Bilston Report

1. Introduction

�Bilston Urban Village is one of the largest regeneration projects that is underway in this country.’ (Project implementation team, Wolverhampton City Council). Bilston covers around ninety five acres of mainly derelict and under-used land just south of Bilston town centre. The aim of this report is to show the influences of health within Bilston and to give people an idea on how the community promote health in the area.

1.1. Bilston was chosen for this report, because after research was carried out within the area it was clear that it is a small communal area which has many influences on health. This is because it is a small place where everything is situated around the city centre, meaning people do not need to travel far for health related issues.

The main areas of this report will include Bilston Health Centre, Community Centre, Leisure Centre, Doctor’s surgery, Dentists, Transport, Walk in Centres, Government involvement within the community and services which are provided for the well being of the community of Bilston.

2. Bilston Health Centre

Bilston health centre has a doctor’s surgery and chemist inside along with a walk in centre.

The health centre runs a program called �Aquarius Alcohol Counselling.’ (See appendix 1.) This service is for people who are concerned about their drinking or for people who just want some information on the causes and effects of drinking. The Aquarius Alcohol Counselling also has available information for anyone who is concerned about someone else’s drinking.

They help people deal with the effects that drinking may have on certain areas of a person’s life such as:-

• Work

• Money and Finances

• Relationships

• Health

• Legal Issues

• Anxiety and depression

They also offer support for the family and friends of the drinkers and can provide them with some general advice and information. All the sessions are confidential counselling sessions. In and around the health centre there are many leaflets giving help and advice on the counselling sessions not only for those who are concerned about their drinking.

2.1. The health Centre also provides people with information and advice about the NHS charging arrangements for the following:-

• Prescriptions

• Hospital travel

• Dental treatment

• Optical treatment

• Income support

• Tax credits

• Other benefits

• Pensioners

• People with a specified medical condition

• Pregnant women

• People registered severely sight impaired/blind or partially sighted

• People with impaired hearing

• People living in a care home

These come in the form of leaflets and booklets and they also provide all the information in different languages so people whose first language is not English, can understand it clearly. (See appendix 2.)

In addition, leaflets from Wolverhampton City Council provide information for those people who experience periods of mental distress. This shows that the council members are involved in the health care of the community because they care enough to inform people about issues such as the above.

3. Community Centre

Bilston community Centre is situated three minutes walk from Bilston town centre. The community centre provides a playgroup for children aged three to eleven, a youth centre for teenagers aged eleven to sixteen and a main room for the elderly. The people who work in the community centre provide this service to keep teenagers and the elderly more active. The community centre offers day trips, sporting activities and public art community projects for the eleven to sixteen year olds. The community centre also provides day trips, dance lessons and educational classes for the elderly.

4. Leisure Centre

The fitness suite in Bilston’s leisure centre provides quality facilities combined with qualified staff that are able to give people the advice and professional guidance during their visits. Whether the person is exercising for the first time, returning to exercise after a break or a regular, the fitness suite will guide them on their way to a healthier lifestyle and provide them with as little or as much support they require.

Women only sessions provide the chance for women to have exclusive use of Bilston Leisure centre’s fitness suite. One of the reasons that Bilston Leisure Centre has women only sessions is part of Bilston Leisure Centre drive to encourage participation by all in leisure and fitness.

The leisure centre also provides aerobics lessons, squash lessons, a crÐ"Ёche, a fun zone and allocated times for people aged fifty and above.

In addition to all these activities, the leisure centre has a nursery and early excellence centre. The nursery and excellence centre works with families to help parents and their children get the best start in life.

4.1. Equipment

The resistance equipment is easy to use and designed to offer comfortable and effective training positions. The comprehensive range of equipment enables people to develop all areas of the body. The equipment is then complimented by an excellent range of cardiovascular equipment designed to improve people’s all round fitness.

4.2. Swimming Pool

Bilston Leisure Centre has three swimming pools; a small pool for children, a lane pool for lane swimming only and a normal pool for everyone. The normal pool has adult