a lack of time and the perception that they did not need help or that seeking support would be uncomfortable for them.   Cancer will affect half of us in our lifetime and we’re delighted that AFC Bournemouth will be encouraging men to access support as part of its healthcare education in the local community, and we’re sure it will make a big difference to any man having to live with a cancer diagnosis.”

Anyone who would like to attend the launch or find out more about MENTalk can contact Wessex Cancer Trust’s Bournemouth Cancer Support Centre on 01202 315 824 or email Bournemouth.centre@wessexcancer.org.uk    

Community Funding - Round 4 is now open

The Dorset Community Impact fund (round 4) aims to support community organisations and charities to deliver services that improve the lives and wellbeing of people in the Dorset Council area. 

Projects supported will target those whose needs are greatest and support the council's ambition of reducing demand for its services through connecting people to the right help, support and early intervention. 

Local community groups can apply for grants of up to £6,000 and micro grants (up to £1,000) are also available via the Micro grants pot. Applicants must demonstrate how their project would help achieve the council's priorities for improving the lives of local people.

For more information, including how to apply and information on deadlines for both main and micro grant applications, can be found on the Dorset Council website. 

We would like to invite you to join us at one of the free events below to discuss our plans for the future of health and care in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight:
 

• Basingstoke: 8th October, 4pm-7pm at The Ark Centre, Dinwoodie Drive RG24 9NN
• Cowes: 10th October, 4pm-7pm at The Sugar Store Events Centre, Medina Road PO31 7HT
• Southampton: 14th October, 4pm-7pm at The Atrium, Solent University SO14 0YN
• Portsmouth: 16th October, 4pm-7pm at the Heritage Room at the Marriott Hotel PO6 4SH

 
We are hosting this event to discuss with local people, staff and our key stakeholders how we are responding to the commitments set in the national NHS Long Term Plan. We will be describing our local priorities based on the opportunities available to us, the current challenges we face such as increasing demand and the availability of workforce and crucially, what our population has told us needs to change.
 
The event takes the format of a drop-in session so you are welcome to come at any time during the three hours. There, we will describe our plans for the future on topics such as mental health, prevention, cancer and GP services and ask people for their feedback.  We will have a number of presentations throughout the evening, as well as a wellbeing area demonstrating our focus on staying well and preventing ill health.

These events follow on from a system-wide survey that our partners in Healthwatch ran to determine what local people wanted to support their health and care needs. We received around 700 responses to the survey, so many thanks to all those who took the time to take part. Trends among the earlier responses suggested there was a willingness among our population to improve their own health and wellbeing, to live healthier lives, but that they wanted more support and fewer obstacles in order to be able to do so. They also felt that they wanted to embrace technology to manage their health but were keen to ensure that face to face interaction, when needed, was still a priority especially when accessing GP services.

All of this work will feed into the development of the long-term plan for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, which is due to be completed in November, and will form the basis for the planning of health and care services four our area over the next few years.
 
In order to attend the event located closest to you, please register your interest by clicking on one of the links below:
 

• The Ark, Basingstoke event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/74845570115
• The Sugar Store, IOW event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/74860318227
• Solent University, Southampton event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/74865900925
• Portsmouth Marriott Hotel event: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/74870330173