New services 'making a difference' in coastal town

A project to tackle health and social care inequalities in communities along Lincolnshire's coast is delivering new services, say organisers.

The £8.6m Campus for Future Living, which opened in Mablethorpe a year ago this week, includes a public cafe and conference and meeting rooms where agencies can run clinics and courses.

Claire Woodward, of the ACIS Group, which operates the building, said podiatry, mental health and sleep services had been set up, along with educational courses.

The cafe was also being used as a place for people to learn about what is on offer there and talk to staff about the services they need.

"It's always full so that's already a success," Woodward added.

"We've seen a very big difference already."

Lincolnshire's coastal communities are within the East Lindsey district, where 30.6 per cent of people are aged 65 and over, compared with the England average of 18.6 per cent, according to government figures.

A total 16.2 per cent of people live in poverty in the district, while death rates from cancer and cardiovascular disease below the age of 75 are higher than the England average.

East Lindsey District Council has described the campus, which was built with the help of a government grant, as a flagship project to help tackle these issues.

Ms Woodward said the community also faced challenges such as a "lack of transport, infrastructure and services".

"It's really difficult to get services to come to the coast to help fix some of those challenges, so we're looking to bring sectors together to find different ways of doing things," she added.

"We've already got podiatry, mental health and sleep services from the NHS, as well as education provision, including GCSEs and adult education."

Other new services at the centre include free ear wax clinics and physiotherapy.

Councillor William Gray, portfolio holder for communities and better ageing at the district council, said it had been "inspiring" to watch the campus "grow into the thriving hub of support, collaboration and opportunity we always believed it would be".

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices