Community Development and Health Network

09/10/2026

📢 We're Hiring: Project Officer
Are you highly organised, digitally confident and passionate about making a difference?

We’re looking for a Project Officer to support the delivery of the Maternity Disparities Consortium (MDC) Community Engagement and Co-Production Core Function and lead the management of our membership and engagement data systems.

📍 Hybrid working (Newry/home-based)
📅 18-month fixed-term contract (with possibility of extension)
💷 Pro rata’d for 21 hours per week from full-time rate of £31,537-£33,699 + 6% pension contribution

In this varied role, you'll:
✅ Support coordination of activities across a major UK-wide programme
✅ Organise and provide administrative and technical support at meetings
✅ Manage and develop CDHN membership and engagement data systems

This is a unique opportunity to be part of the NIHR funded Maternity Disparities Consortium, a UK wide programme tackling maternity inequalities across the UK and to help create lasting change for women, babies, families and communities. You will be part of CDHN’s vision of creating a fair and equal society where everyone's health and wellbeing matters.

📅 Closing date: Monday 2 November 2026 at 10am
For more info and to apply https://cdhn.org/recruitment/

08/10/2026

With World Mental Health Day taking place this week, this session from our BCPP project Melmount Community Forum Groups couldn't be more appropriate!

Well done on hosting a space where participants can challenge the stigma around mental health, talk openly with one another and explore ways of nurturing their own mental health and wellbeing👏

This week’s session of our 14-Week Community Pharmacy Project brought our group together at The Hub to tackle a topic that affects almost everyone at some point:

Managing Stress and Anxiety.

​In today’s fast-paced world, stress and anxiety can easily take a toll on our well-being.

This week's focus was all about breaking down the stigma around mental health, understanding how physical and emotional stress interact, and exploring practical, accessible steps to build resilience.

Guided by local pharmacy expertise via our partners, BOOTS CHEMIST, STRABANE, participants gained valuable insights into practical self-care strategies, routine adjustments, and professional support avenues available right on our doorstep.

​Grounded in Our Community Aims & Objectives

​At the heart of the Pharmacy Project is a simple yet powerful mission:

Empowering our community through accessible health education, prevention, and peer support.

​Our core aims for this initiative focus on:

​Demystifying Everyday Health:

Bringing vital clinical advice out of the medical center and directly into a welcoming, relaxed community space.

​Fostering Connections:

Creating a safe, inclusive environment where residents can share experiences, reduce isolation, and support one another.

​Proactive Well-being:

Equipping individuals with the knowledge and practical tools needed to take control of their long-term physical and mental health.

​By addressing topics like stress and anxiety head-on, we continue to build a healthier, more connected, and resilient community, one session at a time.

Thank you to everyone who joined, contributed to the discussion, and helped make this week's workshop so impactful!

Community Development and Health Network
Boots UK
Melmount Community Forum Groups

07/10/2026

🥪 Lunch & Learn with Carers NI!

Learn about information, services and support available to unpaid carers across Northern Ireland from the comfort of your home or workplace.

💻 Online | 🆓 Free to attend | 🕛 Lunchtime sessions

Grab your lunch and join us:

NI Public Services Ombudsman: https://tinyurl.com/4h7epf8k
Wed 28 Oct · 1–1:45pm

Parkinson’s UK in NI: https://tinyurl.com/4hpydjs9
Tue 3 Nov · 1–1:45pm

Help with Rates: https://tinyurl.com/mrr8dac5
Thu 3 Dec · 1–1:45pm

Rosie’s Trust: https://tinyurl.com/mr3pstyh
Thu 10 Dec · 1–1:45pm

Rosie's Trust
Department of Finance
Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman - NIPSO
Parkinson's UK in Northern Ireland

07/10/2026

Join us and Make A Cuppa for Women's Aid ABCLN

We are encouraging everyone to put the kettle on and join us this Autumn. You can host a Make A Cuppa coffee morning for Women's Aid ABCLN in your workplace, community or school.

Come together with family, friends and colleagues for a ‘cuppa’ tea or coffee, and simply ask everyone to make a small donation.​​​

To find out more and register YOU CAN go to 👉 www.womens-aid.org.uk/make-a-cuppa

Or simply email [email protected]

06/10/2026

Who gets to be healthy?

If you're in or around the Limavady area, Elevate is hosting a free, interactive workshop at Roe Valley Arts Centre on Tuesday, 20th October. This workshop will explore how social circumstances impact our health and how community development can be effectively used to improve the health and wellbeing of people within our communities.

You do not have to work within the health sector to take part. Elevate focuses on the ‘bigger picture' of health inequality and how health is impacted by wider societal factors, such as your income, where you live, your gender identity, sexuality, and socioeconomic status.

Register or find out more at: https://cdhn.org/training-and-events/who-gets-to-be-healthy-understanding-how-health-inequalities-impact-our-communities-4/

06/10/2026

🌿 Share & Learn: Online sessions for unpaid carers in NI

Looking for a little time for yourself? 💚

Join us online for a range of free information and wellbeing sessions, including:

✨ Weekly relaxation classes
💡 Lunch & Learn information sessions
💆 Massage & acupressure
🎨 Art & crafting
🌿 And more!

Sign up for your free Carers NI membership to be the first to hear about new sessions and opportunities.

👉 Share & Learn: https://hr8tjs.short.gy/63FnKd
👉 Free Membership: https://hr8tjs.short.gy/NpuufA

01/10/2026

Today marks the first day of Health Literacy Month.

Throughout October, CDHN will be sharing resources on our website and social media accounts about how being health literate can equip individuals and communities with the necessary knowledge to improve their health and wellbeing and get the support they need.

Have a look at our Resource Hub, where we have been updating and sharing useful resources on health literacy: https://cdhn.org/resource-hub/

This post from our partners at the Department of Health offers insights on what it means to be health literate.

01/10/2026

𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 | 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 📣

The Corlacky Community Benefit Fund is currently open for applications, with grants of up to £3,000 available for eligible community and voluntary organisations within 7km of the wind farm.

Whether you're planning a project that supports wellbeing, promotes sustainability, brings people together, or helps those most affected by fuel poverty and the rising cost of living, this Fund could help make it happen.

✅ Grants up to £3,000
✅ Wide range of eligible projects
✅ Closing next week

Visit our website to find out more and apply.

🔗 https://communityfoundationni.org/grants/corlacky-community-benefit-fund/

01/10/2026

📢1,000 Rural Voices: How prepared are our communities?

Do you remember Storm Éowyn?

Do you remember communities being without electricity for days, in some cases for 10 days or more?

Do you remember roads flooded or blocked, phones and communications disrupted and people having to rely on boats, tractors and larger farm machinery just to get to the local shop or check on a neighbour?

These experiences remind us just how quickly everyday life can change and how much rural communities can do to support one another when it does, but they also raise important questions.

What would help our rural communities be better prepared for the next emergency?

What do we already have that makes us resilient? Where are the gaps? What support would make the biggest difference? And what do communities need from public services, emergency responders and each other?

As part of our research into Strengthening Rural Civil Contingency Planning in Northern Ireland, we want to hear directly from people living in rural communities.

Our goal is to hear from 1000 rural voices.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing some of what we've already heard from communities across Northern Ireland as we explore what rural resilience really means — particularly as we move towards the winter months, when severe weather, flooding, power cuts and disruption can have an even greater impact.

Will you add your voice?

Complete our short survey and help us understand what would make your community better prepared and more resilient 👇
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/t/RCNCivilContingencies/

Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a draw to win a £100 One4all gift card.