Leading wellbeing figure awarded Rose of Northamptonshire at Delapré Abbey

Celebrated for his work to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals across the town, David was presented the award as part of a county-wide awards initiative in a partnership between the North and West Northamptonshire Unitary Authorities and Northamptonshire Community Foundation.

Retired GP, David, who is a Trustee at Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, continues to work tirelessly to develop wellbeing partnerships and initiatives throughout the county through his work with Delapré Abbey, the General Practice Alliance, and Action for Happiness Northamptonshire. Recent projects include Delapré Wellbeing which was shortlisted for an award at the Museums and Heritage Awards.

Alongside Pete Spink – another leading figure in wellbeing within Northamptonshire who runs wellbeing programmes at the Abbey - David was awarded his certificate by Rachel McGrath, CEO, and Syrah Nazir, Trustee, of Northamptonshire Community Foundation.

Dr David Smart said: “Thank you to Rachel and Syrah of NCF, I am honoured to have received this award. I do so as part of a team of people growing a social movement to spread the work of Action for Happiness and the evidence based actions we can all personally take to create a happier kinder world together. I look forward to continue working with colleagues to spreading the resources of www.actionforhappiness.org and the 10 Keys to Happier Living in partnership with the emerging Delapré Wellbeing across Northamptonshire.”

Rachel McGrath, CEO of Northamptonshire Community Foundation, said: “I was delighted alongside trustee Syrah Nazir to present Dr David Smart and Pete Spink with their Rose of Northamptonshire Awards. Both are local community heroes supporting good health and wellbeing in Northamptonshire and we’re so very lucky to have such committed and passionate individuals in our local community.”

Dr David Smart has officially announced that he will be retiring from General Practice Alliance as the role of Clinical Directorat at the end of September, where he spent 7 years taking leadership on mental health, prevention, and personalisation. He has always believed that primary care should be placed at the forefront of health care and in 2021 he was awarded a lifetime achievement award for his work in the mental health nationally by the Royal College of General Practitioners. In the last two years, he has had more capacity to support Public Mental Health, Northamptonshire ICS was the first to sign the Prevention Concordat as an ICS in 2022. Visit northantsgpalliance.com to find out more about his work.

As a Trustee at Delapré Abbey, David has helped to grow the historic site as a destination for wellbeing, with the site’s derelict 19th century stables set to be transformed into a community hub for wellbeing and leisure. Supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project is due for completion in autumn 2025. Visit delapreabbey.org to find out more.