HOW CAN WE BE WELL TOGETHER? 
On Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd of March a group of people from Morecambe from health and wellbeing services, local authority and police services, local citizens and voluntary and community groups came together to train in the art of hosting and harvesting conversations that matter.  The aim of this was to catalyse a social movement around health and wellbeing in the town.  To come together in conversation around some of the tough questions morecambe faces in getting to grips with its community health challenges and to learn some tools and practices for how to take this conversation out into communities. 

"I would love to see a huge conversation explode right across Morecambe where the community is set on fire with a renewed sense of purpose that together we really can create the future that in our hearts we would really love to see"

This is what happened........

​Check in Circle  
Why am I here?
​Why am I really here ? 
We Began by hearing a little about the reason and the call for this 2 day training

" Its about bringing together people from many different places to talk about what it means to be healthy in Morecambe. We are training in the Art of Hosting because it holds a space for us to see things from many different perspective, that might not always be comfortable, but it is a real conversation.  We also want to learn the tools and practices so that we can take these conversations out across the whole of Morecambe"

We learnt about the importance of starting meetings and coversations well with a chance for everyone to speak something about themselves to become present together.  We used Circle Practice for this, an invitation to speak with intention and listen with attention and to tend to the well being of the group.  We used a talking piece and a good question and harvested the reasons why people had come to this training space and the deeper reasons why really this was important to them 

"Because I love this place - I want to break down the barriers and walls and make a difference - this is about future generations - I want to see and increase the connections here - I love people - I want to put the heart back into the NHS"  were some of the things spoken 

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​Appreciative Inquiry 
We moved on to have a conversation in small groups threes, using a process called appreciative inquiry which identifies the best of "what already is" in order to think about what might "be possible." Sue introduced the difference between listening out for when its my turn to speak, or to relate to our own experiences or solve problems, which can easily close other people down. And listening with intention to really hear and understand each other.  Mike encouraged us to do some deep listening and to go on a journey together into our stories and experiences with these questions

  • When have I been at my healthiest and most well ? 
  • When have I been in a group that was healthy? 
  • What made that possible?
  • What do we need more of here in Morecambe? ​

We came back and harvested on post it notes what we had heard in the stories and what we need more of in Morecambe

TRUST AND LOVE - connection, people being connected to each other and to the environment, stronger relationships, living examples, beacons in the community, a way of passing on skills to the next generation, more community engagement and neighbourhood events, sharing more stuff and encouraging people to be an active part of everyday life, developing a sense of self, meaning and purpose, self belief and worth .........were some of the themes that came out 

​Harvesting Practice  
and sign up for coaching 


​Jon introduced us to the importance of harvesting conversations, more than just taking notes but really taking the time to make sense of  the patterns and themes are that are coming out of the group's collective intelligence.  Its important to think about the harvest in the beginning not just at the end when you have a whole load of material.  He also spoke about the different things that can be harvested, both tangible and intangible and the different methods you can use. 

Helen and Bronagh explained the various sign up options for us to get some 'hands on' practice to be coached to host the whole of tomorrow.  This is real learning by doing, by being in the practice of hosting and harvesting together.  The board got full really quickly and we had a wonderful lunch with all the delicious food people had brought to share.  

​ Living systems 

After lunch Linda offered a teaching perspective on Living Systems - a natural approach to organising life. She spoke about how for many years our thinking has been influenced by being rational or thinking we can think things out and be in control.  

​What would we do differently if we  saw our communities teams and organisations as living systems.  Could there be a simpler way of organising that opens up the possibility for emergence? 

​World Cafe   
Creating a map of potential in Morecambe  
We created a beautiful hospitable space to host a world cafe. Small tables where 4 - 5 people met in conversation around the question

How might we collaborate to create a health care/wellness system that works for all the citizens of Morecambe?

We were encouraged to connect the themes and patterns that came out and to listen out for where there was potential or openings to start our work.  To start anywhere, follow it everywhere and keep listening for good questions and ideas. There were two rounds of conversation with a move round ( and one person staying at the table to welcome in newcomers ) and finally a harvest question 

Where can we start to get to work ?
Where are the openings for more conversations in Morecambe? 

These were harvested onto a beautiful map of the town specially created to map out all the potential opportunities
These were all the places identified with potential for having more conversations around health and wellbeing

VCS consortium: Peer led services: Maternity groups: Listening event for the 3rd sector: Faith and interfaith forums: The well: Neighbour day Parade: Health and Wellbeing partnership: Schools and with young people: Social groups: Music groups: Stanleys youth and community centre: The Allotments: History Societies: Friends of Regents Park: Photography groups: Traders: West End Impact: Time Banking: Morecambe West End Integration Group and West End Municipal Partnership. 

​Check out  




​ We closed our day with some reflection about what was new and valuable in our learnings together and what questions were still bubbling up for tomorrow.

Fish and Chips followed the coaching session and an open mic night with poems, songs and stories ( and a beer or two ) 
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