A retired Herefordshire GP’s call for the establishment of Health Hubs in rural village halls, to promote the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities, is close to realisation.

Dr Malcolm Rigler helped establish an alternative way to providing healthcare and medical advice at No. 65 High Street Nailsea, which provides a space that engages the community and supports local GP practices to help inform patients about their conditions and connect with others facing similar difficulties or health problems.

‘To be really effective, a health on the high street initiative has to be plugged into local community action, the third sector and statutory agencies. Making a success of this type of venture needs people with a range of skills, which can come from a diverse range of backgrounds. But above all, it needs people who can see the big picture and can translate it into day-to-day actions, reinforcing values and building trusted relationships,’ Dr Rigler writes on the Royal Society for Public Health website.

‘No. 65 is also much more than just a digital help hub. It is a venue at the physical heart of the community, promoting resilience and cohesion. We have creative activities, professional support services, self-help groups and more, for people of all ages. The environment is friendly and informal, underpinned by the knowledge that places connect people.’

A chance meeting with a local IT specialist brought Dr Rigler to focus attention on a rural village hall in Llanwarne, between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye, to develop his ideas. Ravi Tester had become involved in Llanwarne Village Hall after working with Herefordshire Green Party councillor, Toni Fagan, who had called on his IT skills to digitally enable the hall, transporting the former Victorian school into the 21st Century.

‘After a conversation about what different uses village halls be used for, it became evident to me that the potential for the hall to be a hub for the village in all sorts of ways was realisable. Once I had helped get an ultra-fast fibre connection to the hall the possibilities became very exciting,’ said Mr Tester.

‘Dr Rigler and I had discussed certain projects regarding the importance of local health hubs, and his vision of the healthy community, where the overall health of the residents is an integral part of mental and physical health, is sadly far from the reality most of us experience.’

During the pandemic a digital inclusion Lottery grant funded digital infrastructure in the hall, including a video conferencing suite, projector and screen, a suitable sound system and a laptop.

This digital work tied in with refurbishment work to the hall – and subsequent Covid Recovery funding – all with the ambition of making the hall a rural hub which tackled digital, social and wellbeing inequality in the rural area. The hall also became one of Herefordshire’s new Talk Community hubs, funding the fibre broadband connection.

Cllr Fagan said: ‘The idea of replicating the No. 65 model in rural areas, using village halls as health hubs, providing technology and guidance for local users, developing skills and confidence, provides huge opportunities and fits well with our strategic ambitions to improve wellbeing and strengthen communities in Herefordshire.’

Photo Caption: Refurbishment works to Llanwarne Village Hall included digital networking which will support the hall’s role as a Rural Health Hub.

(Pic by Toni Fagan with Margaret Lambert (LVH), Geoff Powell (builder), Tom McEwan (project manager) and Jeremy Helme (LVH).