Verbal Report / Presentation. 20 minutes will be allocated for this item / discussion.

The Constituency Committee received a presentation on the subject of the work being undertaken by faith groups to reduce social isolation and loneliness via utilising Places of Welcome and efforts to address the issue of poverty and life expectancy through Church Pairing.

The Constituency Manager (Wirral West) introduced the presentation, informing the Committee regarding Places of Welcome, a network of small community organisations, including faith communities, who offer an unconditional welcome to local people for at least a few hours a week.

She informed that Places of Welcome developed out of the Birmingham Social Inclusion process ‘Giving Hope Changing Lives’, as a response to the question - Is Birmingham a welcoming city? Members were told that whilst Places of Welcome began in Birmingham, it was now developing further afield, as people responded to the challenge to make cities and neighbourhoods more welcoming.

The Committee was told that the network had developed a set of guiding principles, key elements of a Place of Welcome which were known as the 5P's, ultimately sharing experiences, resources and training via:

·  Place: An accessible and hospitable building, open at the same time every week.

·  People: Open to everyone regardless of their circumstances or situation, and staffed by volunteers.

·  Presence: A place where people actively listen to one another.

·  Provision: Offering free refreshments (at least a cup of tea and a biscuit) and basic local information.

·  Participation: Recognising that every person coming to a Place of Welcome will bring talents, experiences and skills that they might be willing to share locally.

The presentation continued, led by Wendy Robertson, Project Co-ordinator Life Expectancy Wirral,  who informed that the project had been developed by the Church of England Diocese of Chester in response to the fact that people living on the Dee side of the Wirral live, on average, nearly 12 years longer than those living on the Mersey side.

She informed that in 2009 the pilot brought together church communities from the two sides of the Wirral; Christ the King in Birkenhead and Church of the Good Shepherd in Heswall. This and other groups had been guided by a facilitator through a five stage programme in which issues of poverty and life expectancy were examined. As a result, the Churches had developed 8 key pledges to help address the issue of poverty, i.e.

·  Make prayer central to all work in tackling poverty

·  Share resources in a way that benefits the local community

·  Be outward focused in a way that improves health, wellbeing and quality of life within communities

·  Work together with other churches, creating opportunities to share with and encourage each other

·  Keep poverty, health and inequality in heart and mind

·  Engage with the political process and policy makers to promote God’s justice and righteousness

·  Work together with the Local Authority, NHS and community partners to develop mutual trust to better support communities

·  Celebrate success

A Member questioned how individual organisations could register as a Place of Welcome. The Constituency Manager asked that all such registration requests be forwarded via the Constituency Office.

The Chair thanked both speakers for their informative presentation.

Resolved – That the presentation be noted.