Welcome to the very first Well Connected blog! 

I’m Wendy, the Strategic Lead for Community Engagement here at Well Connected. I helped to create the Charity in 2016 and have a passion for all things Community, People & Creativity.

For this first post I wanted to share a little bit more about the things I’m passionate about, so here goes! 

I love making lemon curd, I like the process, the organising, the gathering of ingredients, reaching out the equipment, filling the jars and storing them carefully; ready to share with my family and friends. My lemon curd, is, although I say it myself, legendary! It’s delicious on toast, yoghurt or ice cream and very yummy eaten off a spoon straight from the jar! 

When making any type of preserve its vital to follow the recipe, the method; in this instance, the correct amount of butter, eggs, and lemons ensures that the lemon curd is silky smooth and has the right amount of tang which adds pizazz to just about anything.

When working in the community you need a bit of pizazz! A willingness to step out of your comfort zone to create new and exciting connections, developing partnerships which are based on genuine trust and creating effective projects and programmes. This takes time, commitment and hard work as no two communities are the same. It’s about listening, caring and going the extra mile to ensure people are involved and included every step of the way. It can be challenging and hard going sometimes but it is always worth the effort. The analogy of a swan gliding along the surface of a river but paddling like mad underneath is an accurate image to bear in mind when undertaking any kind of community-based intervention.  Believe me, I’ve paddled!

I am passionate about communities, health and helping people to feel better informed and aware of their wellbeing choices. I’ve worked alongside some amazing people and learnt so much along the way but perhaps that’s a blog for another day.

So, give it a go; what works in one place will be different to what works in another, one size doesn’t fit all on this occasion. My experience tells me that most communities know what they need, usually that’s a bit of help, support and encouragement …and perhaps a jar of homemade lemon curd!

Wendy Smith MBE