'The book's a conversation starter': a realist exploration of the salutogenic potential of reading for pleasure.

Reading for Wellbeing (RfW) is a pilot initiative, aimed at improving mental health and well-being through supporting access and increasing opportunities to read for pleasure. RfW was implemented across six North-East local authorities in England and employed Community Reading Workers to support access to books and reading for targeted populations. The current study used realist methodology to understand context, potential mechanisms of action, acceptability and reported outcomes.

"You're sort of building community in a bigger way": exploring the potential of creative, nature-based activities to facilitate community connections.

Background: This paper explores the opportunities that creative, nature-based activities offer for mobilising social connections via community-centred approaches to improve individual and collective wellbeing.

Methods: The study involved ethnographic methods and data was gathered from a nature for wellbeing project implemented in a rural village in North East England.

Results: The findings indicate creative, nature-based activities delivered within an environment marked by an ethic of care and kindness enabled the project to engage with participants at individual and collective levels simultaneously, which enhanced the project's ability to mobilise community skills and assets, and affect connectedness, equity and control within social groups facing significant disadvantages.

An analysis of English national policy approaches to health inequalities: 'transforming children and young people's mental health provision' and its consultation process.

Background: A national policy for England, published in 2017, entitled 'Transforming Children and Young People's Mental Health Provision' aimed to address the increasing prevalence mental health problems in children and tackle inequalities. In the context of this policy's implementation as ongoing and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for appropriate, timely and ongoing national government commitment is vital.

Methods: A narrative review using a problem representation evaluation [1], we critiqued the policy and related consultation documents using a social determinants of health perspective.