Childhood Obessity Summit report

Event Report Prepared by Cartwheel Arts 28.6.17 Background and Context Rochdale Council worked in partnership with Cartwheel Arts to deliver the Childhood Obesity Summit at Mercure Manchester, Norton Grange Hotel, 27.6.17.

Childhood obesity is a significant challenge in the borough of Rochdale, the Public Health and Wellbeing Team organised the Childhood Obesity Summit around the following key themes: • Calories in – promotion of a healthy balanced diet with a focus on reducing sugar intake.

• Calories out – increasing physical activity uptake.

• Access – ensuring healthier options are easily available and that residents have the skills they need to prepare them.

• Consistent messages – ensuring all partners are sharing the same message, including the launch of a new communications campaign.

Cartwheel Arts curated the event; managing the visual aspects of the day, creative consultation and networking activities and the practical event management elements such as eventbrite registration, contracting and managing workshop providers, managing the information desk, contributing and collating the Welcome Packs, hosting the event and managing the evaluation.

Delegates The Childhood Obesity Summit attracted 65 delegates, and 9 Speakers and Contributors. 7 Staff members were registered to attend and host the event.

Of these delegates a diverse range of providers, services and organisations were represented, including statutory providers, educators health and wellbeing organisations and activity groups, including: • Rochdale Council • Link 4 Life • Living Well • Big Life Group • Sports activity providers • NHS HMR CCG • Community Centres • University representatives • Schools • School Nurses • Health Visitors

The Registration List (Appendix 1) includes all Delegates, Speakers and Contributors and Staff registered and includes contact details, job titles and organisation names. We also asked all registering to answer 2 questions.

Answers to these questions offer valuable insights to delegate are perspectives before the event.

As the questions are also answered at registration, answers are connected to individuals. This allows for insight into what the perspectives of different organisations/services are. Some interesting answers included: What do you think is the biggest barrier when tackling Childhood Obesity?

“Lack of real understanding in families in regard to real impact of life long health conditions and poor partnership communication between services” “Lack of real understanding in families in regard to real impact of life long health conditions and poor partnership communication between services” What is your reason for attending this event?

“Interested in how we can work better across organisations” “Networking opportunity and to engage with individuals and organisations whom can assist us with developing a targeted and varied programme that will significantly impact on the obesity epidemic facing us in Rochdale and across the UK” A full list of the answers to these questions is included in the Registration List (Appendix 1) Ideas Marketplace – Ideas, Pledges and Actions This multi-purpose, ‘space within a space’ was used for an interactive welcome, pledge gathering space during the event and as the Healthy Heroes area on leaving the event.

Ideas, Pledges and Actions are written up in Appendix 2.

Creative Activity – Creative Ideas Site Map This activity was designed to link with the market place theme and encourage creative discussion, initial networking and expanding on ideas and pledges.

Groups were encouraged to be imaginative and some exciting outcomes were produced, focused on 3 key themes: • Healthy food choices • More active people • Accessibility Each table was tasked with creating a site plan for an event; this could be a festival, market place or community fun day. Within their plan they should think about innovative ways to encourage families and children, to make healthy food choices, be active and think about accessibility.

Documentation The event was documented in several ways, photographs, videos, write-ups and contributions to the Ideas Marketplace, which gathered ideas, actions and pledges.

Photographs: Rochdale Council Communications Team and Cartwheel Arts took photographs throughout the event. Cartwheel Arts videoed feedback from each of the tables from the Creative Ideas Site Map activity.

The photos and videos can be found online here https://www.flickr.com/photos/cartwheelarts/albums/72157685609051505 Write-ups and Ideas Marketplace: Rochdale Council documented the questions and discussions from the Ask the Experts panel session.

Write ups of delegates feedback, ideas, pledges and actions from the Ideas Marketplace and the Healthy Heroes activity are collated in Appendix 2.

Please see Ask the Experts documentation, Appendix 3.

Visual Minutes: Visual Minutes at the event were taken by artist Stacey Coughlin. Stacey was provided with the presentations and background information prior to the event. During the event she worked on sheet plastic ‘shapes’ reflecting the content of the event through drawn and written content. These were then displayed on the large windows at the event.

Following the event, the Visual Minutes

were collated and will be presented as 3 framed Perspex sheets, 'The Facts', the 'Building Blocks' and 'Ideas Going Forward’ These are able to be used by Rochdale Council as evidence and documentation of the event and also to communicate the ideas and thoughts shared on the day.

Evaluation – Survey Monkey Through Eventbrite we set up a ‘Survey Monkey’ Flash Survey to be emailed to all registered at the end of the event. We asked 4 pertinent questions and these can be linked to individual registered delegates, this allows insight into the impact of the event and how perspectives may have changed. 25 delegates contributed to the survey (31.6%) We asked the following questions: Within your organisation or experience, what do you think is the biggest barrier when tackling Childhood Obesity? Calories In/ Calories Out/Access/Lack of consistent messages.

Interestingly no one answered ‘Calories Out’ and the other answers were fairly equal with a small majority siting Lack of consistent messages as the biggest barrier.

Was your reason for attending this event fulfilled? Thoroughly/ Partially / Slightly/ Not Fulfilled.

The majority of people answered Thoroughly/ Partially.

What is your burning idea, big solution or new approach following the summit?

Exciting ideas were noted such as: “Locality mapping of community assets, increasing community capacity to approach obesity in communities. Need to start messages from conception. Need a whole start well live well approach in communities.”

“Suggest that we do more work with voluntary sector, community groups and religious groups on challenges and what people can do. Would be helpful to add a co-operative angle into our messaging based on what we will do to support you and what you should do.

Also useful to have some guidance on having challenging/ positive conversations on this.”

(A full list included in Appendices 4, 5 and 6) What was is your 'take home' message from the summit?

Thoughtful comments included: “Still a lot of work to do but if services willing to do more & work together in an innovative way, we can achieve more” “Creativity is key when attempting to challenge entrenched problems within societies” “To ensure we give a consistent message across all our work with families even when we are not directly delivering courses on health and wellbeing” (A full list included in Appendices 4, 5 and 6) Event Feedback from Speakers “I found it a very interesting and helpful day. I hope it brings the fruit you wish to develop as a result. Well done to all involved in pulling the event together.”

Steve Morton, Health and Wellbeing Manager - PHE North West “Congratulations to all for a successful and enjoyable event. Onwards and upwards!”

Robin Ireland MPH, MFPH, Director of Research (Honorary) Food Active and Healthy Stadia Health Equalities Group “Thank you for organising such a brilliant day!

It was a huge pleasure to contribute” Simon Capewell MD DSc Professor of Clinical Epidemiology University of Liverpool.