New Approaches to Living is a project that consists of the following three elements-

The Wellness Programme - to provide a corporate resource and consultancy service that will be pooled from the combined expertise of health related charities, to create increased productivity and efficiency within the local business community.

The Health Bank - to create a free education, information, meeting centre and shop for the community at large, to be run by participating charities and partly financed by local business through their support of The Wellness Programme.

Will to be Well - to offer a programme of information exchange and educational support for health professionals and other associated individuals and organisations.

The New Approaches to Living project is a completely new concept in preventative and holistic health education predicated on the premise that:- "All people can be healthy through their own actions rather than other peoples", and the process of information, education and action.

New Approaches to Living will represent a number of charitable groups under the umbrella of New Approaches to Cancer, a local charity with national reach, which was established over thirty years ago and now provides a comprehensive self-help information and support service. It specialises in the area of prevention and in holistic teachings of wellness through maintaining the balance of physical, mental and spiritual health.

The immediate aim is to create a fully working local prototype of the overall project that will provide business, charitable organisations, health professionals and the community at large with a unique, exciting and practical way of working together to mutual benefit. This prototype will then serve as a transportable model for implementation in other localities, to form a national web or network.

Opportunities for Business - The Wellness Programme
Wellness is not just the absence of disease or even of dis-ease, it is a positive and deliberately fostered/nurtured state of physical and mental wellbeing.

The Programme will utilise a team of professional individuals assembled through the pooled expertise and resources of local charitable organisations and offer tailor made services designed to enable companies to improve the overall health of their workforce, thus increasing the potential to generate higher levels of productivity and satisfaction.

Also included is: provision for consultation on a regular or one off basis; the facilitation of therapy days; and provision of advice on strategy planning. The Wellness Programme will also provide educational opportunities and motivational incentives in areas such as nutritional health; recreation and exercise, including Yoga and Tai Chi; and an appreciation of the healing available through contact with the natural world.

By bringing in different forms of therapy to support these concepts, and by introducing a positive holistic approach to living, the object is to help all participants to live life to the full. Charges for the above services will reflect the current market in corporate consultancy and a substantial part of the profit will go directly to fund the creation of The Health Bank community project (as detailed below).

Opportunities for Community - The Health Bank
The Health Bank will be funded through business sponsorship, donation and the support of local business through subscription to The Wellness Programme. Participating company names will be publicly acknowledged as contributors and there will be a small number of high profile sponsorship opportunities available for companies wishing to become more involved in this ongoing and expanding project.

The Health Bank will have a central location, easily accessible to the community at large. It will aim to provide a wide range of services including information on health and gentle healing techniques with a designated shop area offering branded goods for sale connected with holistic health and wellbeing.

It will be a regular meeting place offering a wide range of therapies and discussion groups with a quiet room available for contemplation and be utilised as a venue for guest speakers and teachers on a broad spectrum of subjects connected with the joy of wellness. If premises are suitable The Health Bank will also house a Healthy Café.

Opportunities for Health Professionals/Carers - Will to be Well
Once awareness has been raised by implementing some of the above steps then the Will to be Well programme of training will be set in place to encourage and influence the future of integrated medicine from a health professional’s point of view.

Working alongside the current government emphasis of greater co-operation and the positive practice of integrated care, the New Approaches to Living project aims to provide a good working example on how to re-generate business/community and charitable relations across the country.

All proposals are currently in the creative process and this document provides a brief overall view of the story so far.

"The concept of integration remains very close to my heart. This starts for me with the harmonising within each individual; of the body, mind and spirit through the development of the whole person."
HRH The Prince of Wales.
(from a letter sent to New Approaches to Cancer to read out at their 5th Integrated Care Conference in 2001)