Living well in Cornwall A phenomenology of Wellbeing

Living well in Cornwall: A phenomenology of Wellbeing & Place Culture Health & Wellbeing Conference. 25 th June 2013 DR OONAGH P. CORRIGAN EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH TRURO, CORNWALL. UNIVERSITY OF EXETER MEDICAL SCHOOL.

What is the relationship between wellbeing and place?

What is the relationship between wellbeing and place? People’s exposure to and interaction with the natural environment can play a vital role in enhancing wellbeing (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011). Time spent by the sea in particular is beneficial to health and a sense of wellbeing (Depledge and Bird 2009). Good health is more prevalent in populations living near the coast (Wheeler, White, Stahl. Timmins and Depledge 2012).

Wellbeing: National Survey People living in Cornwall reported higher than average ratings for questions to life satisfaction in England It is the only county in England where people report both high levels of life satisfaction and feelings of worthwhileness. Low levels of anxiety also reported. Office of National Statistics (2012) First ONS Annual Experimental Subjective Well-being Results

In search of wellbeing: a demographic and societal Shift? Cornwall has become a place where people from others parts of the UK have been moving to ‘in search of a better quality of life’ (Cornwall Council 2012 a). Cornwall has the highest rates of inmigration in England. 20 -30, 000 people per year and this is predicted to increase by 25% over the next thirty years (Cornwall Council 2011). Total population 535, 000

Meet the Cornblogger http: //cornblogger. com/pages/about. php Do you dream about getting out of the rat-race? Does it seem that the world has gone car crazy, shopping centre silly and house price potty? If so, then you’re not unlike thousands of other people, including us, who just want to slow things down a little. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=sd. Dyq GQFAYY Cornwall encompasses 1, 376 square miles with 300 miles of coastline.

Cornblogger’s 10 reasons to move to Cornwall 1. The beaches around the Cornish coast. 2. The deep blue sea 3. Very little traffic –’traffic don’t you just hate it? ’ 4. Slower pace of life ‘The thought of less stress, less hassle on the roads, relaxed shopping, quieter towns and villages, calm days on the beach and rambles across the moors was enough to convince us’. 5. Vibrant arts scene 6. Pride and a sense of place The Cornish people are very proud of their heritage and sense of place. I think it’s because of their unique cultural history and its ability to bind them to the land they live in. 7. Feeling of community 8. Nature 9. Cheaper housing –’if you’re prepared to look around bargains can be found’. 10. Sense of freedom

What are the implications of this societal /demographic shift? Implications for individuals and their families. Has moving to Cornwall lived up to expectations? What are their coping mechanisms for dealing with this change and integrating into (and/or building) local work and leisure communities? How they have managed to maintain a sense of wellbeing (or not) at work and at home. Are there/will there be jobs for their children? What does wellbeing feel like in relation to place? Implications for the local economy and local communities ‘The one thing I do know is that most of the ‘incomers’ like ourselves have come here looking for something and that makes us special. We bring optimism and hope, a sense of adventure and potential’.

How can we understand the relationship between wellbeing and place? Survey data? Provides an overall picture. But ‘picture snap’ data what happens over time? Correlates variables, but what about causation? What about the lived experience? –explanation and understanding Analysis of blogging posts? Qualitative interviews? A phenomenological approach?

A Phenomenological approach combined with Sensory Ethnography: Phenomenology is concerned with the study of experience from the perspective of the individual. The concept of the ‘life-world’ developed by Husserl’s (1954 [1970]) is a key focus of investigation for phenomenology and consists of the world of objects around us as we perceive them and our experience of our self, body and relationships. This translates into the gathering of ‘deep’ information and perceptions through inductive, qualitative methods such as interviews, discussions and participant observation, and representing it from the perspective of the research participants.

Sensory Methodology Sensory ethnography ‘an innovative methodology for studying the lived experience of place and wellbeing that can illuminate not only individuals’ lived experiences of place … but also broader shared patterns of experience in place (cultures of place)’ (Sunderland et al 2012). ‘allows researchers and local residents to reach beyond what is usually observed and measured to identify more subtle and invisible experiences that shape health and wellbeing’ (Sunderland et al 2012: 1056). Smell, taste, touch and vision are all part of the human experience and sensory ethnographers seek to identify what it ‘‘feels’’ like including sensory, emotional, and intellectual experiences to inhabit certain places, and events from the insider’s perspective (Harris and Guillemin 2012). ‘Walking with' ethnography (Sarah Pink 2007) provides a way of exploring sense of place in direct interaction with the place in which people live and engage with others.

Sensory Methods Hark, now hear the sailors cry Smell the sea and feel the sky Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic (Into the Mystic - Van Morrison).

Autobiographical Element North, South West and East Cornwall, wherever I go I am struck by its beauty. My troubles get blown away in the wind as North Cornwall’s waves crash on the rocks breathing life into my soul. South East Cornwall –the forgotten secret part of the county is a magical place, full of hidden treasures left by pirates, fishermen and mermaids. My grown up daughter calls it Narnia when she comes to visit. I love Cornwall. I look out on it every day and live so close I feel I could reach out and touch the soft green hills across the shore and yet I have chosen to live on the other side of the Tamar, clinging close to the safety of a city. Cornwall draws me like some enticing lover but I hesitate to move there Why? Would I feel too isolated, too thrown in on myself? Would the intensity of the place like the near constant winter rain wash me away? I now travel there to work…. . still playing with the idea of moving there …one day.

Thank you & and thanks too to my colleagues: Professor Paul Dieppe Dr Debbie Marsden Research Team Professor Catherine Leyshon Dr Michael Leyshon Dr Ruth Garside Professor Malcolm Williams Jane Abraham