The EDRCN Health Team is a very new one made up of us two (Lise and Pauline), our super-efficient administrator, Ann, and two part-time workers in Newcastle (Mary and Margo). We all come from diverse backgrounds which makes for an interesting dynamic but we're getting to know each other's ways now, the work is becoming clearer so a momentum is gathering and we're becoming a force to be reckoned with! We've been asked to give a snapshot - 'A Week in the Life of A Community Worker' - so Pauline and Lise have noted their to-ing and fro-ing over the course of a week.

Monday
A nice and easy start to the week, we head to Ballynahinch from Belfast and Killough respectively for a half-day training on a Nutrition Toolkit for communities. Ann is back at the office holding the fort. It's always nice to meet our counterparts on the Lisburn side; you pick up all sorts of interesting titbits on who's doing what where. After a quick bite of lunch it's back to the office to work on our Needs Assessment Tool and to a meeting with Surestart, Homestart and the Flying Horse workers to organise a personal development course for women in Downpatrick.

Tuesday
It's 9.45 am when we pass each other in the doorway - Lise the early bird, has already been in to check her emails and make some phone calls and is off out now to meet her parent & toddler group in Crossgar. Pauline's working late tonight so she arrives later, checks emails and makes some phone calls before heading out to meet Dunsford Arts & Crafts group. They're looking for some feedback from their members on fundraising ideas so they've asked for help with facilitation. Ann spends her day putting together the latest newsletter, rifling through the newspapers for interesting articles and answering the persistent phone calls. Back to base and the lunchtime conversation is fascinating as usual, ranging from horror stories of childbirth, illnesses and the latest on everyone's social escapades. After lunch it's catching up with paperwork, phone calls and emails and preparing for the evening's meetings. At 4.30 Lise is away home half an hour early. She has an evening meeting with a group in Saintfield who hope to develop a playpark. Pauline has a meeting at 5.00 pm with a group of young people in Downpatrick, helping them to organise a summer event in their estate. Only two people show up so it has to be postponed 'til another day.

Wednesday
Lise spends most of the day preparing for the evening's work - a meeting in the Dufferin Arms with the Killyleagh & Shrigley forum, visiting the new community garden in Shrigley along the way. The meeting finishes at 9.30 pm, home for 9.45 pm and it's 11.00 pm by the time the mind tunes out from work stuff! Pauline spent the morning in Abbeyfield (sheltered housing for older people) in Downpatrick, working out a programme of activities with residents and their centre manager. Then back to the office to make some phone calls, check emails and write up some notes. Then it's back out in the evening to help out with a youth programme in the Downpatrick Youth Point, finishing up at 9.00 pm, home for 9.45 pm.

Thursday
Catch up with emails, phone calls and some bits and pieces before a meeting with our locality Health Development Specialist, Sarah Liddle for an all day meeting and training and a bit of craic thrown in for good measure. Our locality meetings are a good opportunity for finding out what's happening in the Trust - it's easy to forget about the bigger picture when you're working away on your little patch! In the afternoon we're brought up to speed on Health Development Principles, a one-off training session which lets us know that what we're doing has some basis in the theory of Health Development. Ann holds the fort, answering phone calls, doing a mail shot for our next networking event and basically keeping the show on the road.

Friday
Friday is organise yourself day for Pauline (well she tries anyway!), she spends the day filing and catching up with notes from the week's meetings and doing some work on community Needs Analyses with help from Ann. Lise does likewise and gathers together information on constitutions, financial recording and fundraising from the resource library for one of her groups. At 2.00 pm, That Friday Feeling has set in and it's time to head home. Thank Crunchie for a 35-hour week!