Frome PCN in Somerset has partnered with local community organisations to run a kindness festival in the town.

Over 2,500 people attended the fourth annual festival, which took place between 15-22 March, with an additional 3,000 involved through local school assemblies.

Organised primarily by The Good Heart community initiative, it included various events across the week around the theme of the relationship between kindness, forgiveness and grief, such as a lecture on forgiveness.

The Frome Grief Network also launched during the week, including a day of connection and support and the town’s first ‘grief disco’.

The PCN partnered with The Good Heart by sourcing venues and hosting some events across the week, as well as giving staff ‘kindness vouchers’ to spend on local businesses and having a kindness postbox to post kind messages.

PCN manager, Karen Creffield, said: ‘It is something we have been really proud to be a part of from the beginning.  One of our core values is kindness so our involvement really gives us the opportunity to shine a light on this value.

‘As well as contributing to the programme it is also a real opportunity to focus on our own team.  This year the team were all treated to Kindness Cuppa vouchers at the intouch café in the medical centre which is home to the practice, a local independent pharmacy and secondary care services. 

‘We also gave staff kindness vouchers to spend in the local community with a choice of local restaurants, a local bookshop, a plastic free shop, local health food shop and leisure facilities all being places where vouchers could be used.’

GP partner Dr Jos Selywn Gotha, who created a ‘menkind’ film for an event for men, added: ‘The Frome Kindness Festival's focus on men and the meaning of kindness presented a great opportunity to start conversations which for too long has been closed off from ordinary discussion and provided a great opportunity to open up what can be difficult conversations about kindness with other men.’

PCN manager at Frome PCN, Karen Creffield, recently shared how the PCN has already seen progress through being part of the capacity and access pilot.