Innovative new site encourages inclusion and creativity

With support from the Guernsey Community Foundation, the Welcome Home Project is launching a new community wellbeing hub aimed at reducing social isolation by connecting islanders to a host of free online activities.

The Welcome Home website, which goes live at 6pm on 1 April 2020, acts as a central platform where islanders can simply and effectively access free online content submitted by individuals, groups and organisations both locally and nationally.

The Welcome Home Project has been set up by a small group of local professionals within Guernsey’s health and wellbeing, IT, art and creative industries who have come together to support islanders through and beyond the COVID-19 crisis.

Daniel White, one of the founders of the Welcome Home Project and a registered nutritionist and functional medicine health coach, said: “The need for social connectivity and access to activities and resources that support wellbeing has never been more important for our community.

“Islanders have been fantastic in their response to this crisis, coming forward with all sorts of imaginative ways to help people feel more connected and less anxious and alone. Inevitably, however, these efforts are not coordinated, which means some people miss out. We decided to create a central hub of activity so that all this energy can be channelled into an accessible and friendly format.”

Jim Roberts, Chief Executive of the Guernsey Community Foundation said: “We were approached by the Welcome Home Project not long after islanders were being encouraged to self-isolate. They had already done a tremendous amount of work on the website and just needed some extra help financially so that they could launch it and keep developing it. The Foundation was able to fast-track their application using the emergency funding measures it introduced earlier this month.”

Welcome Home will promote a daily diary of activities and things islanders can do online. All the offerings are free, and serve to connect islanders and their families to community events, arts and creativity, music, health and wellbeing, physical activity, spirituality, cooking, book clubs and many
other things.

“In the longer term, we will be empowering individuals and the wider community so they feel more in control of their health and wellbeing,” said Mr White.

The website also invites users to identify and respond to social connectivity needs within the community, and suggest ways to improve the site so it can best serve the Island.