Tendring Community Assets Full Final Report

54 14.6.5 There is scope to set up intergenerational activity, encouraging older people to share their life skills and history with children and young people. This could be support to studies and healthy eating with the added bonus of preventing loneliness and isolation. 14.6.6 Nurseries and pre-school groups could try running periodic sessions on healthier eating for parents and children to try new foods. This could be in the style of an indoor picnic, with paper cloths on floor mats and healthy snacks and drinks served. Children might also be encouraged to grow simple fast-growing salad items in class which they then harvest and eat with their parents. 14.6.7 Given the challenges around knife and gun crime and the links between weapons, drug dealing activity and County Lines, to support the education and awareness programme. A rolling programme should go into every school and educational establishment once a year, to ensure that all new admissions receive the training and have strategies to manage themselves and the risks. Bladed weapons Amnesty Boxes could be more prevalent and available where young people go across the District. It is important to work in partnership to further develop methods of raising awareness with parents, children and young people, youth organisations, schools, on social housing and in local communities about the harms that can be and are being caused as a result of weapons and how they can be avoided. 14.7 Feel Well - supporting mental wellbeing 14.7.1 There is a high level of demand for community-based support for children and young people with mental health problems and evidence of waiting lists for counselling. Ways to change the situation should be explored through funding potential services and partnership working to build more capacity. 14.7.2 With the 5 th highest suicide rate in the country, more work is needed to determine why mental ill health is so prevalent and how it can best be addressed. It is recommended that stakeholders are brought together and a whole system discussion is facilitated to determine innovative means of improving mental health. 14.7.3 More work should be done to support access to groups, activities and services which have been proven to improve mental health and wellbeing, for example walking groups, exercise, access to community-based talking therapies. This could be achieved through buddying and supported induction into groups, until those most vulnerable have the confidence to attend under their own motivation. 14.7.4 Promote some of the volunteering opportunities open to men, such as sports coaching or providing support and inspiration to younger people. Charities such as Lads Need Dads need volunteers with life skills in a range of activities such those with outward bound and survival training (such as ex-military), teaching, woodwork, motor mechanics, etc. 14.7.5 Encourage and support the new Men in Sheds project. This has recently opened in Clacton and is a significant opportunity for gender-specific activity. 14.8 Be Well - empowering adults to make healthy lifestyle choices 14.8.1 Seek the support of schools and the many community centres across the district with commercial standard kitchens to deliver inter-generational or family-centred sociable food preparation/cooking groups. Courses could be short bursts of simple recipes without demanding onerous commitment. Menus can be developed by asking people the sort of food that they like to eat regularly and the course could be limited to, say, how to cook 5 basic meals in 5 weeks. People can be asked what they prefer to eat, recipes devised with minimal skill and preparation in mind and recipe cards printed up with easy instructions.