Evaluation Report Thriving Communities - For Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust

In March 2021, Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, in partnership with General Practice Alliance, Northamptonshire Leisure Trust, Warts and All Theatre, Northamptonshire Sport, Action for Happiness, and the University of Northampton, were awarded funding from Arts Council England’s and the National Academy for Social Prescribing’s Thriving Communities Fund for Social Prescription. The funding’s aim was to bring together place-based partnerships to improve and increase the range and reach of available social prescribing community activities – especially for those people most impacted by COVID-19 and health inequalities. The project group, known as the Northampton Wellbeing Partnership, aimed to establish a range of new social prescription services using a process of co-creation with residents and health and social care users. These new services were located in the grounds of Delapré Abbey, Northampton, which is a local heritage building surrounded by 550 acres of green and blue spaces. The urban greenspace of Delapré Abbey-Delapré Park shares its boundaries with some of the most deprived communities in England. Given the wellbeing benefits that can come with green-blue space and heritage engagement, Delapré Abbey is well placed within the community to engage and support the wellbeing of the communities who would benefit the most from such activities. This evaluation documents the processes and learning of the programme, from its inception through to feedback and reflections from programme users, stakeholders, and social prescription link workers.