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Health and wellbeing in Cheshire West and Chester Libraries
Our Libraries offer a range of activities and resources to help people lead happier and healthier lives. All of our activities connect with the Five Ways to Wellbeing, which is a great way for everyone to make positive changes to their health, and the way they feel about themselves.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing encourage you to Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give:
- Connect
Libraries are about so much more than books and can help you connect with the people around you.
Cheshire Memories is a collection of 22 themed Memory Boxes containing a range of material, including objects, photographs, poetry, music, books and smell boxes. They are ideal for using in reminiscence activities and are available for use with social/community groups and other local organisations. They can be borrowed on a library card for three weeks, and are subject to a £1 reservation fee.
Information about ordering/reserving a memory box can be found on the Cheshire libraries catalogue.
- Be Active
Borrow a book from the Library that will help you to Be Active. We’ve got books on all sorts of activities, from football to yoga, mountain climbing to pilates! Read an eMagazine for free, via Overdrive.
- Take Notice
Next time you visit your local library Take Notice and discover what is on offer. Look at the book displays and notice boards, and see what is available online through the eResources and eBook collections. There is a whole world of information available at your fingertips, 24/7.
- Keep Learning
We've lots of regular activities that take place in our libraries, for all ages. Just ask at your local library for more information. Get ideas about new hobbies and ask about clubs and societies in the area, or adult education classes. Look on Live Well Cheshire West for more information.
- Give
It’s always rewarding to Give something back to your local community. Could you volunteer as an IT Buddy and help other people to get online? More information can be found on our volunteering page.
Just Six Minutes
Let’s not forget about reading! Did you know that reading for Just Six Minutes can have a direct and significant impact on stress levels, thereby improving individual mental health? If you have trouble reading a book, why not listen to one? We offer a range of books on cd, or you can even download them online for free via our website.
Reading Well Books on Prescription
The Reading Well Books on Prescription Scheme helps you manage your health and wellbeing using self-help reading. The scheme is endorsed by health professionals. As well as the Books on Prescription Scheme for Dementia there is also a reading list for common mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression.
‘Shelf Help’ provides a range of titles especially selected for 13-18 year olds, providing advice and information about issues such as anxiety, stress and OCD, and difficult experiences like bullying and exams. Copies of the books in the schemes can be borrowed through your local library. Also choose from our selection of Mood Boosting Books, for an uplifting read.
Home Library Service
If you know someone who loves reading but can’t get to the library then the Home Library Service can help. The Home Library Service provides library material direct to the homes of readers who are unable to collect their own items from a library. Just ask at your local library for more information.
Mental health awareness and support
Our libraries offer an extensive range of resources to help raise awareness about mental health whilst also providing access to information that will enable people to lead happier and healthier lives - see our dedicated awareness and support page for all the information and services available.
Dementia awareness and support
Our library service is committed to supporting and improving the lives of people living with dementia. All of our library staff attend Dementia Friends awareness sessions and we are working towards making our service Dementia Friendly. More information can be found on our dementia awareness page.
Bereavement support
Every year, people around the country use Dying Matters Awareness Week, one of Hospice UK’s annual campaigns, as a moment to encourage all communities to get talking about death, dying and grief.
This year we are supporting this campaign and we have put together a booklist of useful titles around the subject including having conversations about death, writing wills and self-help and grief.
- Bereavement support Service in Cheshire West and Chester - the Hospice of the Good Shepherd have a dedicated team providing support for people dealing with bereavement following the death of a loved one
- Frodsham Library have a drop in Bereavement Support Session, 1pm - 2pm, on the first Monday of the month
- Bereavement Help Point at Storyhouse - a volunteer led peer support drop-in session, open to anyone who is bereaved or is supporting someone who is bereaved
- A booklet for friends and relatives after the death of their loved one
- The End of Life Partnership aim to give people the confidence to talk about death and dying and to share their own personal wants and needs with each other
- At a Loss is the UK’s bereavement signposting website
- Bereavement Advice Centre provides practical help when someone dies - they support and advise people on what they need to do after death
- Carers UK - practical support when caring ends or changes
- Child Bereavement UK - help for children, young people, parents and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies
- Child Bereavement Network - a hub for those supporting bereaved children and young people
- Compassion in Dying - help you prepare for the end of life, how to talk about it, plan for it, and record your wishes
- The Compassionate Friends - supporting bereaved parents and their families
- Cruse Bereavement Support - coronavirus bereavement support - losing someone during the pandemic
- Family Lives - coping with bereavement
- The Good Grief Trust is run by the bereaved for the bereaved, offering advice and support
- GOV.UK - death and bereavement services
- Grief Encounter supports bereaved children and young people
- Help Guide to coping with grief and loss
- Hope Again - youth website where you can learn from other young people, how to cope with grief and feel less alone
- Hospice UK is the national charity for hospice and end of life care. They work to ensure anyone affected by death, dying and bereavement gets the care and support they need, when they need it
- The Loss Project - a creative group who work across the UK connecting people in local communities through the universal experience of grief and loss
- Marie Curie - seven ways to say goodbye to a loved one without words
- Mind - provides information on bereavement, where to go for support and suggestions for helping yourself and others through grief
- NHS – how to deal with grief after bereavement and loss
- What’s Your Grief? - a place for grief education, articles, sharing, support and more
- Widowed and Young - UK Charity offering a peer-to-peer support network for anyone who’s lost a partner before their 51st birthday
- Winston’s Wish - support for children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling
- Young Minds - a guide for young people dealing with grief and loss
