Charlie’s Wellbeing with our Link Forward Service

By Vicky Wall, Children and Young People’s Social Prescribing Manager

We’d like to introduce you to Charlie who we know through Link Forward, our Social Prescribing service for young people aged 7-12. It’s the only service of its kind in Bristol. We work closely with schools and GP surgeries to offer invaluable support to young people with their mental health and wellbeing.

We believe it’s important to encourage the skills, hobbies, and interests which our young people tell us about. Due to our strong partnerships in the community and our team’s expertise we can offer groups for young people to explore new interests, make new friends, and build confidence, like the Wellbeing Arts group which Charlie attends.

Our Resilience Lab is a real highlight where we use creativity and play to explore emotions building the skills to cope with stress and feel more confident. We can also support parents and carers with parenting support groups and information drop-ins. Last year we ran more than 230 sessions.

Our in-house Youth and Play team at The Ranch is also an important connection. The Ranch provides a safe, social space for many of our young people when they finish their sessions with us.

To find out more about Link Forward visit our website pages HERE

By: Charlie

My earliest memory of collecting, I was 3 or 4, for my birthday my Nan got me an ancient Chinese Buddhist amulet. I was fascinated by it because I have always been interested in ancient history.  I surprised to find that I could buy artefacts! I was 6 years old at the time and my collection has grown since then.

Last Christmas I got a figure of an ancient Mayan tomb attendant with some of its original paint. The tomb was sealed with clay so no bacteria could get in and out. Another favourite is my Egyptian shabti figures I have always been fascinated by ancient Egypt and it was so nice to get my first piece from that time. I want to be an Egyptologist when I grow up. I keep my pieces in a large cabinet in my room – away from the cat!

I have made some of my own figures in the Wellbeing Arts clay group. Both art and history help me to feel inspired. I choose pieces because I see a connection between them and us. Even though we live in different times we can understand what they have gone through. 

 

Thank you for writing about your hobby Charlie, we hope other children will want to write about theirs too.