Eyemouth Gateway to Good Health: launch of outdoor resources

Outside the Box have been very pleased to be part of coordinating and delivering the whole-systems Eyemouth Gateway to Good Health initiative over the past year. Our LINKS project is rooted in the Eyemouth community and, along with other community partners, we supported the delivery of outdoor activities including nature connection and outdoor cooking. This ‘train the trainers’ approach equipped leaders and workers in the town to have the confidence and skills to take their groups out and about, to promote a healthy active lifestyle for all.

Co-authored by Outside the Box and Field to Fork, with contributions from other local partners, the Outdoors resource pack gives some practical ideas, safety advice and templates for successful outdoor activities for groups. We launched the pack on a windy day in Eyemouth; now the e-version is available here to download as a pdf. We would always recommend full awareness of the associated risk assessments, especially when delivering activities with fire or the Kelly kettle. If your group would like training on using the resource pack, please contact ruth.n@otbds.org in the first instance.

The initiative also funded a full set of outdoors equipment, stored at the Community Centre in Eyemouth. If you are part of a local group in the Eyemouth area, please get in touch with Dixie Scott dixie.scott@btinternet.com if you would like to borrow any of the kit. There are even spare gloves and waterproofs so that nobody needs to feel the cold! What are you waiting for? Get outside!

With thanks to East Region Diabetes Prevention Partnership for funding and NHS Borders Joint Health Improvement Team for supporting its implementation.