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WELCOME
Community First in Herefordshire and Worcestershire is a registered Charity.
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It is an enabling organisation for supporting individuals and groups to make a difference for their local communities.​
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We achieve this through connecting and engaging with the community, identifying where essential services could make a difference to peoples’ lives and facilitating this change through the actions of dedicated individuals and organisations.
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We connect central government funding initiatives to communities so they can make a real difference.
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EVENT NEWS
UP: Upstream Prevention
Elevating the role of community in preventing ill health
Thursday 11th September 2025, 9.30 am – 1:30pm
NMITE, Skylon Campus, Canary Dr, Hereford HR2 6JT
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On 11th September the High Sheriff of Herefordshire, Helen Bowden welcomed a broad audience of people from across the county who gathered at NMiTE to hear about the value of community in preventing ill-health and contribute to making it more of a reality. A key part of the agenda was a ‘Fireside Chat’ featuring Dr Simon Lennane, author and GP in Ross on Wye and Prof. Richard Humphries, author and former fellow of The Kings Fund, which was guided by Frank Myers Acting CEO of Community First in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
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The morning proved to be highly interactive with many questions being asked and comments and examples of good practice fed in from the audience, clearly demonstrating the high level of engagement and enthusiasm.
Thank you so much for organising a fabulous day last week. I found it incredibly helpful and encouraging.
Key questions from the day included: Is the NHS the right place to focus on prevention when 80% of what keeps us healthy is outside of health care services? How can we free up funding for prevention work at community level, (which everyone agrees is needed), when the funding in the NHS is increasingly stretched? And how do we ensure that there are enough of the right services available for people in roles such as social prescribers to refer into?
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Steve Brewster, CEO and Lorea Sarobe, Director of Physical Activity and Wellbeing, Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire provided an overview of their organisation’s work and a case study from “Healthier Leominster.”
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During breaks and following the presentations attendees were able to network and meet local service providers in the marketplace.
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The next steps from Community First is now a series of community based roadshows in Village Halls. Watch this space for more information.
#EmpowermentThroughKnowledgeHW
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