CHESHIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Who they support

Local charities and social enterprises

Grant criteria

We give grants to groups addressing priority needs within Cheshire and Warrington.Through our grant making we aim to: - Target community need that is informed by local research and local consultation - Focus support to achieve maximum effectiveness - Enhance community and voluntary activity in Cheshire - Encourage best practice among community and voluntary groups - Give help where it is needed most

Grant details

£1,000-£2,000 over one year or less

www.cheshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk

office@cheshirecommunityfoundation.org.uk

01606330607

Cheshire Community Foundation Ltd
c/o The Challenge Academy Trust
Bridgewater High School
Broomfields Road
WARRINGTON
WA4 3AE


Charity registered in England & Wales, No: 1143711
Charity Commission for England and Wales
Analysis of Grants Made
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In this period 1,130 donations have been made totalling £8,087,530 to 679 organisations

  • The average annual spending of grantees has been £4 million
  • The average age of charities supported has been years.

Where are the Beneficiaries?
How big are the Recipients? ?
Which activities are being funded?
How old were the charities when supported?
Growth in Spending
(per annum over last 3 years)
Individual Grants Made
When Amount Annual
Spending
Grantee To be used for
12/12/2023 £4,950 £125 BURTONWOOD COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Repair the original 1974 parquet, currently a risk and trip hazard and hamper the activities in the hall.
12/12/2023 £4,860 £411,515 BIRCHWOOD YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE Grant will go towards the costs of the new canopy and central heating gas boiler, lowering energy costs to enable future money saved to be spent on community activities.
29/11/2023 £23,513 £278,749 YOUNG ENTERPRISE Continue working with the existing schools. Delivering from the same portfolio of programmes to new cohorts of young people. Previous participants will be offered progression opportunities separately from this project through YE’s Next Steps service.
29/11/2023 £18,260 £288,623 HOPE CHURCH CREWE Hope Café exists primarily to support the Asylum Seeker population in Crewe.
29/11/2023 £20,000 £693,707 PURE INSIGHT 1628 The project will employ a specialist psychological wellbeing worker to support a group of 25 care leavers aged 16-25 living in Crewe through tailored and flexible mental health support, a further 10 young people will be supported through counselling.
29/11/2023 £23,900 £791,628 WISHING WELL PROJECT Year 2 will continue to build the reach of these evening sessions, particularly leveraging the relationships Wishing Well has built over Year 1 with local referrers.
29/11/2023 £12,500 PENNYSMART CIC LTD Provide the same service for the same target groups. Pennysmart has been successful in developing funding streams from social housing providers which reduce their reliance on grant income to deliver the service in Crewe.
29/11/2023 £9,733 £196,047 CHANCE CHANGING LIVES The Chance Cooking Club project will build on the slow cooker project with courses specifically geared to low-cost foods. Helping to support numeracy, literacy budgeting and IT skills in a supportive environment. Participants will also have the chance to talk about anything that is worrying them and gain referral pathways.
29/11/2023 £10,000 FRIENDS OF CREWE SOUTH 1 ALLEYWAYS A planned community clean up of 27 alleyways that reside 4,000 people to make the area more pleasant and safe for all ages.
29/11/2023 £24,000 THE ALPHA OMEGA WOMEN PEACE SECURITY FOUNDATION The “Safety Starts Within - Outreach and Counselling hub for British and ethnically diverse women” project will offer - confidential one-to one counselling supporting.
29/11/2023 £4,986 £157,126 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME “Splash club” which will be an after school 'out and about' club for disabled children from Springfield Special Education school, Crewe. Buddies will collect the children at the end of Thursday School day and take them to do a range of activities.
29/11/2023 £44,999 WEST CHESHIRE CREDIT UNION Recruit an Outreach Officer to cover Crewe, to raise awareness of better, safer, and more affordable avenues to borrow money. Support pathways to membership of the West Cheshire Credit Union - with the goal of driving out loan sharks.
29/11/2023 £21,670 £196,111 RUBY'S FUND Provide support to families with SEND children in Crewe and surrounding areas.
24/11/2023 £8,880 £15,617,946 CREATING ADVENTURES The grant is covering core costs, staff cost and a lunch for 20 people once a month. The project will target adults aged 50 plus with Autism and learning disabilities.
24/11/2023 £9,315 £1,121,348 THE NEUROMUSCULAR CENTRE The project will increase capacity and up skill its workforce over a period of seven months.
24/11/2023 £10,000 £628,625 HOSPICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Contribution towards the cost of a child bereavement counsellor that will work 15 hours per week. To work with children aged between the ages of 4 and 18.
24/11/2023 £9,953 £748,111 DISABILITY POSITIVE - PREVIOUSLY CHESHIRE CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING Allow them to continue the Good Company project, which offers a weekly programme of fully inclusive events for disabled adults.
24/11/2023 £9,350 STROKE SURVIVORS SPEECH AND LANGUAGE SUPPORT GROUP Increasing the number and variety of activities and social outings. These include singing and physical activities, day trips out and adding staffing capacity.
24/11/2023 £6,750 £108,470 FALLEN ANGELS DANCE THEATRE NORTH WEST Target women who are recovering addicts or suffering with mental health adversity. Provide 12 months of weekly workshops of dance, and movement.
24/11/2023 £9,482 £312,121 NEURO THERAPY CENTRE Funding will contribute towards 12 month costs of a new qualified part-time Counsellor. To plan additional activities to address growing waiting lists, grow Listening Programme, plan new services and supervise new Counsellors.
24/11/2023 £10,000 £5,305,459 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO The project will mainly target girls aged 13-18. Working with schools, will deliver positive activity sessions aimed at improving mental health, developing coping skills, and positive relationships. To recruit and train 50 wellbeing ambassadors within ten schools, with the hope of reaching 85 girls. The project will also offer volunteering and employment placements to get them ready for work.
24/11/2023 £9,895 £1,044,671 PLATFORM FOR LIFE Provide professional therapeutic support to 15 young people living in short term accommodation at the Bridge Foyer in Chester. Offering each young person approximately 12 1-2-1 sessions. To help them deal with complex traumas.
24/11/2023 £4,592 ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH, WESTBROOK To fully refurbish and equip a new kitchen based at the Westbrook Centre. To help support the team to provide food and drink at the various projects, as well as to organise a monthly community meal to help alleviate food poverty and loneliness.
24/11/2023 £10,000 SOUL KITCHEN CHESTER Fund 4 Soul in a Bowl sessions from February until the end of July. We are looking to run 2 sessions in Ellesmere Port and 2 in Chester.
24/11/2023 £10,000 £160,883 HEAD INJURED PEOPLE (HIP) IN CHESHIRE The grant support the ongoing delivery costs for the next 12 months, primarily to increase the staff capacity and contribute to operational costs.
24/11/2023 £10,000 £2,034,566 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Contribution towards hiring two members of staff to support and develop the existing volunteer-led community programme into a more structured and stable programme of support.
24/11/2023 £10,000 THE ALPHA OMEGA WOMEN PEACE SECURITY FOUNDATION The Comfort Food Programme is a community cooking project, for ethnically diverse women and men, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers to promote inclusion, cultural exchange, skills development, and community engagement.
24/11/2023 £9,912 £100,345 CREWE YMCA A grant for two weekly STEM sessions. These will be organised in three 12-week cycles across 12 months (36 weeks total provision). The sessions will work with children aged 9-16 who are particularly disengaged at school, in order to develop their skills in STEM subjects and increase their likelihood of entering meaningful further education or employment.
24/11/2023 £10,000 £69,092,929 YOUTH FEDERATION To deliver 3, 12 WK ‘Better Start’ training courses to motivate young people who are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing to learn a range of life skills and to take up new opportunities.
24/11/2023 £10,000 £328,335 VISYON The project is to provide 17 young people aged between 11 and 19 who are struggling with day to day challenges and/or engaging in risky behaviour with between 6 and 12 one-to-one mentoring sessions on a weekly basis.
22/11/2023 £2,500 £2,365 AURA The project will deliver face-to-face, online, and telephone counselling to suit the needs of the individual client.
23/10/2023 £19,790 £278,749 YOUNG ENTERPRISE Grant to Young Enterprise
23/10/2023 £19,470 GREEN SCHOOLS PROJECT CIC Grant to Green Schools Project CIC
23/10/2023 £19,795 £260,660 KINGSTANDING REGENERATION TRUST Grant to Kingstanding Regeneration Trust
23/10/2023 £10,000 £582,492 SPACE4AUTISM Grant to Space4Autism
23/10/2023 £6,070 £298,513 SOURCE YOUTHWORK (KNOWN AS WILMSLOW YOUTH) Grant to Source Youthwork (known as Wilmslow Youth)
23/10/2023 £20,000 £25,867 HOUNSLOW ASIAN & AFRICAN YOUTH ASSOCIATION Grant to Hounslow Asian & African Youth Association
23/10/2023 £20,000 PITCH 2 PROGRESS CIC Grant to Pitch 2 Progress CIC
23/10/2023 £19,860 £484,475 PALLION ACTION GROUP Grant to Pallion Action Group
23/10/2023 £20,000 £284,186 BLAYDON YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE CIO Grant to Blaydon Youth & Community Centre CIO
23/10/2023 £19,952 £333,339 YOUNG WOMEN'S OUTREACH PROJECT Grant to Young Women's Outreach Project
23/10/2023 £19,240 £557,456 TUTORS UNITED Grant to Tutors United
23/10/2023 £19,823 £1,333,878 POSITIVE YOUTH FOUNDATION Grant to Positive Youth Foundation
18/10/2023 £2,337 £224,551 SPACE The grant will pay towards staffing and resources to run the group. The support group for children with the aim of increasing their resilience and equipping them with tools to deal with difficult emotions. We will run a weekly sibling support group for children age 7+ who have siblings with additional needs.
18/10/2023 £2,500 £54,850 SOUTH WEST CHESHIRE SCOUTS The grant will part cover the cost of an accessible local rehearsal space for The Gang Show, for a wide range of young people. The Show will provide young people a chance to work in a professional theatre.
18/10/2023 £600 CHESHIRE SCHOOLS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION The grant will cover the cost of hiring the facilities at Crewe Alexandra. This facility is vital to the successful staging the 20 tournaments throughout the year to benefit over 550 individuals.
18/10/2023 £2,500 £37,676 EVOLVE - TACKLING THE IMPACT OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE The funding will allow the delivery of Evolve’s substance misuse & county lines information sessions in 15 different schools to audiences of up to 250 in each school to Year 8 pupils through to college. Reaching over 1500 pupils.
18/10/2023 £2,400 BEE FRIENDS, FRODSHAM This grant is part funding to cover the rent of the parish hall to host coffee mornings. (£20 per hour for 120 hours).
18/10/2023 £2,285 £167,128 BRAIN INJURY REHABILITATION AND DEVELOPMENT (BIRD) CHARITY Cover the cost of a highly specialist speech therapist to deliver 9 workshops over 8-9 months, for approximetly 20 people. With some additional 1:1 support. Upskilling parents and carers to be able to better support children with communication, emotional, and learning difficulties.
18/10/2023 £2,500 EAST LATCHFORD FRIENDS Run Half Term Activity Clubs for a total of 4 weeks. 1 at Easter, 2 during the summer holidays and 1 during October half term. Weekday sessions will run Monday – Thursday 11.30am-2pm during which a healthy lunch will be served.
18/10/2023 £500 FRODSHAM CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE Decorating the Father Christmas grotto.
18/10/2023 £2,495 BUILDING HEROES EDUCATION FOUNDATION Supply work wear for a 5-week training programme to help overcome one significant barrier to participation to the course (the course will help ex-service personnel transition successfully into civilian life so they are work-ready for the construction industry).
18/10/2023 £2,500 MACCLESFIELD BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT SERVICE (MBSS) Cover Room Hire costs to allow counselling to take place away from clients homes.
18/10/2023 £600 OVER 55'S SHURLACH AFTERNOON CLUB A £500 contribution towards a party to celebrate the success of the Over 55 Club. Also £100 for the cost of an advertising A - frame to inform people of events taking place.
18/10/2023 £2,500 £160,883 HEAD INJURED PEOPLE (HIP) IN CHESHIRE The grant will help provide additional support workers to recreational activities, to subsidise the same and to improve the education programme.
18/10/2023 £2,500 £105,145 SPEAKING UP, SPEAKING OUT Project to help 25 learning disabled adults in Macclesfield with personalised user-led support, taking place over two hours each week, delivering activities tailored to the needs of the group. 
18/10/2023 £2,490 £210,025 ELLESMERE PORT AND NESTON COMMUNITY TRANSPORT The Grant will cover forthcoming monthly installments of the insurance payments on the Neston cars. To allow the volunteer-led services (providing lifts to older, less mobile and vulnerable people in EP and Neston - getting them to medical appointments, social opportunities, shopping etc) to continue.
18/10/2023 £2,500 £2,034,566 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH Part fund the expansion of existing work; the weekly Drop-In, the monthly Community Meal and the provision of emergency food parcels/vouchers.
18/10/2023 £2,370 £157,126 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME The project will provide a new, specially tailored opportunity for CCBS's children and young people to visit the zoo. The project will support 2 groups of children and young people aged 12-25years, groups will contain a minimum of 20 disabled children and young people. Each group will attend the zoo for 5 sessions per group at 2hrs per session.
28/09/2023 £9,800 STABLE MINDS CIC A programme to support families facing the challenges of living with addiction and co-dependency, working in collaboration with Healthbox.
26/09/2023 £10,000 SUPPORTING WELLBEING AND NURTURING STRENGTH CIC Provide 30 minute counselling sessions. The group work includes 6-8 pupils but emphasis to identifying those who would benefit from further 1-2-1 sessions.
26/09/2023 £6,910 TWINKLEBOOST CIC The grant will cover the sessional cost of two speech and language assistants for 38 sessions, online support for parents/families after their sessions have ended.
20/09/2023 £5,740 £1,020,971 NESTON COMMUNITY YOUTH CENTRE The grant is staff costs for 6 months. To allow a well run befriending scheme to continue. The service combines phone calls, befriending visits, and tailored group activities. it will benefit at least 70 older people.
20/09/2023 £2,500 OLD SAW MILL COMMUNITY BENEFIT SOCIETY The grant will allow to increase capacity to provide an additional 60 nutritious "home cooked" two course meals delivered weekly to local residents who are isolated at home.
20/09/2023 £500 £95,780 CROMDALE WAY PRESCHOOL The Grant will fund the replacement and upgrade of the books, will benefit the 26 families who currently use the Pre-school.
20/09/2023 £2,000 'PLUM' @ UNITING CHURCH Create a series of mini artists-in-residence over the course of 12 months who will deliver a programme of afterschool and holiday activities.
20/09/2023 £2,500 HEALTHBOX CIC Harmony Wheels- reduce isolation and loneliness in the elderly population. 40 sessions from a professional music lead.
20/09/2023 £4,209 CC HUB CIC To add an extra session into the current programme to make it 4 a week. The uplift will cover the cost of the assistant and provide our usual emergency food facility. We want to provide debt and benefits advice for those who are in debt.
20/09/2023 £2,400 £168,197 MOBILITY AND ACCESS GROUP Strengthen MAG's volunteer base to enable them to provide an additional 80 trips per year.
20/09/2023 £2,491 £2,696,955 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD A 12 week course which will benefit children aged 8-12 who are experiencing anxiety. Funding will mean up to 10 families access this intensive support
20/09/2023 £1,500 £158,188 MAKING SPACE The project will target over 55's living independently with additional care needs. The grant will cover the costs of both group days out and individual activities for 58 beneficiaries. It will target those most at risk of loneliness and isolation and help them to live independently.
20/09/2023 £1,250 FRESH-BEGINNINGS Grant to deliver 12 cooking sessions for 8 young adults with Autism and learning disabilities along with a parent or carer. These sessions will last 2-3 hours.
20/09/2023 £1,665 THE ALPHA OMEGA WOMEN PEACE SECURITY FOUNDATION A self defense programme for 20 women. It will consist of 5 weekly 90 minute sessions. Each session is based around a different scenario.
20/09/2023 £1,920 £2,677,772 THE WINGATE SPECIAL CHILDREN'S TRUST The Cookery Project will be for young adults of all disabilities focusing on ability rather than disability. 44 cooking sessions will take place over a year, classes will be weekly and last 1 hour. Each session will involve 10 clients, 2 staff and 1 volunteer.
19/09/2023 £500 £19,915 CHILDREN'S HOSPICE - PLAY & HOLIDAY CENTRE T/A SAM'S PLACE NW LTD Grant to Children's Hospice - Play & Holiday Centre T/A Sam's Place NW Ltd
18/09/2023 £9,950 £2,696,955 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Provide counselling for 6 children a week to be provided with an average of 8 sessions each. The grant will pay for staff resource.
17/08/2023 £2,000 £5,305,459 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Grant to Motherwell Cheshire CIO
16/08/2023 £2,000 ALL SAINTS CHURCH Grant to All Saints Church
03/08/2023 £2,000 £89,653 CHANCE CHANGING LIVES Grant to Chance Changing Lives
03/08/2023 £2,000 £517,958 ST PAUL'S CENTRE Grant to St Paul's Centre
03/08/2023 £5,000 £1,343,518 KOALA NORTH WEST (FORMERLY HOME-START WIRRAL) home visiting support service for families living in Neston who have at least one child under the age of 11 and are struggling with family life. Providing emotional and practical support.
03/08/2023 £2,000 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Grant to Pure Insight 1628
03/08/2023 £2,000 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA Grant to Cheshire Without Abuse - my CWA
03/08/2023 £1,000 CHEADLE HULME SCHOOL Grant to Cheadle Hulme School
31/07/2023 £2,500 £325,970 CHILDREN TODAY The Grant will provide equipment to make a substantial difference to the lives of children with disabilities.
27/07/2023 £17,550 ANDY REID STANDING TALL CIC STF are working in partnership with the Probation Service in Warrington on a bespoke well-being programme supporting veterans in the probation system and putting the measures in place to reduce reoffending. The project will run four of the eight-week programmes; activities will include mental health support, wellbeing activities, a range of fitness sessions, an outdoor activity day and 1-1 support. Each eight-week programme will work with 10 beneficiaries, all referred by Warrington Probation Service.
27/07/2023 £20,000 £7,017,000 PRISON ADVICE AND CARE TRUST (PACT) Provide high-quality, tried & tested pre-release support to women preparing to leave HMP Styal, offering them a programme of personal development & practical skills that will help them to make a fresh start in the community. The programme will reduce reoffending in Cheshire and Warrington by: + Supporting women to plan effectively for the run-up to their release, the day of their release, and the critical 12 weeks that will follow
27/07/2023 £11,833 TOMORROW'S WOMEN WIRRAL TW will support women to make a new start, change behaviours and support mental health. The project will deliver 27 Better Solutions 3-hour courses focused on reducing reoffending for 12 women per course, courses/workshops on a range of issues as chosen by the women, as well as drop-in and advice at the applicant’s centre, and volunteering opportunities.
26/07/2023 £1,000 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA Panto Trip
19/07/2023 £2,440 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD To delivery a hot meal and dessert to approximately 20 disadvantaged Elderly residents of Knutsford for 6 months.
04/07/2023 £504 £26,047 1ST GREAT SUTTON SCOUT GROUP To cover the cost of Scout summer camp for children who of otherwise not be able to attend.
28/06/2023 £1,390 £209,479 ST HELEN'S CHURCH NORTHWICH To provide 12 x 2.5 hour weekly social gatherings to the community with the offer of a free lunch and light refreshments, for an average of 28 participants.
28/06/2023 £2,500 WARRINGTON ROWING CLUB The grant will fund learn to row courses to ten adults and 10 ten children, living in the local area. with some of the money going towards the cost of a new boat.
28/06/2023 £4,928 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD Grant to The Welcome (Knutsford) Ltd
28/06/2023 £2,500 £69,092,929 KING'S CHURCH WARRINGTON King's Table provides food aid to people experiencing poverty or struggling to afford food.
28/06/2023 £2,000 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA To provide seaside trips to 90 people who are effected by domestic abuse. My CWA is seeking funding through the Small Grant Programme for our Sunshine and Seashells project, which aims to provide summer trips to the seaside for families affected by domestic abuse.
28/06/2023 £2,500 LIVEWIRE (WARRINGTON) CIC The Grant will provide intervention for 12-17 year olds who are experiencing social difficulties in any area of their lives. Using sport as a conduit for one to one mentoring.
28/06/2023 £2,500 CREATIVE TIES CIC Provide 2 hour weekly craft sessions to 15 people for 9 weeks. Taster/small project engagement in varying types of craft processes. Including a cuppa and a conversation. Underpinning mental health through social engagement and learning through craft skills/education.
28/06/2023 £2,500 SWITCH 180 Snow Camp is a 2 day life changing snowsports programme for 30 young people in need
27/06/2023 £30,000 £15,130,287 DEMENTIA UK Grant to Dementia UK
27/06/2023 £25,000 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH ZONE LIMITED Grant to Warrington Youth Zone Limited
27/06/2023 £50,000 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY ACTION (NAVCA) Donor directed payment Assura to NAVCA for support services to build relationships with certain ICBs in the UK over one year
22/06/2023 £12,730 HOPE4MORE CIC The project will deliver a structured art programme  specifically designed for young people with EBSA (emotionally based school avoidance) to increase their confidence , self esteem and wellbeing alongside their new skills. 3 of these 12-week art courses will be run, reaching 15 young people who are regularly absent from school.
22/06/2023 £14,000 HERE AND NOW CHESTER LTD A 12 months project to support a hub for older people in different forms of activities. Helping to address inequalities, reaching around 80 older people in the Blacon area of Chester.
22/06/2023 £9,227 £2,201,855 CHESHIRE DEAF SOCIETY - WORKING NAME: DEAFNESS SUPPORT NETWORK (DSN) To provide a series of monthly information workshops on key issues that people with hearing loss typically miss out on due their inaccessibility e.g. switching utilities, accessing benefits, or with wellbeing. To inform people of what support is there for them, improve people’s confidence, and reduce isolation by bringing people together.
22/06/2023 £24,969 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH ZONE LIMITED The project will see WYZ working in partnership with Home-Start Warrington to deliver a 12 month programme for families. ‘Foundations’ will be open to any family known to Home-Start and to the wider community with a child under the age of 5.  
22/06/2023 £12,300 £421,237 CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS To raise awareness in three schools to identify hidden young carers and sign post them into wellbeing activities and direct support. The grant will fund the operational costs for 130 assessments.
22/06/2023 £25,000 £66,126 PANTRY FOR BLACON CIO Target adults living in Blacon who are carers, or who suffer from long-term physical or mental ill health or disability themselves, as well as adults who are socially isolated and/or lacking key life skills for a range of other reasons which contribute to the multiple inequalities they face. The grant will pay for a life skills coach and a digital skills coach who will provide support one to one, in small groups and on an outreach basis where appropriate. 
22/06/2023 £14,750 £316,687 PLATFORM FOR LIFE A year-long project that will deliver 1-2-1 therapeutic support (counselling, art and play therapy) to 15 low-income women and children who have suffered domestic abuse to improve their mental health, self-confidence and increase their social integration. Also to provide a 6-week pilot wellbeing course for 12 women who are engaging with 1-2-1 therapeutic support.
22/06/2023 £15,000 £140,353 OPAL SERVICES (RURAL WEST CHESHIRE) The grant will fund a part time worker to support carers of those with dementia to help them access the services provided by Opal and in the Community. Also volunteers will be recruited and trained to support those with dementia and their carers.
22/06/2023 £15,000 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 A community mentoring project providing volunteer mentors for young people leaving care. 80 young people will be supported over the course of 1 year with 2-3 hours of support each week.
22/06/2023 £23,970 £644,234 WISHING WELL PROJECT The project will target 70 people experiencing homelessness, including people with no fixed address, asylum seekers/refugees - or those who are experiencing issues with housing, employment, substance abuse and/or addiction. It will provide 52 weekly football sessions to engage and lift people out of poverty, providing them with meaningful and purposeful activity and the opportunity to secure volunteering placements, gain IT training, and potential employment, within the project - or related activities.
22/06/2023 £7,004 £347,435 CREWE LYCEUM THEATRE An extended tailored work-experience programme for a group of young people aged 14 to 18, delivered at weekly sessions. The programme will give young people valuable life skills, and they will work towards the Silver Arts Award. The project will support group members to move on into further education and into the workforc
22/06/2023 £7,797 WHITEGATE STATION COMMUNITY GROUP To provide work placements for students with SEND who attend Greenbank and Oaklands schools.  54 students in cohorts of 12-16 will attend over one year. Students will attend the café every Friday and will be supported by experienced staff to learn both catering and life skills.
21/06/2023 £6,250 £15,033 KNUTSFORD G.R.O.W. (GARDEN REGENERATION OVER WARD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION) Grant to Knutsford G.R.O.W. (Garden Regeneration Over Ward Community Association)
20/06/2023 £1,500 £442,479 THE JOSHUA TREE Grant to The Joshua Tree
20/06/2023 £2,500 £191,736 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Mums will have the opportunity to wash/dry their family’s clothes and bedding. Whilst they wait, they will socialise with other mums in a safe, warm space, make new friends, have a hot drink and snack, access wi-fi, chat with volunteers (and receive other support (e.g. debt/money management, employment/training/volunteering, health/wellbeing).
20/06/2023 £1,500 £37,062 FAMILIES UNITED (WARRINGTON) Grant to Families United (Warrington)
16/06/2023 £2,000 £166,782 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME Grant to Central Cheshire Buddy Scheme
16/06/2023 £2,740 £2,492,700 DISABILITY POSITIVE - PREVIOUSLY CHESHIRE CENTRE FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING Grant to Disability Positive - previously Cheshire Centre for Independent Living
25/05/2023 £30,000 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Grant to Pure Insight 1628
24/05/2023 £32,089 £880,464 VISYON Continue activities within the four schools. Provide a flexible service which responds to the needs of young people. If we identified a specific need in a school then we would work with them with how best we could support the needs of their young people.
19/05/2023 £3,400 £190,442 SOUTH CHESHIRE CLASP Grant to South Cheshire CLASP
19/05/2023 £2,000 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH ZONE LIMITED Grant to Warrington Youth Zone Limited
19/05/2023 £2,000 £421,237 CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS Grant to Cheshire Young Carers
19/05/2023 £4,554 £905,910 SAVE THE FAMILY Grant to Save the Family
19/05/2023 £2,100 £166,950 FRIENDS FOR LEISURE Grant to Friends for Leisure
19/05/2023 £3,950 £328,335 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD Grant to Cre8 Macclesfield Ltd
19/05/2023 £2,000 £153,414 WINSFORD YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FORUM LIMITED Grant to Winsford Youth and Community Forum Limited
19/05/2023 £4,850 WE ARE RAISING MONEY PTA Grant to We Are Raising Money PTA
19/05/2023 £5,000 £497,935 PASSION FOR LEARNING Grant to Passion for Learning
17/05/2023 £2,500 £179,275 BOLLINGTON COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, THE BRIDGEND CENTRE Pay for a local community bus to transport up to 14 people from Bollington to a shopping destination once per fortnight. Plus a community worker’s time to co-ordinate the project, manage passengers and supervise the journeys. This project will deliver a transport service to shopping destinations within an one hour radius of Bollington.
17/05/2023 £1,640 HARTFORD STROKE AND APHASIA GROUP The grant will cover £1000 for room hire and insurance to allow the group to provide a weekly meetings for stroke survivors to meet and socialise in a safe space. With a small amounts of the grant being for trips and activities.
17/05/2023 £9,753 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH ZONE LIMITED Fund 12 Warrington residents over 50 to take part in a 6 month employability programme, to gain meaningful work-related qualifications and provide a pathway to join the Youth Zone staff team, or other employment, and using their skills to help young people from the local community.
17/05/2023 £2,500 PARENTAL EDUCATION GROWTH SUPPORT Grant will pay for 2 x staff costs to run 2 x EPIC programme's for 6 weeks for each cohort. So that 30 parents/caregivers in total will be provided wrap around support for those experiencing CPA (Child to Parent Abuse). Parents will have the opportunity to attend daily 1 hour virtually drop in sessions and peer support groups run by PEGS Staff. Provide information sessions to professionals to raise awareness of PEGS and CPA and publicity resources.
17/05/2023 £1,000 £892,105 BIPOLAR UK Fund 20 people with fortnightly 2-hour group support sessions in Chester and Warrington. Providing telephone and email contact, and access to an e-community support network. A grant will enable us to deliver 24 sessions of in-person bipolar peer group support in both Chester and Warrington.
17/05/2023 £2,500 £105,326 HOPE CAFé The Grant will help to fund a welcoming space for asylum seekers, where people feel supported and their needs are met. £500 will go towards purchasing bikes to provide independence, £500 for shoes and clothes, £300 for Backpacks and football boots, £500 on teas, coffees and fresh food, £700 towards a commercial dishwasher to enable the cafe to run.
17/05/2023 £9,941 £4,605,585 ST ROCCOS HOSPICE The Grant will be used to recruit a part time therapy assistant to run weekly coffee mornings under the supervision of the therapy team. They will deliver home-based holistic therapy to isolated carers that are unable to travel to the hospice.
17/05/2023 £26,875 £1,172,521 WARRINGTON DISABILITY PARTNERSHIP To deliver the role of Disability and Older Persons Information Officer for a second year, providing information, advice and guidance on a wide range of disability and age related matters to people aged 55 and over.
26/04/2023 £2,500 £18,281,000 DEPAUL UK To fund volunteer training to provide over 166 same-night emergency night accommodation for 20 Cheshire-based young people in crisis or facing homelessness. Offering the participants a place to sleep in the homes of trained and vetted community volunteers and be provided with basic necessities.
26/04/2023 £5,000 £2,519,161 CHANGING LIVES TOGETHER Install a community kitchen and run a low cost cafe in Winsford to mirror the one successfully piloted in Northwich. The Very Green Grocery, Winsford prevents surplus food going to waste and helps people in financial need by providing access to low cost, high quality food.
26/04/2023 £2,487 £180,106 THE SMILE GROUP Funding will support the role of the Wellbeing Practitioner in and around Macclesfield over a 3-month period. With the aim to see 12 new parents engaging with the service over that time. Offering support for those who are struggling with adapting to parenthood.
26/04/2023 £1,500 1ST CROFT RANGERS Increasing membership numbers to support approximately 15 young people aged 14-18 on a weekly basis for 2 hours over 38 weeks. Help them gain training and qualifications such as first aid, offer them opportunities such as team building weekends away at a reasonable cost. The grant will also fund the current 4 young leaders qualified with their young leadership.
26/04/2023 £20,629 £439,907 WARRINGTON VOLUNTARY ACTION  WVA Food Network Coordinator Year 3
26/04/2023 £4,951 £597,982 DIAL WEST CHESHIRE The grant will contribute towards the ongoing project of the Community Cafe and will enable them to continue for a further six months.The cafe will offer a 'warm, welcoming menu', consisting of free hot drinks and good value meals and snacks. The Cafe will have information about sources of support to help people with cost of living challenges.
26/04/2023 £2,500 £40,939 CREATING ADVENTURES The grant is to be used to continue the weekly sessions with an experienced and qualified art leader.Our Art project addresses the mental and social wellbeing of our members by giving them a therapeutic session to express their individuality and learn new techniques. This benefits our adults with Autism & Learning Disabilities.
25/04/2023 £2,647 CONGLETON 4 CONGLETON Grant to Congleton 4 Congleton
13/04/2023 £5,000 £1,172,521 WARRINGTON DISABILITY PARTNERSHIP Grant to Warrington Disability Partnership
29/03/2023 £500 £5,121,777 THE ROSSENDALE TRUST Grant to The Rossendale Trust
23/03/2023 £12,500 £71,150,000 THE PRINCE'S TRUST Grant to The Prince's Trust
16/03/2023 £500 GARDEN QUARTER ASSOCIATION Hold a community festival for all residents of the Garden Quarter to promote a better understanding of the traditions and cultures of our diverse communities.
16/03/2023 £1,000 BRIDGEFIELD WATER POLO CLUB We would like to offer young people aged 16 -19 in our water polo club club, with the opportunity to undertake industry recognised and endorsed sport and leisure training courses in areas such as swim teaching, sports coaching and fitness.
16/03/2023 £1,250 SOUTH HULME MONDAY CLUB Our pc has conked out so need to replace to contact our members, keep them involved, and included. For the coronation, we are planning a inside street party, but still need pc, and printer access.
16/03/2023 £500 AUTISM DOGS CIC We have been invited to exhibit at the Cheshire Show and the Cheshire East Dog Fest this year. We will be providing talks and therapies and a safe autism friendly meeting place for a number of our autistic families that want to attend and an autism friendly zone for any autistic children or adults attending the show.
16/03/2023 £2,500 £37,062 FAMILIES UNITED (WARRINGTON) Monthly, 2-hr respite, animal therapy and indoor/outdoor activity and craft sessions. providing vital physical and mental well-being.
16/03/2023 £2,500 RUNNING HEAD FIRST CIC Running Head First will deliver a 12 week “couch to 5k” programme offering 4 hours a week coaching to 12 people from isolated backgrounds. The project will support people out of isolation, improving mental and physical health and providing a peer support network.
15/03/2023 £1,600 £75,438 KELSALL PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP CIO Project Sunbeam is a project which will target new mums, new dads or partners who are suffering from or to prevent the onset of post-natal depression who have been referred to the Wellbeing Hub by their GP or local Social Prescriber.
15/03/2023 £3,000 £169,005 WEST CHESHIRE FOODBANK Provision of fresh food, fruit and veg to supplement our 3 day emergency food parcels to local people in crisis. We are working on an average allowance to centres of £5 per voucher. Relief of concerns over affording food or energy costs/healthier alternatives/dignity of greater choice
15/03/2023 £2,250 £573,771 WALTON LEA PARTNERSHIP "Community Connections," will involve organising regular trips to local destinations and events that are accessible and engaging.
15/03/2023 £3,164 TAGS (TEENAGERS GENDER & SEXUALITY) LGBTQ young people meet weekly to socialise in a safe space where they can be themselves and feel confident to do so.
15/03/2023 £5,000 £48,720 THE GREEN TREE HOUSE CHARITY FOOD CLUB The Green Tree House Social Supermarket project with help local communities and families struggling with the cost of living crisis. the funding will enable the charity to purchase a wide range of food, toiletries and household items for people in poverty.
15/03/2023 £2,072 RADIATE ARTS CIC True Colours' project is creative workshops that enable LGBTQ+ members of our community to take the lead, contribute, learn, and interact together, empowering them to build positive self-esteem and resilience.
15/03/2023 £2,500 £191,736 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Fortnightly Menopause Cafes in Cheshire, which are facilitated by trained Motherwell volunteers across each of the three cafes.
15/03/2023 £2,500 £35,881 EVOLVE - TACKLING THE IMPACT OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE To provide age-appropriate preventative education & awareness around substance misuse & county lines. Increasing knowledge and awareness of the consequences of misusing substances and the involvement in county lines. Reducing the level of such misuse/involvement within the community across Cheshire. To support the well-being of young people, their mental health and impact on levels of social exclusion, truancy, anti-social behaviour and crime.
15/03/2023 £1,800 £123,281 JUST-ICE POYNTON Our project will see three young adults living with Special Educational Needs employed in our community cafe and given the chance to learn multiple transferable skills, and build many positive adult relationships.
07/03/2023 £2,618 £70,027 THE BOATY THEATRE COMPANY Grant to The Boaty Theatre Company
07/03/2023 £2,570 TAILORED YARN MEMORIES Grant to Tailored Yarn Memories
07/03/2023 £2,515 BEE FRIENDS, FRODSHAM A Bowl of Soup and a Slice of Music
07/03/2023 £2,500 AMASING ARTS Grant to AmaSing Arts
07/03/2023 £2,519 IMPACT ELLESMERE PORT CIC Grant to Impact Ellesmere Port CIC
07/03/2023 £2,105 SANDBACH PRIDE CIC Grant to Sandbach Pride CIC
07/03/2023 £2,569 £325 FRIENDS OF MACCLESFIELD SILK HERITAGE Grant to Friends of Macclesfield Silk Heritage
07/03/2023 £2,640 MINERVA ARTS Grant to Minerva Arts
07/03/2023 £2,620 £40,939 CREATING ADVENTURES Grant to Creating Adventures
02/03/2023 £664 UKRAINE FAMILY HUB Grant to Ukraine Family Hub
01/03/2023 £1,000 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA Provide children, young people and families affected by domestic abuse with a trip to see a pantomime during the Christmas school holidays. The funding will enable 28 people to attend a local Christmas pantomime
21/02/2023 £5,000 £89,653 CHANCE CHANGING LIVES This grant will support the consumables for our Saturday Kitchen for Homeless or hungry adults.
21/02/2023 £2,500 £184,035 ELLESMERE PORT PCC To support families with food hampers during school holidays, due to food poverty and increasing levels of people needing support for the first time.
21/02/2023 £4,829 £153,414 WINSFORD YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FORUM LIMITED The community café projects aims to provide an informal and affordable local meeting place, serve affordable, nutritious food as well as serving as a warm hub for our older residents.
21/02/2023 £6,735 £644,234 WISHING WELL PROJECT The Wishing Well has a reputable and established meal delivery service reaching approximately 100-120 people across Crewe and south Cheshire every day.
21/02/2023 £2,500 UKRAINE FAMILY HUB Pay for equipment for the volunteer cafe we are developing at the Ukrainian hub premises which will ensure that we have the ability to sustain our food provision costs for the Ukrainian Hub and also open up a new warm living room hub for the local community.
21/02/2023 £9,610 SNOW ANGELS CIC We will increase the hours of one of our members of staff to work specifically in Knutsford on a part time basis (14 hours per week)
21/02/2023 £5,000 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA Provide emergency assistance for individuals and families affected by domestic abuse and the cost of living crisis and covid 19. The funding will enable 70 people to be supported at a time of crisis. This emergency assistance is intended for situations where individuals or families face an immediate threat to their health and safety and have exhausted all other options for assistance.
14/02/2023 £2,000 IIGHT UP BLACK AND AFRICAN HERITAGE CALDERDALE Sessions shall aim to address issues concerning human right to key knowledge on certain underlying health conditions commonly associated with the BAME community from local epidemiological data.
14/02/2023 £2,000 OASIS CHRISTIAN CENTRE The project is aimed at the physical & mental welfare of young mothers and infants in our deprived community. It will look to engage and support mothers & infants in regular, initially weekly, social groups involving singing and making music. .
14/02/2023 £1,840 £41,406 DEWSBURY RAMS Looking Back run weekly reminiscence sessions “Memories Clubs" in Dewsbury, Batley and Huddersfield supporting the socially isolated and those with memory loss problems, like dementia and Alzheimer's.
02/02/2023 £4,901 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH ZONE LIMITED Step Up project aims to provide young people with a safe and warm space while empowering them through education about life skills and cost-of-living support services.
02/02/2023 £2,500 PURPLE GECKO COMMUNITY CIC To provide February half term activities for primary school children in the Orford and surrounding areas. Each child will be provided with a hot meal every day (supplied by Warrington Disability Partnership) We will be able to open spaces for up to 50 children per day between the ages of 5-12yrs.
02/02/2023 £2,500 £220,143 ACTIVE HOPE Active Hope support local children from disadvantaged backgrounds and challenging social environments by providing outdoor and adventure activities. This funding grant will be used to purchase a set of camping tents, to enable us to offer camping residentials where children and young people will have the opportunity to access challenging physical activities.
02/02/2023 £600 OVER 55'S SHURLACH AFTERNOON CLUB The grant funding, if successful would be used to purchase a projector screen, necessary for many of our speakers, and also a celebration lunch to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles in June 2023.
02/02/2023 £2,496 £233,003,000 MHA COMMUNITIES CHESHIRE EAST Offer10 outing's to interesting and accessable locations for the member/individual should enjoy. The outing will be something they will look forward to and discuss after the time they spent there and what they did
02/02/2023 £4,916 £190,941 LIFE CHURCH WARRINGTON Provides support, care and activities for the community across 5 areas of Warrington, working in partnership with other organisations to identify and then meet these needs, offering long term solutions, referring people to other agencies when necessary.
02/02/2023 £2,300 LIVEWIRE (WARRINGTON) CIC Livewire sports & social project is an innovative program targeting those aged 50 and above. The project will use sports activities to empower individuals and get them active. It will provide opportunities for them to meet new people and socialise after the activity sessions.
02/02/2023 £2,500 CREWE ST ANDREW'S CHURCH AND CONNECTED COMMUNITY CENTRE Pay for an experienced dance artist who is also qualified Postural Stability Instructor to plan and deliver 30 Dance to Health sessions to 20+ participants. The programme addresses physical, mental and social challenges older people face; helping them to stay physically active, prevent falls, improve their mental wellbeing by taking part in a creative and fun activity, be expressive, socialise and reduce loneliness.
31/01/2023 £5,577 FLYNN'S PORT IN THE STORM Grant to Flynn's Port in the Storm
25/01/2023 £3,567 £411,174 CHESHIRE DANCE WORKSHOP LTD Project #2: Queer Histories (by artist Connor Elliman) is a creative initiative for LGBTQ+ youth aged 14-25, living in and around the City of Chester. This is a youth led project, which will work towards ‘an exhibition’ – the content of which will be decided by the young people.
18/01/2023 £2,240 £1,992,625 AGE UK CHESHIRE Free and confidential Information and Advice telephone service (I&A) for older people, their families and carers. Supporting around 2,000 older people each year, I&A helps those who are disabled and in financial difficulty to navigate financial issues and concerns, such as benefit entitlements.
18/01/2023 £5,000 £190,000 HOME-START WARRINGTON Help with the cost of living crisis to help tackle poverty and disadvantage.
18/01/2023 £2,500 WINSFORD COMMUNITY GROCERY Winsford Community Grocery in Cheshire provides a lifeline to families in need. Our aim is to prevent surplus food going to waste and to help local families who are financially struggling, often in food poverty, by providing them with access to quality food.
18/01/2023 £5,000 £188,284 WARRINGTON FOODBANK Warrington Foodbank provides food parcels to people in Warrington who are suffering from food poverty.
16/01/2023 £2,000 £141,792 ALL SAINTS NORMANTON COMMUNITY PROJECT TA THE WELL PROJECT The Well Project/Normanton Food Bank work with referral partners to provide emergency food parcels for people in crisis.
16/01/2023 £1,880 REFRESH CARERS Run 2 courses in 2023 for unpaid parent carers focusing on personal development goals, confidence building, and well-being sessions.
16/01/2023 £2,000 £154,168 PLATFORM 1 Platform 1 wish to offer support to disadvantaged people who have mental health issues caused or exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. In the form of a weekly support group where people can come to a warm space, make crafts which will help their lifestyle and talk with people about their concerns. The group will be led by a qualified counsellor and trained volunteer.
16/01/2023 £1,980 NLY COMMUNITY SPORT We want to create a Multi-Sports session on an evening for adults with disabilities and learning difficulties in Wakefield.
16/01/2023 £1,978 FOOD FOR FORT A volunteer run community café will help with isolation and food poverty and provide a warm place. T
16/01/2023 £1,998 MAFWA THEATRE CIC This grant will support the delivery of 5 weekly creative women’s workshops from April - May 2023. The sessions focus on bringing people from different communities together to improve their mental health through creative activity such as drama games, roleplay and storytelling. A creche, refreshments and bus tickets are provided to ensure workshops are accessible and a primary Care Mental Health Practitioner specialising in working with migrant women attends sessions.
16/01/2023 £1,000 £120,000 HOPE COMMUNITY CHURCH, THE TRINITY PARISH Maintain lunch at Hope Cafe for £2.50. Continue to provide a free Sunday Dinner every 2nd Sunday. Grow our social outreach by providing occasional trips out for about 15 people using the Boathouse Minibus.
12/01/2023 £25,000 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD Grant to The Welcome (Knutsford) Ltd
11/01/2023 £39,978 £3,416,543 LGBT FOUNDATION Supporting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Grant will support the continued delivery of our Women's Programme events, as well as the launch of a new social group for trans women.
11/01/2023 £50,000 £3,806,694 REDTHREAD YOUTH LTD To reach young people who are experiencing or at risk of violence and/or exploitation. Continue to deliver our Youth Violence Intervention Programme at Homerton University Hospital, Hackney.
11/01/2023 £50,000 £880,464 VISYON Continue activities within the four schools. Provide a flexible service which responds to the needs of young people. If we identified a specific need in a school then we would work with them with how best we could support the needs of their young people. Now offering 8-12 sessions to an increased number of young people.
11/01/2023 £50,000 £3,417,044 CHILD BEREAVEMENT UK Child Bereavement UK Cheshire Service wishes to continue helping children, young people, parents and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.
11/01/2023 £32,500 PCC OF WALTON BRECK AND HOLY TRINITY Will develop our use of our Church centres and local people's skills to help, support and empower the local community in both Anfield and Everton.It will help with the development of our food poverty work, debt advice growth using our Church centres and the increasing layers of work with the Family Support
03/01/2023 £90,000 £376,906 CVS CHESHIRE EAST To support the development of both emergency and community food provision in the immediate and longer-term strategy for a sustainable food eco-system which will, over time, reduce the need for emergency options, through supporting food provision organisations throughout Cheshire East.
20/12/2022 £1,007 £674,659 BLACKPOOL FOOD BANK Social Action Development
20/12/2022 £2,000 LADS WEST YORKSHIRE C.I.C. Men's Resilence groups
20/12/2022 £1,950 GROW WAKEFIELD Sanctuary Garden Therapeutic Gardening Club
20/12/2022 £2,000 £133,918 GROWING WORKS Bud - Dig, cook, eat
20/12/2022 £1,975 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PROJECT CIC The Food and Financial Training Scheme
20/12/2022 £2,000 DAYLIGHT STARS Harehills Sunshine Exercise Group
15/12/2022 £7,937 £347,435 CREWE LYCEUM THEATRE Something to Say
15/12/2022 £10,000 £50,867 MINERVA ARTS What's Your Role? Promoting Youth Volunteering
15/12/2022 £10,000 £383,854 LIVE! Youth Action Project (YAP)
15/12/2022 £10,000 £277,732 DANIEL ADAMSON PRESERVATION SOCIETY (DAPS/THE DANNY) Youth Voices on the Danny
15/12/2022 £5,942 £211,002 DOWN SYNDROME CHESHIRE Down Syndrome Cheshire Council
15/12/2022 £10,000 £339,428 RUBY'S FUND SEND Volunteering Project 16-25yrs
14/12/2022 £10,000 £2,393,460 YOUTH FEDERATION Make A Difference
09/12/2022 £1,800 £49,489 KIDZ AWARE Kidz aware xmas emergency appeal
07/12/2022 £2,500 SOLE SURVIVOR PTSD SUPPORT C.I.C CWaC Coaching The Foundations of Life
07/12/2022 £2,500 £259,842 FALLEN ANGELS DANCE THEATRE NORTH WEST Empowering Women
07/12/2022 £2,500 £211,002 DOWN SYNDROME CHESHIRE Defibrillator
07/12/2022 £2,500 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD Winter support 2022
07/12/2022 £2,500 £5,121,777 THE ROSSENDALE TRUST Oakwood Horticulture
07/12/2022 £2,000 FRIDAY SOCIAL DANCERS Friday Social Dancers
06/12/2022 £1,000 £186,578 THE FYLDE RUGBY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Rugby Reading Champions Project
06/12/2022 £1,000 £936,957 FYLDE COAST WOMEN'S AID Butterly Effected
29/11/2022 £25,000 £1,545,277 THE BREAD AND BUTTER THING Longridge expansion
22/11/2022 £2,000 UMBRELLA YOGA CIC Community Yoga in Kirklees
22/11/2022 £2,000 £133,352 LEEDS BABY BANK No Child Goes Without
22/11/2022 £2,000 SERENDIPITY CREATIVE WRITERS ONE AND ALL
22/11/2022 £2,000 £76,657 SURVIVORS WEST YORKSHIRE (BENS PLACE) Bens Place: Specialist Male Sexual Violence Survivor Counselling
15/11/2022 £5,184 £121,610 WARRINGTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST The Academy
15/11/2022 £12,575 £532,570 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Grant to Just Drop-In Youth Info and Advice Ltd
15/11/2022 £14,270 £191,736 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Motherwell Community Share Hub
15/11/2022 £15,000 £88,100 MENTELL in person
15/11/2022 £12,500 PENNYSMART CIC LTD Pennysmart Money Advice Cheshire West
15/11/2022 £10,000 AMASING ARTS AmaSing Aspire
15/11/2022 £10,500 FRIENDS OF CREWE SOUTH 1 ALLEYWAYS Cleaner Crewe
15/11/2022 £15,000 £7,078,648 THE MESSAGE TRUST Warrington Community Grocery
15/11/2022 £15,000 £288,961 WEST STREET CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Grant to West Street Christian Fellowship
15/11/2022 £10,000 £2,393,460 YOUTH FEDERATION Better Start
15/11/2022 £12,218 £483,983 CHAPTER (WEST CHESHIRE) LTD ASPIRE - Young Adults
15/11/2022 £11,350 £166,782 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME Lets do it!!
15/11/2022 £14,825 £334,680 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD ReCre8
15/11/2022 £15,000 £121,240 HOLY TRINITY PCC Place of Warmth in Blacon
15/11/2022 £14,040 £339,428 RUBY'S FUND Reopening Ruby's community hub
15/11/2022 £14,925 £411,174 CHESHIRE DANCE WORKSHOP LTD The Spotlight Project
03/11/2022 £2,500 CREATIVE TIES CIC Have a go craft
03/11/2022 £2,500 THE HAVEN ON NORTH STREET Volunteering at The Haven
03/11/2022 £2,500 £54,133 WOODWORK TO WELLNESS Woodwork to Wellness
03/11/2022 £2,500 MORE THAN A COFFEE MORNING More than a coffee morning
02/11/2022 £800 £25,037 HEADWAY BLACKPOOL WYRE & FYLDE Promotion of local brain injury support
02/11/2022 £970 FLEETWOOD CRICKET & SPORTS CLUB Junior Coaching Qualification
02/11/2022 £1,000 £126,419 AMAZING GRAZE FREE FOOD SHOP
02/11/2022 £1,000 £17,434 COMFORT CAFE Food Tomorrow
02/11/2022 £995 £45,302 CHILDREN'S HOSPICE - PLAY & HOLIDAY CENTRE T/A SAM'S PLACE NW LTD Healthy Cooking at Sam's Place
25/10/2022 £500 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Grant to Pure Insight 1628
25/10/2022 £500 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH ZONE LIMITED Grant to Warrington Youth Zone Limited
25/10/2022 £500 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA Grant to Cheshire Without Abuse - my CWA
25/10/2022 £500 £190,000 HOME-START WARRINGTON Grant to Home-Start Warrington
25/10/2022 £500 £602,074 WARRINGTON WOLVES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION Grant to Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation
25/10/2022 £500 £328,335 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD Grant to Cre8 Macclesfield Ltd
06/10/2022 £2,500 £5,358,783 EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE Increasing Accessibility to Cheshire Hospices for the LGBTQ+ community
06/10/2022 £2,500 £2,201,855 CHESHIRE DEAF SOCIETY - WORKING NAME: DEAFNESS SUPPORT NETWORK (DSN) DSN Cheshire East Tinnitus Support Group
06/10/2022 £21,492 £499,828 CHESTER VOLUNTARY ACTION Grant to Chester Voluntary Action
06/10/2022 £2,500 TAGS (TEENAGERS GENDER & SEXUALITY) The Rainbow Ball
06/10/2022 £2,500 £68,029 BOLLINGTON INITIATIVE TRUST Water Street family hub - ceiling repair and replacement
06/10/2022 £2,500 WILDERNESS TRIBE CIC Warrior Tribe
06/10/2022 £2,500 £55,451 MIDDLEWICH & DISTRICT FOODBANK Christmas 2022 Food Parcels
06/10/2022 £2,400 £29,711 THEATRE IN THE QUARTER Garden Quarter Theatre Activity for Young People
06/10/2022 £1,000 £439,907 WARRINGTON VOLUNTARY ACTION Grant to Warrington Voluntary Action
06/10/2022 £2,228 £1,343,518 KOALA NORTH WEST (FORMERLY HOME-START WIRRAL) HENRY in Chester
03/10/2022 £19,000 £4,726,763 YOUNG ENTERPRISE Enterprising Crewe
03/10/2022 £23,700 £644,234 WISHING WELL PROJECT The SAS (Supported Adults Service) Project
03/10/2022 £19,140 INNER TRUST COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY Lets Talk About IT !
03/10/2022 £21,600 PENNYSMART CIC LTD Crewe and Cheshire East Money Advice
03/10/2022 £23,580 £89,653 CHANCE CHANGING LIVES Food, driving change
03/10/2022 £8,500 THE LATH GROUP Eastern European Wellbeing Project
03/10/2022 £14,687 CREWE MEN IN SHEDS CIO Crewe Men in Sheds CIO
03/10/2022 £10,622 THE SMILE GROUP Supporting families in Nantwich & Rural, Crewe and Sandbach.
03/10/2022 £24,000 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA Lighthouse
03/10/2022 £24,000 £178,700 SOUTH CHESHIRE CLASP Family Support
29/09/2022 £4,878 CETMA Gardens and Cuppas
29/09/2022 £5,000 £151,655 TANYARD YOUTH PROJECT LTD BESPOKE
29/09/2022 £4,950 £95,843 THE WINDFALL CENTRE LTD Helping children access therapeutic support
29/09/2022 £5,000 £86,653 AMAZING GRACE SPACES Grace House
29/09/2022 £4,998 £209,728 YOUR SPACE (MARCHES) LTD Your Space Music Club
29/09/2022 £5,000 CYMRU CHILDREN & YOUTH SPORTS FOUNDATION BeWell
29/09/2022 £4,697 £133,415 CITRUS ARTS Citrus Pips
29/09/2022 £5,000 £9,327,054 HOPE HOUSE CHILDREN'S HOSPICES (TY GOBAITH) Transition Nurse at Ty Gobaith
29/09/2022 £5,000 A4W INNOVATIONS CIC Create and Relate
29/09/2022 £5,000 £234,132 SKILLS AND VOLUNTEERING CYMRU Young Carers Club
29/09/2022 £5,000 FAMILY PATHWAY LTD Cathay's Youth Provision and Family Pathway
29/09/2022 £5,000 £2,283,291 CARE & REPAIR CARDIFF AND THE VALE Grant to Care & Repair Cardiff and The Vale
29/09/2022 £4,990 £37,503 THE CLUBHOUSE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Maintaining You - Maintaining the Gardens
29/09/2022 £5,000 £48,284 DINAS POWYS VOLUNTARY CONCERN The Monday Soup Club
29/09/2022 £3,755 THE SWANSEA WELLBEING CENTRE CIC Women Together Transform project
29/09/2022 £4,250 £964,041 YMCA SWANSEA Y-Hub
29/09/2022 £5,000 £2,260,038 CITY HOSPICE Cardiff Bereavement support
29/09/2022 £5,000 HAUL ARTS IN HEALTH Be Creative Be Inspired
29/09/2022 £2,112 SHOTTON TOWN UNITED. JFC Junior football training
29/09/2022 £1,000 £1,399,235 EMPOWERMENT CHARITY Safe To Be Me
22/09/2022 £19,719 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH ZONE LIMITED YOOF Digital Platform
21/09/2022 £2,000 POYNTON JFC Poynton JFC "Development" team
15/09/2022 £8,434 £439,907 WARRINGTON VOLUNTARY ACTION Walks to Wellness
15/09/2022 £8,485 £8,101 LONGBARN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION Wellbeing & Social Inclusion in Longbarn
12/09/2022 £35,000 £439,907 WARRINGTON VOLUNTARY ACTION Food Network Community Connector
08/09/2022 £1,000 LPM DANCE Blackpool Fusion
07/09/2022 £2,500 £1,419,521 HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE ASSOCIATION Specialist Huntington's Disease Advisory service - Cheshire and Warrington
07/09/2022 £2,500 FRIENDS OF FEARNHEAD CROSS COMMUNITY CENTRE Wellbeing Brunch Box
07/09/2022 £2,500 £169,005 WEST CHESHIRE FOODBANK Neston Foodbank hub fresh food project
07/09/2022 £700 MID ORFORD RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION New fridge
07/09/2022 £2,270 £105,206 HOLY TRINITY PCC Place of Warmth pilot project
24/08/2022 £900 £919,828 BLACKPOOL CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU Let's Come Together
24/08/2022 £1,000 BELLE VUE STRAWBERRY GARDENS COMMUNITY GROUP A community continuing to grow
24/08/2022 £950 £54,825 LAYTON METHODIST CHURCH film nights
18/08/2022 £10,000 £568,091 PASSION FOR LEARNING Knutsford Enrichment Clubs
11/08/2022 £2,500 £6,531 HOBY UK HOBY UK 2023 seminar
11/08/2022 £2,500 £463,984 DAISY'S DREAM Project Wellbeing
11/08/2022 £2,500 NORTHWICH BASKETBALL CLUB Rudheath Development Project
11/08/2022 £2,500 £166,950 FRIENDS FOR LEISURE FFL post-covid recovery family support
11/08/2022 £1,415 FRIENDS OF LONGBARN PARK Developing Longbarn PArk for the Community
11/08/2022 £1,720 DISCOS FOR MENTAL HEALTH Discos for Mental Health and Wellbeing
08/08/2022 £5,155 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA Partnership Approach Recovery Journey -Under the Sea
08/08/2022 £3,870 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD Seaside days out
08/08/2022 £2,844 £905,910 SAVE THE FAMILY Chester Zoo Day Out
08/08/2022 £2,500 £334,680 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD Camas Residential
08/08/2022 £2,128 £191,736 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Seaside Fun Day
08/08/2022 £510 £1,098,181 CHESHIRE SCHOOLS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION Year 7 & 8 Festivals of Football
08/08/2022 £1,100 £190,442 SOUTH CHESHIRE CLASP Out of School Kids Summer Trip
02/08/2022 £23,091 £233,003,000 MHA The Port MIND Wellbeing Project
02/08/2022 £1,000 SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS CIC Blackpool Dementia Support Project
02/08/2022 £778 £334,279 CANCER HELP (PRESTON) LTD Complementary Therapies
02/08/2022 £999 £126,465 PARK VIEW 4U Flame Academy
19/07/2022 £10,000 £532,570 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Knutsford High School Counselling Service
06/07/2022 £1,000 MANCHESTER YOUTH ZONE Grant to Manchester Youth Zone
29/06/2022 £3,000 ALL SAINTS CHURCH Grant to All Saints Church
20/06/2022 £28,200 £421,237 CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS Education Officer Cheshire East
10/06/2022 £14,929 £153,414 WINSFORD YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FORUM LIMITED New Images 'Youthy' Project
10/06/2022 £7,564 £489,320 SPACE4AUTISM Youth Space
10/06/2022 £15,000 THE PORT GROCERY The Port Grocery
10/06/2022 £10,350 £191,736 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Inspire Wellbeing Programme
10/06/2022 £12,310 £179,986 TIME OUT GROUP (NORTH WEST) Life Skills Programme: building independence and confidence
10/06/2022 £14,760 £383,854 LIVE! Stay'n'Play and Super Teens.
10/06/2022 £7,725 £387,996 THEATRE PORTO (FORMERLY ACTION TRANSPORT THEATRE) Young Writers
10/06/2022 £8,436 £139,771 SPACE Little Stars
10/06/2022 £9,867 £109,307 SPEAKING UP, SPEAKING OUT TOGETHER AGAIN
10/06/2022 £6,135 £117,000 THE OLD SCHOOL The Old School Summer Cultural Engagement Project
10/06/2022 £7,956 £517,958 ST PAUL'S CENTRE St Paul's Pantry
10/06/2022 £15,000 £168,740 TOO GOOD TO WASTE (ELLESMERE PORT) The Welcome Days
10/06/2022 £6,942 WEST CHESHIRE AUTISM HUB Peer employment programme
10/06/2022 £15,000 £5,670,924 UK STORYHOUSE LIMITED Young Company
10/06/2022 £9,997 THE UPTON YOUTH AND COMMUNITY PROJECT CORE Pantry
10/06/2022 £12,447 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Mini Minds
10/06/2022 £9,850 £1,774,629 CREWE YMCA After School Clubs
10/06/2022 £12,188 £693,088 STICK 'N' STEP Improving the lives of children and young people living with cerebral palsy
10/06/2022 £15,000 £190,000 HOME-START WARRINGTON Dad Matters Warrington
10/06/2022 £15,000 £158,485 THE BREN PROJECT Bren Bikes Supervisor
10/06/2022 £9,130 £166,782 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME Adventure Siblings
10/06/2022 £14,921 £4,036,462 HOSPICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Reflect Counselling
09/06/2022 £14,526 £520,051 NEURO THERAPY CENTRE Neuro Support for Covid Recovery
09/06/2022 £10,152 £2,423,725 PETTY POOL TRUST Petty Pool Animal Assisted Therapy Project for Young People
09/06/2022 £14,548 £905,910 SAVE THE FAMILY Family Mentor
07/06/2022 £2,500 CREATIVE CREWE OPERATION HARVEST
07/06/2022 £2,500 £195,374 HIGH LEGH PRE-SCHOOL NURSERY Project Garden
07/06/2022 £2,500 £89,653 CHANCE CHANGING LIVES Community Pantry
07/06/2022 £2,500 CORONERS COURT SUPPORT SERVICES Volunteer expenses and training
07/06/2022 £1,232 £124,019 ST JOHN'S CHURCH SANDIWAY Tea & Coffee Equipment
07/06/2022 £1,500 £105,771 POYNTON METHODIST CHURCH Poynton Methodist Church Garden Project
07/06/2022 £2,400 £48,720 THE GREEN TREE HOUSE CHARITY FOOD CLUB Community Social Supermarket
12/05/2022 £9,920 PURPLE GECKO COMMUNITY CIC Mature Movers
09/05/2022 £27,945 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 InSight In Mind Warrington
01/05/2022 £3,000 CONGLETON 4 CONGLETON Grant to Congleton 4 Congleton
27/04/2022 £5,000 £1,172,521 WARRINGTON DISABILITY PARTNERSHIP Grant to Warrington Disability Partnership
22/04/2022 £30,000 £15,130,287 DEMENTIA UK Grant to Dementia UK
22/04/2022 £25,000 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Grant to Warrington Youth Club Limited
14/04/2022 £2,500 £153,414 WINSFORD YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FORUM LIMITED Family Art Project
14/04/2022 £2,500 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Cafe Inspire - drop in cafe in Crewe
14/04/2022 £2,500 £45,380 ELLESMERE PORT AND NESTON COMMUNITY TRANSPORT Maintain viability of Community Transport
14/04/2022 £2,500 SIGNING SOLUTIONS CIC CPR and AED training
14/04/2022 £2,500 £73,949 KIDSBANK CHESTER Broadening our service delivery
14/04/2022 £2,500 £5,496 BIRCHWOOD YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTRE Grant to Birchwood Youth & Community Centre
14/04/2022 £2,500 £158,485 THE BREN PROJECT Grant to The Bren Project
14/04/2022 £1,718 £892,105 BIPOLAR UK Warrington Bipolar Peer Support
14/04/2022 £2,470 RIVER AND SEA SENSE LTD RASS Safety Skool
14/04/2022 £2,000 £1,189,308 CHILD BRAIN INJURY TRUST Supporting children with ABIs in Cheshire
14/04/2022 £1,800 £66,104 HOLMES CHAPEL BOXING CLUB Boxing for Positive Minds
14/04/2022 £2,000 £159,068 ST MARY MAGDALENE'S CHURCH HALL St Mary Magdalene's Car Park Improvement
14/04/2022 £2,162 £55,373 NORTHWICH COMMUNITY SUPPORT NORTHWICH COMMUNITY SUPPORT VAN
14/04/2022 £500 KNUTSFORD ALLOTMENT SOCIETY A Garden for All
14/04/2022 £1,452 GRAPPENHALL ART GROUP Grappenhall Art Group
14/04/2022 £1,500 WINSFORD OVER JFC vision 2022
14/04/2022 £2,481 £1,774,629 CREWE YMCA Parenting Group
14/04/2022 £2,475 CREWE FLYERS SWIMMING CLUB New start
11/04/2022 £7,310 £7,526 BURTONWOOD AND WINWICK COMMUNITY BUS Burtonwood & Winwick Community Bus CIO
11/04/2022 £9,986 £1,870,011 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Over 50s Youth Zone Volunteering Programme
06/04/2022 £2,500 £139,771 SPACE Grant to SPACE
04/04/2022 £8,875 BLOOMINGART Queen's Platinum Portrait exhibition
04/04/2022 £3,250 AUDLEM & DISTRICT COMMUNITY ACTION Popular Platinum Performances
04/04/2022 £9,373 £2,824,450 CULTURE WARRINGTON Everything About Us; An Artists Takeover of Warrington Museum, Art Gallery & Library
04/04/2022 £3,125 £82,401 PANTRY FOR BLACON CIO Seven crowns for seven decades
04/04/2022 £5,000 HELPING HANDS, ORFORD, POPLARS & HULME Platinum Jubilee
04/04/2022 £3,720 £41,637 TATTENHALL COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Queen's Platinum Jubilee Festival Celebration
04/04/2022 £5,737 FRIENDS OF GOOSTREY STATION The Platinum Plaque Project
04/04/2022 £9,827 £277,732 DANIEL ADAMSON PRESERVATION SOCIETY (DAPS/THE DANNY) Connecting currents: creating youth networks and community
04/04/2022 £3,070 £166,782 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME Jubilee Buddies
04/04/2022 £3,300 £37,062 FAMILIES UNITED (WARRINGTON) F.UN Jubilee Celebration
04/04/2022 £4,457 £334,680 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD Jubilee Musical Dance extravaganza
04/04/2022 £1,373 £70,859 LITTLE ACTORS THEATRE COMPANY Queen's Platinum Jubilee Community Theatre Arts Presentations (Neston)
04/04/2022 £1,520 £961,758 THE NEUROMUSCULAR CENTRE Celebrating and Showcasing the NMC
04/04/2022 £1,400 FRIENDS OF CONGLETON PARK Platinum Jubilee - Music and picnic in the Park
04/04/2022 £2,000 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD The Welcome community Jubilee celbrations
30/03/2022 £31,798 £880,464 VISYON Crewe School's counsellor
29/03/2022 £2,248 REDESMERE SAILING CLUB Redesmere SC Community Project 2022
23/03/2022 £5,580 £568,091 PASSION FOR LEARNING Grant to Passion for Learning
23/03/2022 £6,440 £421,237 CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS Knutsford Fund activity support
23/03/2022 £1,000 CHEADLE HULME SCHOOL Grant to Cheadle Hulme School
28/02/2022 £3,000 THE PUDDLE PROJECT Project Willow (2022)
28/02/2022 £2,008 SNOW ANGELS CIC Winter Support Project
23/02/2022 £6,083 £1,172,521 WARRINGTON DISABILITY PARTNERSHIP Grant to Warrington Disability Partnership
21/02/2022 £5,000 £1,992,625 AGE UK CHESHIRE Information and Advice -
21/02/2022 £5,000 £140,353 OPAL SERVICES (RURAL WEST CHESHIRE) Keeping older people connected 2022
16/02/2022 £6,000 £82,067 CHESHIRE AGRICULTURAL CHAPLAINCY (CHURCHES TOGETHER IN CHESHIRE) Winter hardship Support for clients in Cheshire East Borough
11/02/2022 £12,500 THE PRINCE'S TRUST Grant to The Prince's Trust
10/02/2022 £2,000 CHESTER ART BEAT Chester Art Beat
10/02/2022 £1,402 EAST CHESHIRE MENTAL HEALTH FORUM East Cheshire Mental Health Forum
10/02/2022 £2,000 PENNYSMART CIC LTD Helping Your Clients with a Benefits Check Short Online Workshop
10/02/2022 £1,395 £444,455 THE GUILD FOR LIFELONG LEARNING Purchase of community Café furniture
10/02/2022 £960 AURA Group Therapy
10/02/2022 £2,000 PACKHORSE BOWLING & SOCIAL CLUB Packhorse Club Improvements
10/02/2022 £2,000 MACCLESFIELD TOWN COMMUNITY SPORTS TRUST Streetbluez
10/02/2022 £2,000 £328,335 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD Cre8 Music Project
02/02/2022 £10,000 PENNYSMART CIC LTD Pennysmart Money Advice & Training Cheshire East
02/02/2022 £2,290 £101,999 SOURCE YOUTHWORK (KNOWN AS WILMSLOW YOUTH) Mental Health First Aid for Young People
31/01/2022 £4,500 £188,284 WARRINGTON FOODBANK Warrington Foodbank -
24/01/2022 £5,000 SNOW ANGELS CIC Winter Support Project
24/01/2022 £1,978 TWINKLEBOOST CIC Giving every child the best start in life
24/01/2022 £1,425 £1,172,521 WARRINGTON DISABILITY PARTNERSHIP Digital Inclusion for Older People
17/01/2022 £5,000 £965,665 AGE UK CHESHIRE EAST Winter Wellbeing Project
13/01/2022 £15,000 £439,907 WARRINGTON VOLUNTARY ACTION Warrington Food Network Year 2 Funding
13/01/2022 £11,775 £101,999 SOURCE YOUTHWORK (KNOWN AS WILMSLOW YOUTH) Community Wellbeing Service
13/01/2022 £13,163 THE SMILE GROUP Smile Across Cheshire East
10/01/2022 £1,746 £14,511 MIDDLEWICH HERITAGE TRUST Murgatroyd's Outdoor Classroom
14/12/2021 £2,000 £13,029 MACCLESFIELD BARNABY FESTIVAL Macclesfield Barnaby Festival (MBF) delivers a community-run biennial festival reviving celebrations held in Macclesfield for centuries, connected to charter fairs, cattle markets, carnivals and the silk industry, and returning as an arts festival in 2010 with the community Parade at the centre. This community engagement project will enable us to revive Parade and carnival traditions in Macclesfield, to build stronger communities, address loneliness and isolation, and enhance creativity, skills and wellbeing, by bringing together artists and community groups to make costumes, floats and choreography which will turn Macclesfield into a Catwalk. Drawing on the traditions of the Macclesfield Silk Queen carnival parades and the desire of the town to dress up and come out to play after two years of lockdown restrictions, the grant funding will support artist fees to run workshops; the hire of the Macclesfield Community ArtSpace venue, provide resources for making of costumes, props and decorations, and contribute towards project management costs. The project will reignite the Parade community spirit, delivering quality arts activity with disadvantaged communities in Macclesfield, engaging with the town’s artistic heritage to promote health and mental wellbeing.
14/12/2021 £2,000 £179,986 TIME OUT GROUP (NORTH WEST) We are Time Out Group (North West) and we provide supported educational, cultural, active and wellbeing activities for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. Together Time will deliver 50 full day mental health and wellbeing sessions for 20 individuals; each week to include half a day in a creative workshop, exploring emotions and learning how to cope with them, followed by half a day of active and mindful activities such as gardening with local community garden and allotment groups. Ad-hoc 1-2-1 counselling will be made available to those members identified as requiring further support. This grant funding will contribute to salary costs for the Mental Health Support Worker, Counsellor, Support Staff and venue running costs. The difference this will make to the attendees will be improved confidence and resilience, increased ability to cope with challenging emotions, learning to work as a team, improvements in behaviour and understanding of others, increased connection to their local community, increased activity levels and learning new practical skills.
14/12/2021 £2,000 BUNBURY YOUTH FOOTBALL CLUB We wish to purchase suitable sized goals for the Under 11/10/12s football team. Currently, the teams are unable to play any games at the village location due to a lack of suitable goals
13/12/2021 £25,000 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD Grant to The Welcome (Knutsford) Ltd
13/12/2021 £2,236 £10,003 KNUTSFORD G.R.O.W. (GARDEN REGENERATION OVER WARD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION) Grant to Knutsford G.R.O.W. (Garden Regeneration Over Ward Community Association)
13/12/2021 £2,000 £347,435 HQ THEATRES TRUST 1. Crewe Lyceum Theatre is developing an inclusive and engaging creative learning offer to offer opportunities for the wider community to engage in theatre and creativity. 2. Our Young Ambassadors programme engages with local young people to give them a voice with demonstrable impact within their local creative hub, whilst benefitting them with experience, skills development, creative opportunities and a chance to build confidence, network and connect with likeminded people. 3. The group are supported by our staff in weekly sessions to develop their creative ideas and projects as well as participating in workshops and activities to widen their experiences and skill set – funding will allow us to engage with creative professionals and remove the expense barrier to young participants. 4. The project has a significant impact on the young people involved by giving them the skills and confidence to prepare them for their next steps in their professional lives. It also has a wider impact on the community by developing more opportunities for people to engage with our theatre through activity developed by the members and by shaping our theatre into a more accessible and venue for younger generations.
13/12/2021 £1,000 £54,938 RICNIC RicNic is a theatre charity providing free theatre projects for young people aged 7-25. During 2020, RicNic's work in East Cheshire will provide 500 young people with the opportunity to participate in FREE theatre projects aimed at improving their well-being through enjoyable activity but also developing key skills which are transferable to further education and employment. This funding will be specifically used towards the costs of delivering our 'Own The Stage' project to 150 x children aged 7-11, enabling them to receive free workshops from experience practitioners and to come together in a public venue to perform for their local community. The project will help to boost education and skills at an early age by providing a safe platform for children to express themselves, build their confidence, collaborate, share ideas and learn new skills, before combining their efforts to create a free performance for members of the local community.
13/12/2021 £2,000 £421,237 CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS Christmas Activity Programme
08/12/2021 £4,760 £133,856 NEW LIFE COMMUNITY CHURCH LEICESTER New Life Community Church works with some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in North Leicestershire, with the aim of of sustainably lifting them out of poverty. Our Family Worker provides targeted support for families who use our foodbank and debt centre services, providing welfare checks, signposting, referrals and applying for individual grants. We urgently need funding to employ our part-time family worker one day per week. This role ensures our clients receive the personalised, dignified support they need to feel more resilient and empowered to tackle life's problems.
08/12/2021 £500 £532,570 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Grant to Just Drop-In Youth Info and Advice Ltd
08/12/2021 £500 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Grant to Pure Insight 1628
08/12/2021 £500 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA Grant to Cheshire Without Abuse - my CWA
07/12/2021 £2,601 £532,570 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Just Drop-In provides a range of free services to help local young people to find their feet, with a focus on improving emotional and mental health and the life chances of those from underserved communities.The project will help deliver a summer activity programme designed to boost the well being of children and young people in the wake of the significant national restrictions neccesitated by the Pandemic. A grant will support the older age group - 16 to 25 year olds. There will be a specific focus on working with young people from underserved communities and particularly those from low socio economic families. The majority of the funding will be used to fund staff and activity costs. All reports and national indicators point to a significant rise in the numbers of children and young people needing emotional and mental health support in the wake of the pandemic. This project seeks to intervene early and provide a fun programme of activities themed around well-being to give children and young people boost to support them with a successful return to work or transition into higher/further education or employment.  The main part of the Project will be a week long residency at Macclesfield Museum where Keele University White Water Writers will work with a group of young people to write a book in a week. Wrapping around the week will be 4 other weeks of activities designed to boost confidence and well being including, physical activities and fun trips. The Project will end with a book signing which parents and supporters will be invited to to celebrate the achievements of the young people involved.  
07/12/2021 £2,506 £12,641 NANTWICH & DISTRICT RIDING FOR THE DISABLED Nantwich & District Riding for the Disabled provides therapy with the use of horses for people with disabilities to improve their health and well-being.  The project will provide a covered outdoor area education and training area, which can be used for social and other activities, quiet therapy sessions, or for vulnerable and crowd adverse people to enjoy spending quality, peaceful time with a horse.  It will also allow for the purchase of extra riding hats to assist with Covid safety.
04/12/2021 £1,750 £191,736 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Motherwell supports the mental health and wellbeing of women and girls. Since March every project that they support has grown due to the mental health need, on average an increase of 30%. They have recently just moved into new larger premises where they will offer their Community Share Hub. The project will fund a Computer Resource Management (CRM) programme, as current systems are no longer able to manage the level of data, and result in heavy use of staff time in processing and managing data.
25/11/2021 £2,000 £532,570 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Life Skills Provision
25/11/2021 £2,000 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Practical support provision plus drop in cafe
25/11/2021 £2,000 £246,351 PLATFORM FOR LIFE Self-Referral Option
25/11/2021 £2,000 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD External activities and bench making
25/11/2021 £2,000 £4,036,462 HOSPICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD Bereavement Programme
24/11/2021 £15,000 £61,139,353 KING'S CHURCH WARRINGTON Grant to King's Church Warrington
23/11/2021 £15,000 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Grant to Pure Insight 1628
23/11/2021 £14,837 £1,006,968 KOALA NORTH WEST (FORMERLY HOME-START WIRRAL) Grant to Koala North West (formerly Home-Start Wirral)
23/11/2021 £9,384 £4,935,912 GROUNDWORK CHESHIRE, LANCASHIRE AND MERSEYSIDE Grant to Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside
23/11/2021 £10,000 £246,351 PLATFORM FOR LIFE Grant to Platform for Life
23/11/2021 £15,000 FAMILY TIES CIC Grant to Family Ties CIC
23/11/2021 £15,000 £82,401 PANTRY FOR BLACON CIO Grant to Pantry for Blacon CIO
23/11/2021 £15,000 £517,958 ST PAUL'S CENTRE Grant to St Paul's Centre
23/11/2021 £10,166 £483,983 CHAPTER (WEST CHESHIRE) LTD Grant to CHAPTER (West Cheshire) Ltd
23/11/2021 £15,000 £880,464 VISYON Grant to Visyon
23/11/2021 £14,950 £189,607 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Grant to Motherwell Cheshire CIO
23/11/2021 £10,850 £603,414 WISHING WELL PROJECT Grant to Wishing Well Project
23/11/2021 £13,024 COMMUNITY RECYCLE CYCLES CIC Grant to Community Recycle Cycles CIC
23/11/2021 £14,959 £89,653 CHANCE CHANGING LIVES Grant to Chance Changing Lives
23/11/2021 £14,800 £8,210,552 NTCG - LIGHTHOUSE CENTRE CREWE Grant to NTCG - Lighthouse Centre Crewe
23/11/2021 £9,666 £1,038,386 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Grant to Warrington Youth Club Limited
23/11/2021 £7,700 £178,700 SOUTH CHESHIRE CLASP Grant to South Cheshire CLASP
10/11/2021 £2,000 £63,144 FRODSHAM YOUTH ASSOCIATION Frodsham Youth Association provides a safe and inclusive environment for young people in Frodsham, Helsby and the surrounding areas, regardless of background. The traditional youth club provides a safe space for over 200 young people a week to engage in positive activities. This application is to help run new sessions in the evenings in the first half of the year, sessions will vary, funding will help meet staffing costs. The Sessions will take place mainly at our much used Club in Frodsham which is in a good location.
10/11/2021 £2,000 £35,881 EVOLVE - TACKLING THE IMPACT OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE The project is a partnership bid, being led by Evolve-Tackling the Impact of Substance Misuse and working with Motherwell Cheshire CIO. Working together, we propose to deliver age-appropriate preventative education workshops/presentations, on substance misuse and mental health issues into both primary (Year 5/6) and secondary schools and colleges around the Crewe area. We will deliver the information sessions to large groups e.g.in Assemblies or to other year groups.
10/11/2021 £1,120 INSIGHTS BEREAVEMENT LISTENING SERVICE Deliver a Launch event to reach those that need support the most. Provide a safe space for people to be listened to in a less conventional way that suits the service user. Give a sense of purpose to our volunteers, most have experienced a bereavement themselves. Develop the skills of the volunteers to ensure our service users get the best support.
10/11/2021 £2,021 £220,143 ACTIVE HOPE Active Hope uses outdoor and adventurous activities as a tool to reach disadvantaged and vulnerable children, allowing them to access things like kayaking, mountain biking, archery, climbing, forest skills and much more. New climbing equipment will allow us to run climbing sessions both indoor and outdoor. This grant will pay for new climbing equipment, such as harnesses, ropes, helmets and safety gear. Climbing is one of our most successful activities as it allows the children to really connect with our instructors and learn new skills, encourage self-esteem and positive well-being.
05/11/2021 £7,800 INNER TRUST COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY Inner Trust CIC provides mental health counselling and support services using innovative approaches using music virtual reality, performances, arts, photography and creative media. The project will provide 12 months of group workshops and one-to-one counselling sessions to 144 young people in specific schools in disadvantaged areas across Cheshire East to provide early intervention for trauma and bereavement. The funding will be used to provide 120 group counselling sessions (groups of 6 young people) and 120 one-to-one counselling sessions over 12 months to vulnerable young people from disadvantaged backgrounds that are struggling with trauma or bereavement. We expect to see significant improvement to young people's mental health, addressing depression, isolation and self-harm through the provision of tools that will help strengthen their emotional resilience enabling them to transition into social connection.
05/11/2021 £10,940 £517,958 ST PAUL'S CENTRE St Paul's Pantry is a large and well established Foodbank located in central Crewe at St Paul's Centre which also operates a footwear scheme and a furniture re-use scheme. Project Reach will deliver a food parcel drop off service to those who are shielding or vulnerable and unable to collect food. In addition a Christmas food service will be delivered, focused on homeless people and families. The funding will have 3 main costs; the supply of food, food for a special Christmas project, and salary and fuel costs for a food parcel drop off service. The project is focused on groups who need additional food support. It extends the reach of food provision to those shielding or isolated and who cannot collect food, and to vulnerable homeless people and hard pressed families in the Christmas period.
05/11/2021 £11,015 £272,997 BODY POSITIVE Body Positive is a Crewe based charity that has been supporting LGBT+ communities for over 25 years and has a reputation for delivering high quality services. The project will tackle social isolation, improve mental well-being for a marginalised community by creating greater access to specialist mental health services and social interaction. The funding will be used to pay for training for the expansion of the volunteer counselling service, facilitation of the peer support groups and provision of well-being activity boxes with an LGBT+ focus. Our project aims to provide well-being activities and practical support to tackle some of the health inequalities experienced by LGBT+ people in Crewe.
05/11/2021 £10,065 £497,187 THE DOVE SERVICE The Dove Service supports people of all ages who are experiencing issues relating to grief, through bereavement, significant loss, or life-changing/limiting illness. We deliver specialist counselling, support groups, friendship groups, workshops, training and awareness raising, as well as information, advice and guidance. Our project will be aimed at people over the age of 18 and will provide telephone advice and guidance to those who need support for themselves, perhaps around practical issues, or who are supporting others and want to understand how to do that better (for example, parents who are supporting their children with grief may call do find out how to talk to them about death). We will also offer specialist counselling for the people of Crewe and the surrounding area who need support because they have been bereaved during or as a result of the pandemic, or have been affected personally by Covid-19 which can be a life changing illness. The grant funding will be used to pay for a counsellor who will work online and by telephone until we can work face to face with clients again, it will also contribute to our co-ordinator role who answers the phone and takes referrals and provides instant support when people contact the Dove Service, and will provide access to telephone advice and guidance for anyone who needs it (for themselves or so that they can better support someone they care for). Clients from Crewe and the surrounding area will also have access to our support groups that are currently taking place online which are designed for anyone who has been bereaved and who want to meet other people in the same position. Our Dove Buddies groups usually take place in the community and are a social group with lots of activities like going for walks, touring museums, cookery classes etc. this group is currently taking place online as well but we're hoping to recommence it outside as soon as possible. This project will provide mental and emotional support for the community in Crewe, and will encourage community resilience and recovery for those who have been bereaved as a result of Covid-19, where the grief that has impacted our communities is complex and comes with an element of trauma because of the nature of the pandemic and the way in which people have died.
05/11/2021 £12,500 PENNYSMART CIC LTD 1. Pennysmart CIC combats poverty and financial exclusion by providing free specialist money advice and casework services to those least likely to access mainstream provision, together with training and technical support for their community support workers 2. The project aims to provide 1-2-1 advice/casework support to 85 at risk individuals to deal with their debts, make ends meet through accessing their full benefits entitlements; make arrangements to pay priority bills on time, be able to set money aside for irregular spending and as a result report a reduction in their stress levels resulting an overall increase in their financial well-being. 3. The grant funding will be used to fund a referrals telephone-based specialist money and casework Helpline service (03003 551210) for those in financial difficulties, together with tailored training and support for referral partners staff e.g. support workers of Pathways CIC, Healthbox CIC; Cheshire East Council and other community partner organisations 4. The service will enable those least likely to ask for help to reduce anxiety/stress levels and increase financial well-being by regaining control of their money, by making ends meet through maximising income and paying less for bills, dealing with problem debts; setting arrangements to pay important bills on time and setting money aside for irregular spends and making their money last until payday. 5. This project was originally started with funding from The Steve Morgan Foundation Positive Steps SP Grants Fund and since Oct 19 Pennysmart CIC have built up a successful network of local referral partners in the Crewe and surrounding area. We are now regularly receiving around 8-10 case referrals per month.
05/11/2021 £24,945 £89,653 CHANCE CHANGING LIVES We would like to work together to continue and to grow our successful Community Pantry based in one of the most deprived areas of Crewe. Your funding would enable us to provide a dignified shopping experience based on choice and colour coded items by cost. We are the next step in financial recovery from a foodbank as we provide a 13 week service for members who have been assessed as in the greatest financial need. Shoppers then choose a selection of food for £3 to a value of £15+. Membership is reviewed after 13 weeks and can be extended for those locked in poverty due to extenuating circumstances e.g. disability, ill health, exploitation, poor housing, debt.
05/11/2021 £15,951 £288,961 WEST STREET CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP The Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Debt Centre, Crewe provides a free debt counselling service for individuals and families in Crewe and the local area who are struggling with spiralling personal debt. In addition we run CAP money budgeting courses for clients and others in the community, a simple and effective course to help people develop skills to manage their personal finances. These financial life skills help people in our community become financially stronger and more resilient. The centre has been running for 9 years. The funding sought will pay 12 months salary for our second debt coach and the administration fee paid to CAP that ensures the success of the project here in Crewe. This pays for negotiation with creditors on behalf of CAP Clients, setting budgets, advice and legal support for clients, if required. 93% of families who become debt through working with CAP, stay debt free and 85% continue to use a budget afterwards. In 2018 the London School of economics reported on CAP services. Clients were asked to describe the impact working with CAP to become debt free has had on their lives. The most common answers stated that CAP had helped to improve and rebuild confidence, remove stress and give people freedom to live again and rebuild their place in their community. The following is a quote from one of our clients in Crewe and demonstrates how significant the positive impact of working with CAP can be: "When I was first introduced to CAP I was in a very dark place. I'm a recovering alcoholic, my wife left, my kids didn't want me, I had no job, no money and was a drunk. An attempted suicide failed, what had I become: a failure, waste of space, a pointless existence. Alcohol services were a massive help. This is when I met Chris from CAP, he took me through everything, I was financially screwed, they were a massive help, no nasty letters for now. There is a point to life, don't give up, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Chris always says a prayer with me, I'd like to say he's a friend. I'm not out of the woods yet, but the darkness is fading slowly."
03/11/2021 £10,000 £568,091 PASSION FOR LEARNING Passion for Learning's work is about supporting and inspiring vulnerable children aged 5-11 to learn, achieve and become literate in order to fulfil their true potential as adults. The project will make life-changing differences to 50 vulnerable young people in Knutsford primary schools by providing them with access to Enrichment Clubs, comprising skilled Passion for Learning volunteers and (when circumstances permit) unique opportunities including special events, trips and experiences they wouldn’t otherwise be able to encounter. The grant funding will be used to provide Enrichment Clubs at two schools, covering the costs of weekly sessions, tailored resources, staffing and volunteers for a full year. The most significant difference this will make to the children participating is in developing their confidence, their engagement with learning and their future ambitions, all of which are crucial factors in unlocking their potential for fulfilled lives as adults.
28/10/2021 £2,073 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD Developing Life Skills, by teaching young people how to respect others, develop good habits around diet, what they do and don't indulge in, and to learn the principles of how they manage money as they grow up Building Strong Communities by engaging with children across Knutsford, regardless of gender, race, family background, economic situation, disability or any other potential prejudice Improving Mental Health by promoting physical engagement in sport and a positive growth mindset Developing Employability Skills by improving participants self respect and respect for others Reducing Crime and Anti-social behaviour, by providing 12-16 year olds with a regular sporting activity In summary, through sport, the intention is engage a cohort of young people that would otherwise have few choices for activities during the summer and as such be vulnerable to more malevolent influences from society and social media.
21/10/2021 £4,942 PERSPECTIVE THEATRE COMPANY Perspective Theatre Company: we drag the dark side of addiction kicking and screaming into the light and provide structured alternatives with education driving everything. Our participants are at the sharp end of social disadvantage and are often steeped in addiction and its associate chaotic consequences. We illustrate through our modules that the good things in life belong as much to them as anyone else, and using introspection to initiate change and ongoing referral we show how to access them. We will devise a series of workshops which four of our actors and six volunteers will deliver at five venues. Our workshops are inter-active and covid-safe. We are relentlessly and unremittingly positive and energise those trapped in a horrible twilight world to alter their perception and join us in ours.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £102,616 HEATH HANDS Heath Hands works to conserve Hampstead Heath and nearby green spaces by giving everyone a chance to spend time in nature and get involved in conservation volunteering and gardening, outdoor community and wellbeing activities. Wellbeing on Hampstead Heath will deliver a programme of nature wellbeing activities on Hampstead Heath for local residents to help alleviate the current mental health crisis in our community, which has been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic. The funding from Assura will pay for session leaders to deliver therapeutic activities for 300 people on the Heath, and for project management and associated costs to support those combatting poor mental health. The project will improve local people’s wellbeing by connecting them to wildlife and nature, alleviate social isolation and give participants long-term strategies to improve their wellbeing through being in nature.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £624,776 EAST NORTHANTS COMMUNITY SERVICES (ENCS) ENCS manages a 9 bed COVID safe homeless project in Corby. The project is principally funded by housing benefit but over the year an average of 3 beds are occupied by people who do not have recourse to public funds. ENCS relies on charitable support to fund these 3 beds.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £94,314 CROSSWAY PREGNANCY CRISIS CENTRE Crossway Pregnancy Crisis Centre helps people make healthy relationships, sex and pregnancy choices, and provide support during pregnancy and after pregnancy loss.?Our pregnancy support project provides listening, emotional and practical support to anyone facing unplanned pregnancy or trauma from pregnancy loss (miscarriage, post abortion, stillbirth). The grant will be used to pay for the counsellor's wages for 6 months. The pregnancy support project will improve mental health; increase self esteem and confidence, reduce stress levels, anxiety, symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts of people who have experienced pregnancy loss or crisis.
21/10/2021 £2,500 £418,171 REFRESHING MINDS 1. Refreshing Minds – Aiming to improve the welfare of children living in poverty and disadvantage via free after-school programs and extra-curricular activities run by volunteers. 2. The project, called 'Make Waves Beachside Excursion,' will deliver training and renewal to support our 40 young people in their rewarding roles as volunteers for our ‘In the Limelight,’ winter performance and, the ‘Speak-up’ weekend social initiative. The ‘Speak up’ initiative provides a safe space at weekends for over 400 disadvantaged members, in small groups, keeping them away from troubled home environments and abuse, and supporting them in boosting their self-esteem and self-confidence via games, discussions, and competitions. 3. The funding will pay for a Volunteers training and luncheon to jumpstart volunteer’s efforts for the winter ahead and encourage a healthy level of sustainable volunteering. 4. This project will jumpstart the winter contingent with its hallmark performance, a highlight of the refreshing Minds activity set, displaying a dazzling musical where deprived and disadvantaged children can display their talents onstage. It will support volunteers with fresh ideas and programs for the weekend programs, as well as giving them specialist understanding into the mental health needs of participants during COVID-19.
21/10/2021 £3,000 £84,906 HELP COUNSELLING SERVICES (We received a grant from Assura last November) We have seen a 27% increase in clients in the last 12 months and despite raising the number of volunteers, bringing onboard more staff, introducing new time-saving admin practices and software our current waiting list is at 12 weeks. We really need to bring this down to at least 6 weeks. Waiting lists are deadly and costly. While people are stuck on waiting lists, their lives inevitably change. People get despondent with waiting for support, their mental health deteriorates, relationships become problematic and break down, and people must take time off work or interrupt schooling. We know that not getting treatment within an acceptable time frame has an enormous impact on people’s lives. The longer someone must wait for counselling, the longer it takes individuals to work through their issues and illness and the risk of harm increases. We must provide timely support for those suffering from an emotional or mental health disorder quickly. We need to provide an extra 600 sessions a year, which is an extra 5 volunteer counsellors.
21/10/2021 £5,000 THE POSITIVE HERD PROJECT The Positive Herd Project is a pioneering non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people experiencing multiple disadvantages, by creating innovative opportunities for horses and people to benefit each other. After the success of our therapeutic activities throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we intend to continue our educational volunteer project, making it accessible to more disadvantaged people in the wider community. The grant funding will be used to cover expenses for our educational volunteer projects for 5 months, which includes support sessions for young people and those with additional needs. Our beneficiaries have shared outstandingly positive feedback about how meaningful, positive and important their experience with us was to them; we believe it is vital to continue to provide these benefits to not only our existing beneficiaries, but to as many disadvantaged and vulnerable people in the community as we can.
21/10/2021 £5,000 PCC OF WALTON BRECK AND HOLY TRINITY PCC of Walton Breck and Holy Trinity hopes to build on the expression of family and community that is church and build into the families of their community as an investment into its wellbeing through a new Family Project Worker. As they have looked to help the community out of the new deprivations of Covid 19 period, they have built on substantial food poverty work with money and debt advice work which Assura helped with previously and now look to add a new building block of “Family Support". Joining in with these other volunteer teams then the worker will look to build their own team with a primary task of setting up small group parenting courses. This involves the PCC buying into the programme and the resources of ‘Kids Matter’ providing the structure, training and resources that a national organisation brings.  
21/10/2021 £4,950 EMOTIONAL WELLBEING GROUP LTD Emotional Wellbeing Group Ltd are a counsellor led organisation focused on local mental health and relationship support. This project will focus on improving the mental health and wellbeing of local residence specifically focusing on individuals who are in traditionally hard to reach groups such as unpaid carers and low income families. This funding will pay for in person sessions of mental health and relationship support which will be accessed alongside existing online counselling services. This project will improve the mental health and wellbeing of community members, supporting individuals in reducing stress, anxiety and/or symptoms of depression, increasing resilience and self-care and increasing self-esteem and confidence. This initial project will run for 6 months.  
21/10/2021 £4,860 £281,136 THE MARY DOLLY FOUNDATION The Foundation will provide remote counselling services to 15 children, young people and adults who have experienced domestic abuse and/or sexual abuse. They will be offered a course of 6 sessions but some may need more depending on the level of need. Fully qualified therapeutic practitioners will deliver the sessions. The Foundation will collaborate with support network organisations such as The Her Center and Athena refuge in Lewisham, but this is not limited to only these two organisations, we will work with networks across London. The referral process will be simple and quick, the referring organisations simply need to fill in one form and they have to e-mail the completed form to the Foundation. Each individual will be offered a session within 48 hours to 1 week of receiving the referral.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £259,486 YOU RAISE ME UP You Raise Me Up are a local charity who support families and peers after the death of a young person aged 16-25. We will continue to deliver support and group therapy sessions for our beneficiaries, which will deliver much needed emotional support. The funding will be used to pay for the Counsellors to provide one to one support and also for the Counsellors and room hire for the group therapy. This funding will enable us to offer vital emotional and mental wellbeing support to those who have recently been bereaved. Losing a child is devastating beyond words, as one of our Dad's said "It is the club that no one wants to belong to". "When my son died I just felt I had to hold it together for my family. I had to be the strong one. One day I just randomly made a call to YRMU. I immediately felt I had been wrapped inside a warm blanket. To speak to someone who just ‘got it’ was so comforting, I didn’t need to be the strong one anymore, it was ok not to be ok. I could be broken and allow my sadness to be exposed within this safe environment."
21/10/2021 £5,000 £181,243 NETHEFIELD FORUM We are The Netherfield forum a Community Centre in the heart of Netherfield. The project will involve Bringing Mindful therapy through yoga, armchair exercises, cook & eat group therapy. • Yoga target to baby toddler groups • Mindfulness groups for children and young people • Armchair exercises for over 50’s • Cook & Eat Sessions
21/10/2021 £5,000 £87,000 THE WOLFPACK PROJECT The Wolfpack Project tackles the issues of loneliness, isolation and promotes positive mental health for young adults (16-35) across Nottingham, through a series of group, breakout, and drop-in support sessions. Activities are held at our charity office, as well as outreach within the local community.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £643,162 SANDWELL HOMELESS AND RESETTLEMENT PROJECT The Gables Drop-in. The funding will be used towards the Core Costs in keeping open a drop-in project for rough sleepers to access hot food cooked a served on site, access to toilets, showers and washing machines as well as clothing bank. The funding will be a contribution to the project which opens 5 nights a week and relies on donations.
21/10/2021 £3,120 £949,720 CHILDREN AHEAD LTD Children Ahead supports children with special educational needs and mental health difficulties to develop their full potential, by providing integrated interventions including: 1. Speech and language therapy 2. Occupational therapy 3. Art therapy 4. Social skills groups 5. Motor skills groups Our Change Of Mind project will provide group therapy sessions to children who are suffering from mental health issues as a result of Covid-19. A grant from The Assura Community Fund will go directly to fund the sessions of our new mental health project for children. These sessions will give the children the resilience to rebound and grow from their experience instead of falling into depression or other mental health difficulties.
21/10/2021 £5,000 SHEFFIELD MATERNITY COOPERATIVE The Sheffield Maternity Cooperative is a collective of birth workers, midwives and families working to build better community around conception, pregnancy, birth, abortion and loss. Our project will deliver weekly educational groups and peer led support groups for people at all stages of the perinatal journey, especially for those who may be vulnerable to discrimination in mainstream maternity care (such as LGBTQIA+ folk, families of colour and single parents). The grant funding will be used to pay for guest speakers, space hire, online hosting costs, midwifery support and project management for one year. These sessions provide an invaluable community for those undergoing some of life’s biggest challenges who are isolated from mainstream care; these groups will reduce isolation during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood, improve maternal mental health and wellbeing, contribute to reducing the nationwide trend of death in childbirth for parents of colour, improve health outcomes for young babies, and provide community and support for who have suffered baby loss, miscarriage or abortion.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £940,824 SWINDON WOMEN'S AID
21/10/2021 £4,956 £372,477 NORTH TYNESIDE DISABILITY FORUM LTD Befriending Project, supporting Older disabled and vulnerable people with fragile emotional health to overcome the additional anxiety caused by COVID 19 lockdown and requirements to safety which has impacted negatively on folk who were already struggling as a result of life changing experiences, disability, ill health and lack of self esteem and confidence and who need supporting to reengage with every day life before they become invisible and isolated in their communities.
21/10/2021 £4,800 £220,643 YOUNG ASIAN VOICES To deliver a programme of employment ready training/support over a 1 year period to meet the needs of young people from Sunderland who have been affected by the current pandemic; we will work with young people to assist them gain transferable skills and identify/achieve their career aspirations to increase their chances of employment and ability to secure paid work. Post COVID-19, this project will enable us to develop engaging employment ready activity sessions to assist participants to improve knowledge/skills to enable them to be employment ready, increase their ability to secure paid work, make them aware of available job/work placement/volunteering opportunities and empower them to want to succeed. In gaining the required skills/attributes to help them identify/achieve their career goals will enable them to realise their full potential - we will work in confidence with young people and provide positive outcomes for individuals supported so they will develop knowledge/employability skills that employers view as essential, including the so-called “soft skills”, such as communication/team-working/problem solving which are increasingly valued by employers. The project will be delivered through a structured programme of; employment ready workshops, flexible training/mentoring sessions and provision of advice/assistance on accessing part/full-time employment, work placements or volunteering.
21/10/2021 £4,320 £252,526 S PINTER YOUTH PROJECT S Pinter Youth Project offer recreational and educational activities by offering 3 annual holiday schemes for 500 children and 70 youth volunteers as well as an after school club and providing activities they may not have access to due to disadvantage. We are applying for our AQA accredited youth volunteering program where youth volunteers assist with the planning and implementation of the holiday scheme. The program enables young people to gain work experience and essential qualities for the work-place including leadership, teamwork and interpersonal skills, independence and initiative, responsibility, self-confidence, time-keeping and the motivation to succeed.
21/10/2021 £4,515 CULTIVATING COMMUNITY Cultivating Community offers growing and gardening based activities to improve physical and mental well-being of anyone experiencing loneliness and isolation, particularly the elderly and those with disabilities. Demand for our services have been high this year, with being a safe outdoor environment, and we are developing new opportunities to collaborate, increasing our programming and make our space more of a hub for the local community to meet the increased demand. We are looking for funding to pay for additional hours for our therapeutic horticulturist and a support worker so that we can add another session of programming on Mondays targeted at younger people (18-30) with mental health challenges and the elderly with memory loss or dementia. The programme will support young people to increase their confidence in working in a team; increase their confidence and knowledge in a range of gardening skills; increase their physical activity and connectivity to nature; increase their mental wellbeing and resilience though peer to peer support.
21/10/2021 £5,095 £681,641 THE BRIDGE FOUNDATION The Bridge Foundation specialises in providing high quality counselling and psychotherapy for children experiencing poverty and multiple disadvantage supporting them to overcome trauma and achieve their potential. Our Act Now project will prioritise the mental health needs of at-risk children disproportionately affected by the pandemic by providing a timely and cost effective intervention; preventing a mental health crisis and mitigating the harmful mental health impact on Bristol's most vulnerable young people. Funding will be used to provide children with a dedicated psychotherapist, trained to support the needs of marginalised young people - offering one-to-one support for the child to help stabilise their condition and overcome trauma; supporting teachers and family members to develop a shared understanding of the troubled child and devise strategies to support them. Act Now will deliver effective early intervention to improve the mental health and life chances of highly vulnerable and marginalised children who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £1,041,691 THE CUSTOMS HOUSE TRUST The Learning and Participation Team at The Customs House work with diverse communities to engage them in artistic and creative experiences. Ours/Us/We is our in house Queer led LGBTQ+ Arts Group that provides creative opportunities and a safe space for 13-21 year olds. The programme of activity is co-created by the young people involved. This grant would enable us to work with new art forms and diverse creative practitioners and role models that identify as LGBTQ+. This funding would also enable us to go on a series of "go and sees" where the group would connect and visit other LGBTQ+ youth groups around the country and attend inspirational events and performances.
21/10/2021 £4,975 £3,658,713 CARITAS ANCHOR HOUSE We are a 140-bed hostel operating in response to the problem of homelessness in the borough of Newham, providing a holistic support structure for homeless adults. As part of our Mental Health Programme we would like to cover costs for residents to access rehabilitation services and fund activities to help reduce social isolation / promote social interaction, including educational day trips and yoga classes. Funding would cover costs of enabling residents to access rehab services (travel costs, laptop/tablet so that residents can stay connected and complete concurrent elements of their programme, daily essentials including hygiene products / toiletries), costs of educational day trips - eg. British Museum – (travel costs, lunch costs, admission) and costs to commence yoga classes in-house, promoting wellbeing and social interaction (items the instructor has requested we purchase, including mats, blocks and resistance bands). We have identified a heightened need for rehabilitation services as we continue our focus on supporting those in our community with complex needs, and a similar need to combat the effects of social isolation post-COVID, giving rise to changes in our programme, acknowledging a need to promote self-esteem/wellbeing and to ensure we provide a supportive social environment within our hostel.
21/10/2021 £5,568 £211,002 DOWN SYNDROME CHESHIRE Down Syndrome Cheshire provide support and services to people with learning disabilities and their families. A family support worker will engage with their community to co-ordinate and deliver social activities and events, provide opportunities for skill development and work experience, arrange inclusive awareness raising activities and facilitate members in finding a voice in their community to ensure they may access their full citizen rights. The funding will be used to pay for an additional day's work. This project will significantly improve the mental, emotional health and wellbeing of people with Down's syndrome in Cheshire and their families by supporting and enabling them to live the life they choose through activities, training, advice and peer support.  
21/10/2021 £5,000 £275,284 TEES VALLEY WOMEN'S CENTRE LTD. Tees Valley Women's Centre is hoping to continue to provide the services that we have previously as well as reaching out to more women for whom Covid 19 has had a detrimental effect not only on their finances and lifestyle but on their mental health and well being. We intend to purchase more 1:1 debt and welfare clinics at our centre. These are delivered by specialist organisations and are free to the beneficiaries. We also hope to provide more leisure activities to persuade people to actually leave their homes and join the community after the fear and uncertainty of Covid restrictions. The community has been left in a mess due to Covid. Fear and worry has controlled people for the last year and a half and we need now to move forward and get people back on their feet. We have been here for 30 years and are well trusted within the community so are best placed to start breathing life back in to the community.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £65,371 SAMARITANS OF CORNWALL AT TRURO Cornwall Samaritans needs to continually support and train its volunteers, as well as recruit new volunteers. Our volunteers are vital as they deliver all of our services - from responding to our beneficiaries to the daily running of our charity. Ongoing training & support is vital to providing a listening service / helpline. Volunteers also deliver outreach, plus attend or host a range of meetings to help in the prevention of suicide – from inter-agency meetings to committee meetings and AGMs. Recruiting new volunteers has proven especially essential over the past year. We need to reach new potential volunteers and diversify the skills, knowledge and experience that we attract in order to widen our reach. The specific costs for our charity, just around recruitment, training and support will reach just over £8000 this financial year: Publicity: 1,000 Recruitment/referral phone: 220 Recruitment & Selection: 100 Volunteer Training Support: 1,000 Volunteer Care: 1,000 Refreshments 1,000 Council/Regional courses costs: 1,600 AGM / Branch meetings: 300 Director's Expenses: 600 Contribution towards overheads @20% of "project: 1,364 TOTAL 8,184 We are grateful to have received some grant support from the Pears Foundation and Tesco's Bags of Help towards this, leaving £5862 to raise.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £213,694 NORTH LONDON HILL CLUB North London Hill CLub (NLHC) targets vulnerable BAME young people disadvantaged by low income, dysfunction, social exclusion, various learning, and emotional disabilities, alongside their mainstream peers, giving them the support they need to flourish in school and beyond. Compassion Counselling is a newly developed project, entailing group and individual therapy sessions to combat the devastating effects Covid19 has had on school-aged children. Funding will be used to pay the salary of a well trained and specialised children's therapist to lead the group and individual sessions. We can say with certainty, that by allowing these children to recover and have a safe space to talk about the issues they have been facing during these trying times, we allow healing to take place and can hope for a brighter future for these challenged children.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £367,176 YOUNG EALING FOUNDATION The Young Ealing Foundation is a charity which champions and supports the youth sector in Ealing. We are applying for support of our food project, which provides fresh food parcels and support to families and individuals in Southall who are facing significant hardship. The grant funding will provide parcels of culturally appropriate food, with an emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables. Supporting this project will provide essential fresh food to residents living in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable due to the devastating impact COVID has had on the local community in Southall.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £128,209 SMART WORKS (GREATER MANCHESTER) Smart Works supports unemployed women on their job search with coaching support pre-interview in addition to interview styling and coaching, with the outcome of improving the woman's confidence and skills and thus chances of job success. This project will enable us to support more clients from Fallowfield and Rusholme by focused outreach, linking in with other organisations and community groups to develop new referral partner relationships and to make local residents aware of how we can support them at this critical time in their search for employment. The grant will mainly be used to fund 36 days of staff time on outreach work within that community, getting to know the area, identifying and meeting potential referrers and clients and getting involved in local events/ workshops to promote the services available, the balance will be spent on relevant and focussed promotional materials. We will support at least 50 women with Pre-Employment Jobhelp and /or styling and interview support, to feel more prepared for their interview and much more confident about their ability to succeed at interview, with the aim of 50% of unemployed local women who've received our styling and interview coaching service to secure a job within a month.
21/10/2021 £4,991 £67,325 SONSHINE CLUB Sonshine Club supports children with disabilities and their parents, through phenomenally successful after-school clubs, home kits and parental peer support groups. We are applying to enable us to run a six-month-long peer support and training group for struggling parents of children with disabilities. The grant funding will be used to pay for room rental, a project co-ordinator, volunteer expenses, relevant professionals, marketing costs, a tablet, and associated running costs. Through providing a safe, supportive, productive environment, this project will help overwhelmed, disadvantaged mothers of children with disabilities feel supported in their daily challenges, thus improving their their mental and emotional wellbeing, increasing their self-confidence, and allowing them to feel a strong sense of belonging to a community of others like them.
21/10/2021 £4,820 RYTON CROSS COMMUNITY SOCIETY LTD Ryton Cross Community Society Ltd is a community benefit society that owns Ye Olde Cross pub in Ryton, Gateshead on behalf of over 300 community shareholders. They will establish a 'memory cafe' in the community pub for vulnerable members of the community and their carers. They will use the grant to fund transport to the venue, refreshments for participants and volunteers, purchase of artistic supplies, payment of services, room hire, music/ film licences and any design costs to implement 'dementia friendly' improvements. The memory cafe will contribute to the community recovery from the covid pandemic by providing a safe and welcoming venue for vulnerable members of the community who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation.  
21/10/2021 £5,000 £450,778 THE MANNA The Manna is a project for homeless and marginalised people. The project we are applying for is to run a number of wellbeing activity groups: gardening, poetry, art, singing, walking. The grant funding would be used to pay for the facilitation and materials, equipment, and transport costs of these groups. The most significant difference the project will make is to improve disadvantaged people's physical and mental health within an accessible community setting.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £374,655 SURVIVE (SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE) Survive (Support for Survivors of Sexual Abuse) delivers specialist services to adult survivors of sexual violence (including male survivors) in York and across North Yorkshire. The proposed project is a 12-month pilot of the expansion of our services to East Riding of Yorkshire where there are no other services with the sole focus and specialism of supporting survivors of sexual violence. We want to fill this gap, so we are seeking £5000 from Assura Community Fund for a part-time counsellor and a part-time support worker to deliver services face-to-face, via telephone or online to survivors of sexual violence in East Riding. The pilot, based in Pocklington (7 miles from the Market Weighton Practice) will mean that people living in East Riding who have experienced rape, sexual assault as adults or child sexual abuse to will have access to our highly-valued services to find relief from distress; discover their self-worth; reconnect with their lives and relationships; and explore and achieve their full potential.
21/10/2021 £5,000 £421,237 CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS 1 - Cheshire Young Carers delivers support to children with caring responsibilities across Cheshire aged 6-18 years old who care for someone they live with, this is typically a parent and/or sibling. 2 - This project will deliver key empowerment, alongside holiday programmes delivering Cheshire Young Carers' core objectives - improving physical health & wellbeing, mental health & emotional wellbeing, education and independence, participation & inclusion, enrichment, personal & social development. 3 - They currently run regular family cooking sessions online, the recipes are often restricted due to the equipment and resources that families have available - including families on low income who do not engage as well with these sessions. They would use this grant to buy slow cookers, the required food and recipe books to enable them to join in with the sessions. 4 - In the current climate, more pressure is placed on families due to Covid-19 pandemic and financial issues, with young carers often living with families where there are already additional/complex needs, so this project will significantly help to address some of these key issues in several aspects - reducing isolation, improving overall wellbeing and contributing to improved child outcomes for young carers across Cheshire.  
21/10/2021 £2,055 £1,110,103 LD:NORTHEAST LD:NorthEast are a local organisation based in North Tyneside. They provide support to people of all ages who have lived experience of learning disabilities, learning difficulties and autism. They run a regular programme of social activities on our premises that are designed to give people who qualify for little or no formal support to have fun, spend time with friends and feel good about themselves. This programme includes a range of therapeutic arts activities. The funding would be used to pay for the equipment and materials needed to run the arts activities, so that people can learn various arts and crafts based skills and produce a portfolio or work to keep and to be displayed in a local exhibition. Post COVID-19 the people that LD:NorthEast support are feeling extremely lonely and isolated, and many are experiencing mental health issues as result. The arts sessions will provide an opportunity for people to meet up with their friends again and take part in a therapeutic activity that will improve their mental wellbeing.  
19/10/2021 £2,788 £150,451 THE HAPPY AND HEALTHY TRUST Many children are struggling with loneliness and social isolation during this crisis. Although we are globally in the same pandemic, each child is experiencing their own crisis in their unique way. This, coupled by the fact that during peak crisis, children were under lockdown, many of these children feel very alone with no one understanding their angst. Cycling Stronger will enable children to meet peers who are in similar circumstances. The support of being part of a like-minded group will certainly reduce the loneliness and isolation which Covid-19 has brought about.
18/10/2021 £4,990 £532,570 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Just Drop-In provides a range of free services to help local young people to find their feet. They have a focus on improving emotional and mental health and the life chances of those from underserved communities. They want to meet an unmet need within the local youth LGBTQ+ community, by providing a peer support group for young people aged 18-25 . The group will have an overarching goal of improved well-being and mental health for the participants. There will be a specific focus on reducing isolation, increasing self esteem, whilst providing support with positive self identity. The majority of the funding will be used to pay for a group leader who will organise and promote sessions. Empower participants to run their own group and to support with any issues which emerge. Other funding will be use for resources and activities to enable groups to take place. They know the LGBTQ+ community are over represented in mental health statistics but are underrepresented when it comes to seeking help. They want to change this in Macclesfield and support young people to access a safe and accepting space where they can flourish.  
18/10/2021 £5,000 £661,026 DORSET MIND Dorset Mind is a local charity that provides mental health services to help people recover from mental ill health, prevent mental ill health and maintain their wellbeing. We are applying for funding towards expanding our accredited befriending service, to help vulnerable members of the community who are suffering with their mental health due to the impact of Covid-19. Funding will be used to cover the costs of additional befriending coordinator hours and training more befriending volunteers to ensure we can meet the unprecedented increased demand for the service. The aim of the project is to prevent long-term mental health illnesses, such as clinical depression, generalised anxiety disorder and crisis point or suicide developing as a result of loneliness and isolation, to provide regular essential human contact and to encourage reengagement with friends, family and the community.
18/10/2021 £5,000 SIGHT SUPPORT WEST OF ENGLAND This project will support the re-opening of face-to-face support services for people living with sight loss in north Bristol and surrounding parts of South Gloucestershire. Funding will be used to support a Community Sight Loss Advisor (who is also registered blind) to provide one-to-one support to clients who are isolated or vulnerable to help rebuild confidence after a year of shielding, and to set-up local peer support groups, social networks and sporting opportunities for people with sight loss, to encourage and support people to re-engage.
18/10/2021 £4,600 £175,115 ACUMEN COMMUNITY BUILDINGS LTD Acumen Community Buildings is an aspirational, visionary charitable company with 3 main strategic aims of (i) acting as a catalyst for space based social action, (ii) Creating co-working environments for social and community entrepreneurs (iii) the restoration of The Old Rectory as a Heritage building with an Enterprise focus. It will deliver a programme of training, small group work, coaching and volunteering activity to help people who are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing. The funding will be used to paying for salaries, volunteer expenses, training costs, marketing costs, printing and any website or other administrative costs. The project will help people who are in the Coalfields area of Sunderland (Houghton, Hetton, Copt Hill, Shiney Row) and provide a weekly programme for 10 weeks for 10 people. This provides personal coaching, developing a personalised wellbeing plan and to take action in overcoming any obstacles or mental blocks on their way to success. They will be fully supported to put their learning into practice throughout this process, and will also be offered suitable volunteering opportunities which will continue after the training programme.  
18/10/2021 £4,350 £562,412 MERTON MENCAP Merton Mencap’s Better Gym Club provides opportunities for adults with learning disabilities/autism to take part in fitness activities which they otherwise could not access. People with learning disabilities/autism have been severely impacted by Covid-19 with many self-isolating/shielding for more than a year so, for many, our Better Gym Club is their first opportunity to resume community life. Our members will improve their physical health, mental wellbeing and confidence at our club, which will run for 2 hours weekly at varying local sports facilities including at a gym during which our members train alongside the public, supporting their participation in mainstream community life. Activities will include boccia, football, cricket, badminton, gym training and trampolining, all of which are supported by our volunteers, staff and local sports instructors.
18/10/2021 £4,960 £112,677 ACTIVITEENS At Activiteens we aim to support the needs of our beneficiaries as they evolve and in the last year and a half these have continuously evolved with the pandemic affecting young people emotionally in ways we did not expect. We therefore wish to provide 48 young people who, due to to Covid-19, have an intensified need for emotional support with group therapy sessions where they will together explore their fears, anxieties, feelings and difficulties they've experienced throughout Covid-19 and with the help of the therapist begin healing. The grant funding will pay for the cost of the sessions including the therapist, the rent of premises and the publicity. These group therapy sessions will empower young people to overcome their anxiety, grief, depressing thought patterns, feelings of inferiority and resentment thereby improving their emotional health and enabling them to heal and rebuild post Covid-19.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £456,153 MYTIME At MYTIME, we provide young carers with the support, friendship and opportunities that every child deserves. Through our Memory-Making Programme, we organise fun and enriching activity days for young carers of ages 5-18. A grant of £5000 from Assura would enable us to run 4 activity days, each catering for 20 young carers, and so could benefit up to 80 young carers. These events provide young carers with rare opportunities for relaxation, leisure and social connection and thus play a vital role in helping young carers to maintain good mental health.
18/10/2021 £4,450 £8,606,286 KIDS YORKSHIRE KIDS provides specialist support services to disabled children (0-25years) and their families in local communities across England: providing life-changing opportunities to help them achieve their aspirations and live a full and happy life. KIDS Yorkshire’s Befriending service offers short-term emotional support to other parents/carers who may be adjusting to the news of their child’s disability or experiencing feelings of isolation and loneliness; especially in the current climate. The grant will be used to cover some of the costs to re-launch a newly branded ‘peer to peer’ service to support local families (many of whom have also been shielding for over a year) to transition safely out of lockdown, addressing and supporting any fears and anxieties by recruiting new volunteer befrienders. The project will offer 1-1 emotional support to some of the most vulnerable and isolated families in Hull. All KIDS volunteer befrienders are parents too and so are uniquely placed to offer support. They are trained and then they are matched with a local family/families to act as an ear to listen to/advice to give/experiences to share. The service takes away the stigma of disability by showing that as a parent of a disabled child you are not alone.  
18/10/2021 £4,880 £176,000 EYRES MONSELL CLUB FOR YOUNG PEOPLE The Bounceback exercise project is aimed at young people aged 13+ with mental health issues who wish to change their lives through physical activity and exercise. Young people with mental health issues will be able to attend the group, at least once a week with group or one to one sessions dependent on their individual needs.This would benefit the local community by helping young people in the area with mental health issues to develop their self confidence and self esteem, encouraging young people to become fitter and healthier and promoting emotional well being.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £153,054 SUCCESS CLUB CIO 1. Name of your organisation and what you do: Success Club is a BAME-led charity delivering wellbeing programmes using mindfulness practice. 2. What the project will deliver: Mental Health Peer Support Programme for young people: Training Wellbeing Champions and running Wellbeing Wednesdays Talk Shops 3. What the grant funding will be used to pay for: to pay for freelance expert facilitators to deliver the work. 4. The most significant difference the project will make to the lives if disadvantaged young people: improving mental health/wellbeing
18/10/2021 £3,800 INTO THE LIGHT Into the Light supports adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse with workshops, courses, information and one to one counselling services. We are seeking funding to run our 10-week group sessions.course for women survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Ealing in spring 2022. The Assura Community Fund grant would be used to cover the costs of running this course for 8-10 survivors, including course materials, venue, facilitator costs and monitoring & evaluation. The 10-week course focuses on helping attendees break out of isolation and meet others who understand in a safe, caring environment, help attendees feel more hopeful, empowered and supported by both professionals and other survivors and help attendees gain self-esteem and put strategies in place for the future.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £129,305 THE SPITZ CHARITABLE TRUST The Spitz Charitable Trust supports the mental health and well-being of vulnerable and disabled care home residents through the therapeutic power of live music. Our project will bring weekly interactive live music sessions to BSL, during the Winter of 2021. This grant would be put towards funding the organisation, coordination, and implementation of 10 visits to the care home. Each session makes a significant difference; the biggest being enhancing their well-being and quality of life by addressing their emotional needs, building their self-esteem and sense of belonging, improving community connections, and lessening isolation.
18/10/2021 £4,500 £82,717 DANCE IN DEVON Dance in Devon co-creates dance and music projects to improve health and well-being. Arts On Call will support vulnerable older people suffering disproportionately as a result of COVID-19 to gently reconnect with the outside world through inspiring dance and music; it is for those at greatest risk of isolation, loneliness and poor mental health. We will use the grant funding to pay for artists to sing and dance on garden paths, through care home windows and in neighbourhoods to remind people that the world can be a generous and hopeful place. During this particularly challenging time for vulnerable older people the need for connection and improved quality of life is urgent and Arts on Call will connect isolated older people to their communities, inviting them to take part in and contribute to safe, inspiring, imaginative activities: pavements and windows come alive with creativity.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £520,055 READING MENCAP Reading Mencap improves quality of life for people with learning disabilities and their families by tackling inequalities and through a range of holistic services, including our Mencap Enables Day Care and Activity Service. This project will provide individual support for our 50 Mencap Enables service users to return to the service post-lockdown and help them to adapt once they have returned, including supporting them to participate in physical exercise, and educational and wellbeing sessions. The grant funding will be used for the salary of a qualified health professional who already works in the service, to deliver the project. The project will improve the mental and physical health of vulnerable people who have been disproportionately affected by the Covid pandemic, as they have faced extreme anxiety, longer periods of isolation and significantly higher death rates than the general population.
18/10/2021 £3,500 £98,495 ADDICTION SUPPORT AND CARE AGENCY ASCA provides advice and information, assessments, counselling, group support and wellbeing services services to those with issues related to addiction as well as their carers, family members and friends. We are requesting support towards helping us to deliver advice and information, assessment, one to one counselling, health wellbeing activities and therapeutic group for our carers/ family members affected by someone else's addiction. The grant will be a contribution towards our part-time Carers Lead/Counsellor salary for the year. ASCA is the only service in the LB of Richmond providing specialist support services to carers/ families affected by someone else's addiction. The involvement of carers/family members in the treatment of their cared for can enhance positive outcomes, but only when there is access to local specialist services to support their own mental health and wellbeing. Our carers support needs are very complex with many involved in mentally, physically and financially abusive controlling relationships ie partners and parents of adult children. In the case of the latter parents are coerced to give money to pay for drugs while they themselves struggle to pay bills, forgo meals and social activities. Their guilt and shame means they become isolated from society.
18/10/2021 £3,000 £12,955 LIQUID VIBRATIONS Liquid Vibrations is a small disability-led charity who are the only UK specialists in Musical Hydrotherapy, a unique combination of underwater sound and aquatic bodywork specifically designed for disabled children. We are applying for funding to work in partnership with Marjorie McClure School in Bromley to embed Musical Hydrotherapy into their school provision. Funding will enable bespoke training to up to 10 of their staff members in delivering Musical Hydrotherapy to their pupils with Profound Multiple Learning Difficulties by funding the installation of underwater speakers in their hydrotherapy pool. The practice will boost the mental and physical wellbeing of profoundly disabled children and provide opportunity to engage with music and relaxation.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £275,461 THE LILY MAE FOUNDATION The Lily Mae Foundation is a UK Registerd Charity supporting parents and families, living in the West Midlands and Warwickshire who have lost a baby to Stillbirth, Neonatal Death, Miscarriage or Medical Termination. The One to One Babyloss Support Service is a unique and first of its kind Service providing a bereaved parent or family member with an opportunity to fully explore any bereavement issues that they have following the loss of their precious baby. The funding will be used to extend the current support provided and contribute towards the salary of an additional Babyloss Support Worker. The Babyloss Support Service provides a safe and confidential space for bereaved parents and family members to express their emotions, discuss their feelings, and talk with a professionally trained support worker who has experienced Babyloss. This support, at a time when bereaved parents and family members are feeling isolated and helpless, enables them to develop strategies to begin to resolve their feelings of loss.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £54,237 EDUCATIONAL DANCE PROVISION SERVICES (KNOWN AS MOVEMENTWORKS) The charity, MovementWorks, provides evidence-based dance and movement programmes that help people of all ages and abilities improve physical and mental well being and overcome disadvantage to develop their unique potential. We are requesting funding to run 'Action for Deptford', a community based year long project directly addressing issues resulting from lack of movement opportunities affecting the physical and emotional well being of vulnerable groups and those residing in the area that face the greatest disadvantage. Grant funding will be used to deliver 2 one hour long group sessions per week serving children and vulnerable people in the community with our core methods Developmental Dance Movement and Autism Movement programmes. The most significant difference will be directly addressing the impact of the lockdowns & school closures on the physical and mental health of local people. Through our holistic movement based approach in combination with a robust social/emotional support framework we will relieve the distress and social isolation of marginalised groups and improve child development and the life chances of children who live in an area of high deprivation.
18/10/2021 £5,000 THE APE PROJECT The APE Project are seeking part funding towards our goal of £10,720 to pay for a Sports Specialist Playworker to work with disadvantaged children and their families at St Pauls Adventure Playground. In a recent report monitoring responses from Bristol children about the Covid pandemic, young people commented that one of the biggest struggles they faced was with the lack of normal extra curricular and sporting activities (Bristol City Youth Council Report oct 20). This monitoring demonstrated that 33% of children felt more anxious, 42% felt their mental health had deteriorated (particularly from isolation). We believe this role will help us to reach out the most vulnerable and disadvantaged and support them through the development of key skills and the promotion of physical activities. Our work will help to develop co-ordination and social skills and ensure inclusivity for disabled and disadvantaged children.
18/10/2021 £4,180 £630,129 AFC WIMBLEDON FOUNDATION AFC Wimbledon Foundation aims to provide services that improve our community’s skills, resilience, well-being and confidence. This project will deliver a weekly social and exercise activity sessions for older isolated adults in our community. The grant funding will be used to pay for staff, refreshments, equipment, facilities, transport and marketing expenses. This project will allow those who are suffering from the negative impacts of isolation to take part in engaging weekly activity from boccia and chair exercise to quizzes and games, alleviating feelings of loneliness and strengthening social connections.
18/10/2021 £4,443 £794,912 BF ADVENTURE Head Out is our impactful mental well-being programme co-produced with young people (yp) who have experienced trauma and low to moderate mental ill health as a result of adverse childhood experiences. We are requesting funding for 1 programme, lasting 8 weeks, and will directly benefit 8 yp who are secondary school age (11-16).
18/10/2021 £5,000 £61,323 GREATER MANCHESTER NESHOMO CIO Neshomo delivers befriending, mentoring and group and social prescribing support for people with mental health conditions to improve their situations, with this project focusing on new opportunities to lift mood, be more active and improve self-efficacy i.e. truly believe that they have the skills to achieve positive outcomes for themselves. This project will deliver opportunities for people to take part in new activities including a provision where those who are particularly hard to reach can do woodwork, DIY and other 'Skills you Never Learnt'; other social prescribed activities for all such as gardening, cooking and creative arts; along with skills development both in the activities and self-management of conditions. The funding will pay for hire of premises, cost of materials, sessional workers, coordination and publicity. The most significant difference will be enhanced skills, the improvement in mood, increased social integration, and improved self-efficacy, which means that people believe in themselves and have the wherewithal not to return to needing hospitalisation or high-level support needs due to significant mental health problems.
18/10/2021 £4,685 £128,000 IN CHARLEY'S MEMORY In Charley's Memory Young Peoples Mental Health Charity Additional Counsellor 1 day a week for a year This grant will enable us to offer counselling to young people who have been directly impacted by the Covid lockdowns and as a result are refusing to attend education, the priority is to get them back into main stream education. The grant will assist us to reduce our waiting list and waiting time to manageable levels
18/10/2021 £4,556 £202,753 MERSEY COUNSELLING AND THERAPY CENTRE MCTC provide counselling and therapy to those in need, who are unable to source support through statutory services or privately, either through lengthy waiting lists, financial restrictions, or a lack of referral support. By supporting they community in this way, they are able to help those most in need at times of crises and when they are most vulnerable. The majority of local wards are ranked amongst the lowest deprivation indices in the UK. Any funding received will be used to facilitate  face to face and online delivery, and extend reach to help those with mental health issues who are socially isolated, either through health and mobility issues or mental health challenges. Mental health funding is needed more than ever and the counselling work, since the start of the pandemic, illustrates to MCTC that anxiety related issues are higher than ever, some covid-19 related, (local socio-economic issues have been exacerbated by the pandemic), but also reflecting a general feeling of despair and lack of hope for the future.  
18/10/2021 £4,000 £308,647 LEARN ENGLISH AT HOME Learn English at Home clients will receive the new ‘Learning for Life’ blended delivery of free English language, digital awareness, health and wellbeing tuition and service engagement support. Trained and vetted volunteers will deliver sessions for up to two hours per week online, in one-to-one and small groups and schemes of work would be developed bespoke to the individuals, with a focus on: • Practical English skills required for accessing healthcare, wellbeing and Covid specific services e.g. vaccine information, test and trace, GP surgery timetables, completing simple forms • Information about accessing local healthcare and wellbeing services (e.g. when to use GPs, walk-in clinics, local talking therapies, A&E), relevant vocabulary, when and how to use 999 or 111. • Public health and wellbeing messages (e.g. healthy eating, keeping active, sexual health), with expert input from local health and wellbeing professionals. Funding will support the staffing costs for the project. The project will improve health and mental wellbeing, address stigma surrounding mental health in certain cultures, support clients to better understand the most common mental health challenges, engage with NHSE funded and voluntary services as well as meet others and engage in wider community activities to support themselves and their families
18/10/2021 £4,880 £82,508 TURNING CORNERS Peer and professional support for young carers whose parents/siblings suffer from serious mental health challenges who are very distressed as they now have increased caring responsibilities due to Covid-19, which are affecting their own mental health.
18/10/2021 £3,500 £268,247 THE BRIDGE HOMELESSNESS TO HOPE The Bridge Homelessness To Hope support homeless and vulnerably housed guests, as well as the lonely, vulnerable and isolated, by providing them with a safe space to come, meet and get support, with the aim to get everyone reintegrated into mainstream society. We're running a series of recreational arts as art therapy groups - Monday - art - can be structured, with support, or people can just come and doodle, Tuesday - skills day, includes CV writing, ESOL , interview techniques and courses such as food hygiene. Wednesday the building is used by City of Sanctuary who work with asylum seekers. Thursday - cookery, Friday - music. We're looking to raise funds to start new courses that our guests have asked for - photography, music and 'cooking on a budget'. The grant will be used towards the cost of materials for the projects and towards the costs of providing sessional workers to support the groups. The recreational activities we provide including music, art and a cooking offer a safe space for our guests to learn new skills, build their confidence and express their thoughts and feelings through a range of therapeutic practices.
18/10/2021 £4,768 £126,892 SUNDERLAND WOMEN'S CENTRE Sunderland Women’s Centre provides learning, support and encouragement to women of all ages/backgrounds from the City of Sunderland/surrounding areas, through providing services/activities our aim is to; instill a sense of purpose/achievement and improve prospects of employment and quality of life, freely and without discrimination, by removing barriers to learning and supporting under-represented women including older women, women with disabilities, those experiencing mental health problems, women and children from BAME communities, refugees and asylum seekers. We are applying for a grant for sessional workers including associated project costs to deliver the following: Speaking & Listening skills sessions to women with limited English language, so that women learners can then progress to; Reading and Writing sessions, pre-entry level English and then accredited courses including Entry 1,2 & 3, Level 1 and 2 English, Maths and ESOL, and pre-functional skills sessions in English & Maths, to women of all ages so they can progress to level 2 qualifications needed to enable them to look for work and paid employment and/or further training/higher education. The most significant difference this project will make is disadvantaged women will have better mental health/well-being through accessing positive educational sessions to reduce poverty and their own economic situation
18/10/2021 £5,000 £8,868,447 YORK ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST Using York Archaeological Trust's extensive public engagement experience we want the people living and working in York to enjoy the benefits of our archaeological work and the stories we uncover., therefore we have designed an innovative programme with partners across the city of Archaeology on Prescription, to engage with individuals who want to find another way of trying to improve their health and wellbeing. We want to create a 6-month pilot excavation project (ahead of an annual roiling programme) to enable us to develop, trial and evaluate our ideas, working, in the first instance, in partnership with non-statutory organisations. Grant funding will pay towards the team to deliver the project on the ground, including a trained support worker, over the duration of the pilot project. Specifically, we want to create a new way of using the practice of archaeology for people whose mental wellbeing could benefit from taking part in outdoor activity, being part of a team, learning something new and finding a positive connection with the place where they live.
18/10/2021 £5,000 THE PLATFORM PROJECT CIC We are The Platform Project and we run youth led business projects to help disadvantaged young people improve their employability prospects. We are run a 'training workplace' where our young people undertake an 'internship' work experience development programe for 2 days a week to help them find work and improve their sense of purpose in life. We are applying for funding to increase our internship sessions from 2 to 3 days a week by paying for an additional days youth worker time each week for a year. By running the internships for 2 days a week, we see 89% of our young people move into work, education or self-employment within 6 months, but by increasing it to 3 days a week we hope to achieve this more quickly than 6 months, thus helping more young people across the year.
18/10/2021 £4,940 ON THE OUT On the Out CIC is an organisation staffed and led by ex prisoners, for ex prisoners, supporting people on release and beyond. The project would enable ex prisoners to volunteer with On the Out, helping others on release and starting their own process of identity change away from criminality. The grant would be used to pay for travel expenses for these volunteers It would enable marginalised ex prisoners to help others using their wisdom and experience, offering them a pathway away from destructive lifestyles.  
18/10/2021 £5,000 £13,084,034 ST OSWALD'S HOSPICE St Oswald's Hospice provides specialist care and support for people with life threatening conditions and for their families. We are applying for funding to continue a very successful music therapy pilot with adult hospice patients and bereaved relatives. Your grant would ensure that we can fund a music therapist, one day per week, for a full year. Through our pilot project we have found that music therapy has a significant, positive impact on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our patients and their families: some have been able to express and release emotions when words were too hard to find; some who felt isolated have reconnected with loved ones through music or found new connections with others in our service; many have used music as a means of remembering happier times or of leaving a lasting and powerful remembrance for those they love and others have rediscovered joy and hope they thought was lost.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £38,630 PENINIM Peninim supports physically disabled women through social and leisure provisions, providing positive, accessible opportunities and using these as a platform to integrate the disabled community into the rest of society; bridging divides. With the Assura grant, we will deliver open-access, weekly craft workshops (including jewellery making, fruit carving, confectionery, clay modelling, pyrography etc) to adult women with physical disabilities alongside non-disabled women, in an effort to promote community cohesion, reduce high levels of isolation and tackle longstanding segregation/discrimination which is prevalent towards those with disabilities. 50 beneficiaries will be engaged to re-enter society after long periods of isolation/shielding, create intra-community bonds, a strong sense of belonging and improve well-being through engaging in the creative arts.
18/10/2021 £4,900 £175,565 QUETZAL At Quetzal we provide counselling to female survivors of childhood sexual abuse to support improved mental health and recovery from trauma. We would like to run a community based awareness raising campaign and provide counselling for women living in Coalville and the surrounding areas. The grant would be used to pay for the time and associated costs of our inclusion worker and for the delivery of remote counselling sessions. The project would improve access to our service amongst women living in outer Leicestershire who may not be aware of the help available to them, the project would enable these women to access free counselling and therefore improve their mental health and wellbeing.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £240,257 NOTTINGHAM ARIMATHEA TRUST Nottingham Arimathea Trust is a local charity which provides asylum seekers with no recourse to public funds and newly-recognised refugees access to decent and appropriate accommodation and casework support at key transition points in their lives. The project will provide a volunteer befriending service, where volunteers are matched with a particular house, and will both provide additional support for individuals but also create opportunities for residents to mix, get to know each other, take part in activities together, and create stronger peer support relationships. The grant will be spent on staff time to recruit, train and manage the volunteer befrienders; travel costs and out of pocket expenses for volunteers, addtional training costs and a modest budget to provide resources and activity costs. By addressing isolation and increasing a sense of belonging and community, the project will deliver improvements in mental and emotional wellbeing for the residents, as well as providing opportunties for some residents to take on volunteering roles themselves supporting confidence, language and skills development.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £897,636 YOUTH ADVENTURE TRUST Youth Adventure Trust helps vulnerable young people in Swindon and Wiltshire to overcome disadvantage and build resilience, confidence and mental toughness. Mountain Camp is a 6-day residential camp and consists of outdoor adventure activities and camping in the Brecon Beacons. The funding will be used to pay for the camp, activities, transport and food. This project will make a significant difference to young people’s lives by equipping them the lifelong skills they need to overcome the barriers in their lives.
18/10/2021 £4,190 £84,940 COMMUNITY HEALTH AROUND TORPOINT 1.Community Health Around Torpoint (CHAT) is a registered charity working towards improving the health of residents within Torpoint & the Rame Peninsula. 2.The project will help people who are experiencing grief by giving a safe, secure environment to grieve, reduce the mental stress, build friendships and reduce the isolation felt having lost a loved one. 3.The funding will pay for- Support group sessions for participants to talk openly Group outings (eg theatre, cinema, meal) according to the participants needs / likes to help reduce isolation and to give participants a focus away from grief. A 'Remembrance event' where loved ones can be remembered and their lives celebrated. 4.Disadvantaged people can have problems coping with 'normal' everyday life without dealing with additional stresses & strains and sometimes need a helping hand to show compassion, caring, guidance and support which so often comes at a cost. Providing a support group where it costs participants nothing and is all inclusive ensures everyone within the group is on an even keel and takes one pressure away. There shouldn't be a cost to help people through the grieving process.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £386,626 LEWISHAM YOUTH THEATRE LYT delivers free drama projects that help vulnerable young people build confidence, improve their wellbeing and increase their ambition. The Junior Youth Theatre Workshop Project will engage 60 participants aged 11-14 in a series of drama workshops aimed at building confidence, teamwork and creative communication skills, culminating in a performance of participant-created dramatic work for family and friends during the school holidays. Funding will support the project’s staff delivery costs: two experienced drama facilitators to deliver the 16-week drama project; and project management to recruit referrals and support vulnerable participants to engage and progress through the project. The Project will increase participants’ social, communication and relationship skills, particularly helping them to build confidence, make new friends and creatively express themselves in a positive environment, while providing a progression pathway to further activities and support at LYT and beyond.
18/10/2021 £4,992 £2,404,293 FALCON SUPPORT SERVICES EAST MIDLANDS LTD Falcon Support Services EM Ltd supports homeless people to move onto living independently and works to relive hardship for people living in extreme poverty. This project will provide targeted health and well being support to homeless people living in Falcon Support Services temporary accommodation based in Coalville and people living in poverty who attend our North West Leicestershire Drop In. Grant funding will be used to pay for a support worker to work 10 hours per week providing one to one support helping service users access support for issues including mental health issues and substance misuse. This project will provide the individualised support our service users need to have the confidence to access professional health services and ultimately will help them achieve their goal of living in their own homes independently and safely.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £182,747 THE CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION This is The Children’s Foundation 30th Birthday project and reflects ‘levelling’ up from birth. We will give every new baby In the North East a MaM Box supporting a best start in life. The pilot will focus on those in deprived areas. The box provides a safe sleeping space and the contents reflect the innovative scope of the project. The MaM Box is the first to take a baby development approach and promotes attachment based parenting and bonding. This means children build resilience, arrive school ready, understand boundaries and achieve across a number of key measures.
18/10/2021 £4,920 £389,567 STRENGTH & LEARNING THROUGH HORSES A 12 week Therapeutic Alternative Education Programme for young people who are experiencing mental health difficulties and struggling in mainstream education. The programme will equip the young people with the skills and conidence to reengage with education as well as giving them a space to think about their emotional and mental health and improving their mental wellbeing.
18/10/2021 £4,955 £768,387 SWINDON CARERS CENTRE Swindon Carers Centre exists to improve the well-being of the 21,000 unpaid carers in Swindon, creating a community where carers are recognised, valued and supported. We do this through one-to-one tailored support, running activities and groups and giving benefits advice. The project we would like support for will deliver peer support social groups, activities and training to support carers of people living with dementia in Swindon. The grant will be used to pay for the costs of these activities, including the staff time involved in running the project. The project will give carers much needed respite from their caring role, peer support, and a safe space to be themselves without judgement, this will reduce their loneliness and isolation, improve their wellbeing and their strength and resilience to continue providing vital care to their loved ones.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £2,123,679 BLACKPOOL FC COMMUNITY TRUST BFCCT is a forward-thinking charity that provides a diverse range of programmes to increase social inclusion opportunities; improve physical fitness, health, and education; and lessen involvement in anti-social behaviour. They will deliver a social hub where participants will have an opportunity to sit down and relax together away from the active session which will allow participants to socialise in a much more social environment. Staff will engage with participants with predetermined themed weeks, including easing anxiety, problem solving, improving diet, challenging negative thoughts, improving self- esteem, and dealing with stress. Staff will listen to their feelings and create a judgement-free environment. They will also be informed of different related support services which will attend the hub to offer on hand advice in a non-clinical environment. The grant will pay for staffing costs to run the social hub, refreshments for participants, publicity of the sessions including flyers and a social media campaign and project operational costs. The project will improve people’s mental health and wellbeing, giving people a place to relax and discuss different aspects of their life with peers and the staff which can be used as an early intervention for people living with mild to moderate depression or anxiety.  
18/10/2021 £4,930 £2,677,971 CHESHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) is a conservation charity, the purpose of which is to conserve and create space for nature that is enjoyed and valued by all, it is a grassroots movement of people from a wide range of backgrounds and all walks of life, who believe that we need nature and nature needs us. MCWW will deliver CWT’s Wellbeing with Nature programme (WWN). WWN is a wellbeing development programme integrating mindfulness, movement and connection through a 6-session programme which has developed to cover the 5 ways to wellbeing (move, give, connect, learn and notice) and is themed around the 5 ways to nature connection (contact, beauty, emotion, compassion and meaning). MCWW will engage up to 30 people through 2 on site 6-week development programmes, the funding will pay for delivery staff costs, materials and resources for the programme, consumables for participants, refreshments, project administration and management. Project development and monitoring. MCWW provides accessible conservation volunteering opportunities that will improve 90% of participants health and wellbeing scores, increase confidence, community cohesion and transition 30% of participants onto further opportunities while preparing people for the job market and transforming community spaces creating a connection between people and the environment.
18/10/2021 £5,000 YOUTH FEDERATION Youth Federation for Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral's mission is to make a positive difference by engaging, empowering and enriching the lives of young people. Our digital mental health support officer delivers low intensity mental health workshops on a variety of different topics with a focus on digital influences that can affect the wellbeing of young people aged 10-18, this is primarily group support however a maximum of 5 CYP can be supported on an individual basis at any one time by the digital mental health support officer. The grant will be used towards salary costs of our digital mental health support officer and also contribute towards craft equipment / online activities costs. This role was introduced following the first lockdown when young people were struggling with the digital world they found themselves in and our sessions improve confidence and self esteem, reduce stress and anxiety and help young people deal with their feelings of worry and anger. We give young people a safe space to talk openly about their mental health, issues of cyber-bullying and the impact that social media and the digital world can have on our wellbeing.
18/10/2021 £4,860 £442,479 THE JOSHUA TREE The Joshua Tree - Supporting families affected by childhood cancers. The 'CASCADE' (Cope, Adapt, Survive: life after Cancer) evaluation project will deliver support to parents / carers of a child affected by cancer by their attendance at a 6 week cognitive behavioural therapy group program specifically developed by a team of oncologists and psychologists to reduce negative outcomes and increase resilient coping skills. The funding will pay for the running of cognitive behavioural therapy group sessions delivered by a qualified Psychotherapist sessional worker for up to 12 parents / carers of children who have completed cancer treatment. This project will teach parents / carers how to apply the necessary skills to address their concerns, manage their daily life post-treatment once the safety net of hospital visits decrease and access peer support during and outside the sessions.
18/10/2021 £5,000 £4,036,462 HOSPICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD The Hospice of the Good Shepherd delivers end of life palliative care for those with life limiting illnesses, and support for their families. Their Reflect counselling service provides counselling for children and young people who have suffered a bereavement whether linked to the Hospice or not. The grant funding will support the salary of a two day a week qualified counsellor. The service will improve the emotional well being of children and young people at a time when they may be feeling most isolated and vulnerable . 
18/10/2021 £1,724 £18,456 WRENBURY RECREATION GROUND TRUST, CHARITY NO 510141 The recreational trust provides the opportunity to access sports within the community. An example is the tennis club who have organised coaching on Saturday mornings for youth development for those within (and if required outside of) our community. During lock-down many of the children were isolated and prevented from playing many sports that involved teams and contact. Coming out of lock-down the tennis club re-started the youth programme. This provides a forum for our youth to learn teamwork, responsibility, respect and friendship as well as other life skills. In this case we are potentially mitigating crime and anti-social behaviour as well as improving mental health. The tennis also mitigates to some extent the current issues surrounding youth obesity and lack of fitness.
18/10/2021 £2,400 £178,365 KEYNSHAM AND DISTRICT MENCAP SOCIETY Keynsham Mencap provides social opportunities for people with a learning disability and autism across 10 projects. The Music Man Project is run by a qualified music teacher every Saturday morning and provides regular, permanent music education rather than one-off workshops. We are seeking funding to finance replacement instruments and T shirts for new members. By attending the regular music tuition, members are meeting up with friends, growing in confidence as they learn songs and to play instruments. Then in turn perform to the public in concerts.
08/10/2021 £6,300 £587,949 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Pure Insight providing days out to young people leaving care (and some of their children) with the support of volunteers. Making new memories through day trips to calming beaches or fun adrenaline fueled days to Alton Towers Funding will pay for transport, food, drinks and will also cover volunteer costs to support the trips. Making new memories at a calming beach or an adrenaline packed day on exhilarating rides is exactly what our young people need to get out of the daily grind of disadvantage, poverty, loneliness and isolation and for some exploitation.
06/10/2021 £3,000 £37,062 FAMILIES UNITED (WARRINGTON) F. Un's programme of activities and support groups will offer children/young adults (YP) with SEND the opportunity to return to spending time with others in a similar situation enabling personal progression and the learning of new skills. The project will reduce barriers by offering young members the opportunity to participate in activities that they would otherwise find it hard to access: accessible and achievable activities with or without support from a parent/carer/sibling. All the YP, those with more complex needs and behaviours, are all able to enjoy and embrace positive experiences. Funding will pay for fully inclusive trampoline rebound sessions, adaptive ten-pin bowling, bird of prey handling, pony therapy (sitting/touching/grooming), and forest orienteering. This will facilitate a return to our normal service for children and young adults who will be able to focus on exciting events in the future where they can once again socialise with their peers, relieving isolation and loneliness.
05/10/2021 £5,000 THE SMILE GROUP Smile Group is a charity providing perinatal mental health support to families across Cheshire East, including peer support groups, talk therapy and home visits. We are applying for funding to cover budget gaps in our service delivery for Nantwich and Surrounding areas to increase our catchment for families in Crewe, there are a lot of rural disparate communities across the area that would benefit from a joined-up community-based emotional support services given the issues with rural isolation on top of alienation as a symptom of perinatal mental health issues and isolation arising from public health regulations on social contact. Grant money would be used to pay for the deficit in core costs for the next 12 months including staff salaries, counselling services, IT and marketing to improve Smile Group’s reach in Crewe. Perinatal Mental illness severely impacts the lives of parents and young children in a profound way, the COVID crisis has been particularly difficult for new parents in isolation not to mention pregnant women are clinically vulnerable to infection. Before the pandemic, the NHS stated that 1 in 7 mothers, and 1 in 10 Fathers suffer from perinatal mental illness,; they also predicted for 2020, that there were 441 families in Cheshire East suffering from perinatal mental health issues, our service supported 203 families throughout the year.
05/10/2021 £3,000 £300,249 DISABILITY INFORMATION BUREAU Disability Information Bureau (DIB) is a charity that offers a service to empower disabled people, those with long term health conditions, vulnerable adults and carers alongside encouraging those who are digitally disadvantaged and unskilled are not left behind. They pride ourselves on working with our service users to eradicate social and digital exclusion barriers which impact on vulnerable, mentally and physically disabled people and those socially isolated due to the lack of technological expertise and knowledge. They not only assist them with their financial dilemmas, training and employment barriers and accessibility but also encourage them to get involved by joining the DIB in the capacity of a volunteer. Since the pandemic the DIB's overall services and the volunteer support has diminished. To support service delivery the DIB now needs to develop existing volunteers and also recruit new volunteers into the fold. This will be a three month mission that will involve the time of HR and the CEO to advertise, recruit and train volunteers, so that they can take up a role within the DIB.Volunteers are an integral element of the DIB and without their support services will not be as effective. This three month intervention incorporating bespoke training and support will assist the DIB to get back on track by helping many individuals who feel lost, alone, lacking confidence and in need of encouragement, friendship and support to develop their transferrable skills and socialising skills again after such a long, frightening and unpredictable 12 months. Helping interested but disadvantaged individuals will in turn help the DIB and overtime they will help others. The funding will cover salary costs and training costs to support existing and new volunteers.
05/10/2021 £5,000 £603,414 WISHING WELL PROJECT The Wishing Well is a health and wellbeing charity delivering services across Crewe and south Cheshire. The project will deliver a host of early intervention services for vulnerable people in Crewe from fresh meals, recipe packs, food parcels, care packages and guidance and support. The funding will allow us to employ, train and develop local people to develop and deliver this project, it will also support our volunteers and allow us to purchase from the local supply chain. The most significant impact of the project will be that it will directly lift people out of food poverty and provide children, families and vulnerable older people with a lifeline during these most challenging of times.
05/10/2021 £30,000 £8,210,552 NTCG - LIGHTHOUSE CENTRE CREWE 1 - The Lighthouse Centre offers regular twice weekly hot food and food parcels, during the Covid-19 crisis and recovery, with support for those living on the edge of society, sometimes ex-offenders with complex, chaotic lives and those suffering severe mental health disorders and often with alcohol and drug addictions. 2 – The project will continue to deliver - regular weekly, hot cooked food, and food parcels; clothes; shower facilities; emotional support; advice; sign posting and counselling for the homeless and those suffering with addictions and mental health disorders, causing social isolation. (In addition, due recent demand, we are expanding our services to include translation/interpreter support and English as a second language tuition). 3 – The grant will pay for - Food provisions, toiletries, shower and laundry supplies, plus overnight emergency accommodation, managing staff and volunteers including resources to deliver on-site translator/interpreter support and English as a second language tuition. 4 - The most significant difference will be the opportunity to continue our service during the Covid-19 recovery phase as the individuals accessing the current support struggle to engage with other agencies under normal circumstances; hence the project will allow us to continue supporting the needs of the most niche group of socially excluded people on the edge of society, promoting mental health, wellbeing and ultimately save lives. 5 - not applicable
05/10/2021 £3,000 100 (NANTWICH) SQUADRON AIR TRAINING CORPS RAFAC 100 (Nantwich) Squadron Air Training Corps RAFAC provide high quality training in a wide variety of activities for children aged 13 to 18 in Nantwich and the surrounding area through diverse and exciting activities.They have seen a dramatic increase in children wanting to join our organisation and experience their unique activities away from the pressure of school and in some instances home life, funding will allow them to offer additional places in the Squadron. Covid restriction (for example social distancing), don't allow children to share equipment, additional funding will allow them to split the cadets into individual groups and carry out activities one-to-one, for example laptops, projector screens, field craft and expedition equipment. They offer disadvantaged children the opportunity to take apart in activities with no cost. Some children see the organisation an escape from the day to day challenges of life. A grant will help them widen their offer to meet the new demand and children come out of lockdown.
05/10/2021 £19,659 £749,879 CHESHIRE EAST CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU At Citizens Advice Cheshire East (CACE) we provide free, independent, confidential and independent advice and guidance to local people on a wide range of issues, the most popular being benefits, debt, housing, employment and relationship breakdown; we proactively encourage engagement with vulnerable people and take a holistic approach starting with fully assessing advice and support needs before determining next steps which may include one off advice delivered right away, referral to a specialist, referral to an external organisation e.g. foodbank or an appointment to advise on a complex issue (or all of these if the client has multiple issues). As the lockdown is slowly being lifted, we anticipate the full financial impact of the pandemic on our community will begin to bite and we will see unprecedented numbers of people seeking our help with their issues; particularly in respect of financial worries, and already we are only able to cover 53% of demand due to limited adviser and supervisor resources so our project aims to increase capacity to meet this demand by increasing our supervisor resource to quickly recruit, train and support additional volunteers to deliver telephone advice and improve our ability to meet rising local demand. Effective, ‘hands on’ support for our volunteer advisers throughout the day is essential to ensure advice is appropriate and accurate, advisers can consult quickly and receive the mentoring they need to maintain quality of advice provision; the grant funding will pay to equip 10 additional volunteer advisers to work remotely and increase our Advice Supervisor hours by 18 per week, allowing us enough supervisor time to both provide training, development and support to new volunteers as well as maximising existing adviser resource by cutting down wait time for accessing supervisory support. We estimate this project will allow us to increase numbers helped by 1,800 per year; 13 of 47 Crewe Lower Layer Super Output Areas are among the 20% most deprived in England, 46% of our Crewe area clients have a disability or long-term health condition including mental health problems, with 70% on low incomes and many current enquiries relate to the impact of coronavirus, including significant numbers of people in immediate need as they’ve no income; we offer immediate assistance e.g. help with determining entitlement and application for benefits, accessing emergency food/goods, stopping bailiff action or eviction proceedings.
05/10/2021 £2,200 £113,838 WILLASTON PRE-SCHOOL Willaston Pre-school educates and cares for children from 2 to 5 years old and their families. This project will enhance the life chances of children who have been particularly badly affected during lockdown, specifically those who have faced domestic violence or arrested development (or even regression) as a result. A grant will be used to pay for qualified staff to work on a 1 to 1 or very small group basis with disadvantaged children (those qualifying (or previously qualifying) for 2 year old Early Years Funding), and offer bespoke support to their families.The project will provide a guaranteed safe space on demand for those children who need it, enabling parents/carers to work through their personal problems with other agencies or pursue training and employment to better provide for their family, and also enable children who are very delayed in their development (e.g. in speech and language) to catch up with their peers before it is too late.  
05/10/2021 £1,700 £4,214 SURVIVE (ABUSE COUNSELLING) Survive is a counselling service working with a client base of adult survivors of childhood abuse. Predominantly childhood sexual abuse. The project will fund a crafting group offering people a two hour weekly crafting session. Abuse survivors can suffer from social anxiety and a fear of talking within groups or simply attending a group. The crafting group will help participants develop individual crafting skills, but more importantly the participants will get used to attending on a regular basis, will feel safe in the group and start to relax, make connections and even develop friendships. Getting out of their home can be extremely difficult for people with social isolation issues and they take a big personal risk when they initially attend. This risk is not to be underestimated.  Session will have two staff in attendance, a facilitator to run the group and a counsellor. The grant funding will be used to pay for staff costs and use of Survive's premises, and purchase of crafting materials.
03/10/2021 £12,500 THE PRINCE'S TRUST Grant to The Prince's Trust
30/09/2021 £2,021 MATTHIOLA JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB Our mission is to provide grassroots football to ages 4-18 in a safe, secure and inclusive manner. We pride ourselves in providing physical education in a structured manner to children twice a week through training and games. Through our volunteers we know this helps improve mental healh by encouraging children to mix in a team environment, and we know that this reduces crime and anti-social behaviour in our players aged 12-18 by respecting our local communities including the facilities we use.
30/09/2021 £1,500 WYBUNBURY ANGLERS ASSOCIATION We believe we are helping to build stronger communities, as well as improviding mental health by offering Angling 'coaching' to Families and Young People. Additionally, we are at the early stages of developing a 'Fishing in Mind' project to demonstrate how angling will benefit mental health. This is particularly important post Covid. We regularly host Let's Fish events and subsequent learning programmes. We have received a lot of positive feedback from Parents etc as to the benefits to the children. particularly those who may have some form of disability or learning issues. We feel that we are establishing a feel good factor in the local community.
29/09/2021 £1,037 £8,210,552 NTCG - LIGHTHOUSE CENTRE CREWE TLC aims to provide free monthly Seaside Funday opportunities for individuals and communities facing health inequalities, living in poverty, experiencing homelessness, adverse mental health conditions, unemployment, wellbeing concerns, loneliness, isolation, refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic minority communities. The project supports groups and individuals to visit seaside destinations particularly in the northwest region of the UK, including West Kirby, New Brighton and Blackpool. For many of these individuals these visits are their first fun activity on a beach in the UK. The funding will pay for support staff cost, travel cost, activities including bike riding along the coast, funfair rides or adventure golf. Also cost of a meal for each individual, like fish and chips and ice creams. We also take lots of photos and creating an album for each individual to keep. All the feedback received are overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the lasting impact and positive memories created on the days out. A quote from an asylum seeker individual summarised how enjoyable and impactful the Seaside Fun Days was: “Since being place in Crewe 18months ago, this is only my second time travelling out of Crewe” “I have never been on the beach before, this has been my best day”.
12/09/2021 £2,640 £9,031,482 NYAS Grant to NYAS
12/09/2021 £2,000 AUTISM DOGS CIC Autism Dogs CIC provides autistic people of all ages a fully managed 'Assistance Dog Programme' with on-going education and therapeutic support for each client and their care-givers. The project will allow the continuation of Out of hours emergency telephone/zoom service to support families over Christmas and New Year when new challenges arise due to the festive season.. Funding will pay for 2 x trained Operators for a further 8 weeks of 28 hours per week on 4 evenings to 10pm and 1 weekend day.
08/09/2021 £2,000 £357 CRICKETTES MORRIS DANCERS 1. Crickettes Morris Dancers - a voluntary community group training dancers from 3-53 years for competition across the North West and North Wales region 2. Throughout lockdown our members have continued to grow, both in size and numbers! We need training kit for all our members which consists of a top, leggings and footwear. 3. This same kit would also be worn on competition days prior to changing into competition uniform, thus ensuring no members were disadvantaged or singled out due to lack of finances. A team training uniform provides that feeling of belonging and inclusivity. 4. We have many members from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our fundraising efforts and requests for grant funding ensures that these members are able to take part in an activity that helps build self-confidence, build teamworking and communication skills and provides a safe have and a healthy activity with opportunities that would otherwise not be available to them.
06/09/2021 £3,000 £343,044 POYNTON BAPTIST CHURCH Poynton Baptist Church is opening the Clay Coffee House to connect with the local community and provide a focal point to support people in a number of ways. Besides providing an excellent social environment to build relationships, they will be serving high quality refreshments and partnering with the Pure Innovations charity to provide hospitality training to adults with learning disabilities. The Coffee House will serve locally and ethically sourced food and drinks. The Clay House project will provide a space open to all members of the community to meet and socialise informally alongside meeting the needs of the community through the development of a variety of groups.
06/09/2021 £2,000 AUTISM DOGS CIC Autism Dogs CIC provides autistic people of all ages a fully managed 'Assistance Dog Programme' with on-going education and therapeutic support for each client and their care-givers. The project will allow the continuation of Out of hours emergency telephone/zoom service to support existing families in crisis due to covid-19. The funding will pay for a trained Operator for a further 10 weeks of 23 hours per week up to 9pm during weekdays and 10am to 2pm on weekends. This will provide a vital lifeline to support and advise for parents to autistic children and young people suffering serious mental health problems during lockdown.
04/09/2021 £1,000 £832,973 CHESHIRE AND WARRINGTON CARERS TRUST Grant to Cheshire and Warrington Carers Trust
04/09/2021 £956 £153,414 WINSFORD YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FORUM LIMITED Grant to Winsford Youth and Community Forum Limited
04/09/2021 £1,000 SOUL KITCHEN Grant to Soul Kitchen
04/09/2021 £1,000 BLACON COMMUNITY STORE Grant to Blacon Community Store
26/08/2021 £5,000 £568,091 PASSION FOR LEARNING Passion for Learning CIO works with children from a wide range of challenging and limiting backgrounds providing them with the enriching activities and experiences that enable them to fulfil their potential as learners and ultimately employees. This project will deliver an Enrichment Club in Neston. The club provides exciting and imaginative themed activities, experiences, workshops, visits and events that are designed to broaden children's horizons and give them the inspiration that they need to develop ambitions and see learning as relevant to them. The grant will pay for a club supervisor, a wide range of resources, enrichment bags for the children to take home, food and snacks, trips, visits, workshops, planning and preparation. Children attending the Clubs grow in confidence and self-esteem, communication skills, their ability to sustain positive relationships and many other social and emotional skills critical to becoming effective learners and maintaining mental well-being.  
26/08/2021 £1,900 £483,983 CHAPTER (WEST CHESHIRE) LTD Chapter is a mental health charity, based in Cheshire, dedicated to supporting people living with mental ill-health by helping them to improve their lives through one-to-one support, creative activities, and workshops. The project will fund Chapter to support 16 people experiencing a personal mental health crisis through the delivery of two specialist six-week RE:SET programmes of wellbeing and resilience workshops. The grant funding will be used to pay for a specialist Wellbeing Coach to deliver the two workshop programmes, as well as contributing to room hire costs, refreshments, publicity, and volunteer costs. Each six-week RE:SET programme will support disadvantaged and vulnerable participants, who are living with or experiencing mental ill-health, to improve their wellbeing by helping them to set and work towards achievable personal goals and reduce their feelings of anxiety and isolation.  
26/08/2021 £2,000 HIP & HARMONY CIC A 6 month arts project from September to March that will focus on 'Recovery' sessions with young people & older members within the community.  After the difficult past 16 months, adults & youth have severely suffered, not being able to participate in any 'Live' group sessions. This funding will enable Hip and Harmony to offer more Health & Wellbeing Arts projects to new& existing members, giving all involved an opportunity to flourish, to broaden their abilities, build confidence and self-esteem. It will generate a strong sense of community well being, togetherness and empowerment. The grant money will be used to support our New Projects with room hire and practitioners fees. 
23/08/2021 £3,000 £89,653 CHANCE CHANGING LIVES Chance Changing Lives is tackling poverty and inequality in Crewe & Cheshire East.  The project will help provide fresh fruit and vegetables for 140 member families at their Community Pantry each week, who are disproportionally impacted by Covid-19 poverty and in deep poverty. This will encourage healthy food choices and increase healthy eating. Vegetable consumption follows a strong income gradient; the poorest 20% eating one portion of veg less a day than the richest 20% (foodfoundation.org.uk). Chance Changing Lives wants to reduce dietary inequalities, raise fresh food expectations and offer all their members the opportunity to have nutrient rich, health boosting foods.
23/08/2021 £2,021 £56,267 WHITLEY COMMUNITY PRESCHOOL Whitley Community Pre-school is lucky to be situated in a rural location with a lot of outdoor space for the children to utilise. They spend as much of the day as possible outdoors and being active to aid the children's mental health and wellbeing. The children can enjoy an outdoor play area and also an outdoor kitchen area, it is a fantastic time for the children to be able to develop their social skills while playing with friends outdoors, therefore developing their life skills ready for their transition into mainstream education. During winter months when the weather isn't suitable for as much outdoor play the focus is on children's yoga and dance indoors to help the children in expressing themselves. The project will help purchase more outdoor equipment for the children. Many of the children that have recently joined have had little to no time away from their families due to Covid, which also means they have experienced much less than children in previous years. The grant will pay for extra equipment that children may not have seen before, helping improve their physical and mental health. It will also allow the preschool to welcome some providers to talk to the children about being active, sports and general wellbeing.
19/08/2021 £2,021 £40,939 CREATING ADVENTURES Creating Adventures launched Zumba fitness classes during lockdown on Zoom to not only improve the physical wellbeing of their members but also to improve their mental wellbeing. These classes were online to tackle the social isolation that members were facing during this difficult time. The Zumba classes have been such a fantastic addition to their programme that they would love to continue them in person. The movement to music and enjoyment with peers supports the mental health of our members and as they are meeting friends and getting physically fitter, the benefits are endless.  
18/08/2021 £2,000 £314,174 WARRINGTON AND HALTON HOSPITALS CHARITY The Charity is currently trying to build up a service for Children and Young People who are patients at Warrington Hospital and living with a diagnosis of Diabetes. Diabetes is a life-long, complex, and life-threatening condition. If they do not control their Diabetes appropriately, the patient will be more at risk of having a heart attack, stroke, organ failure, loss of limbs or even death, therefore, it is vital that these Young People are managing their Diabetes well. A large part of Diabetes Management is taking part in exercise to support health and keep blood sugar at a healthy and safe level. Due to the current circumstances with Covid-19, patients have been spending more time sat watching TV in their houses, leading to higher levels of blood sugar over this time. The Charity is hoping to get their Patients back out and about, staying fit and supporting their health further through sports activities. Due to the complex, time-consuming, and possible life-threatening impacts of Diabetes management, a vast amount of the Young People also suffer from anxiety, self-confidence, and self-esteem issues, and they feel very alone with their condition. The service will concentrate on the mental health support, self-confidence, self-esteem, general well-being, education, life skills and supporting social interaction between Young People with Diabetes to provide a support network outside of the Hospital setting. The project will help support a programme of sports activities led by coaches.
18/08/2021 £1,690 CREWE ST ANDREW'S CHURCH AND CONNECTED COMMUNITY CENTRE St Andrew's Church and Connected Communities Centre aims to improve people's lives through projects and events targeting specific groups in the local community; the Dance to Health group is one of these projects. The project will deliver overall fitness, the prevention of falls, and physical and mental well-being in people over 50 for the coming year. The grant will help pay for a qualified dance exercise instructor holding the 'Postural Stability Instructor: Later in Life' certificate issued by AESOP, to provide one 2-hour dance exercise class each week, thus preventing a decline in physical and mental health in the over 50s which can soon occur if exercise and social contact is not kept up (UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Guidelines for Older Adults 2019). As well as promoting better physical and mental health overall, the project aims to improve social isolation and increase physical confidence in older people in the local community, many of whom live alone, cannot afford gym memberships, or have limited means of transport.  
18/08/2021 £2,000 £55,932 PREVENT 2 PROTECT Prevent 2 Protect want to improve self confidence and self esteem so that children have the confidence to say NO. The grant will be used to directly fund workshops with 11 to 16 year olds, providing increased activities for beneficiaries through sport, and helping to improve self-confidence and self-esteem. These children who will benefit include  those deemed most "at risk" of gang recruitment, because children from disadvantaged backgrounds and low income families are being targeted by gangs for recruitment and for use in County Lines Drug Dealing.  
18/08/2021 £2,000 WARRINGTON YOUTH VOICE Warrington Youth Voice is a local, youth organisation ran by volunteers wanting to make a positive difference to lives of young people in Warrington and giving them a voice and a say in matters that they care about. The project will help implement a Street Harassment Campaign for the Safety of young people after the Sarah Everard case last year brought to their attention the inherent problems here in Warrington faced by young women and men. The grant funding will cover the costs such as workshops, events, adverts, filming equipment, billboards. Moreover, the biggest difference it will make is to the lives of young people mostly women who face this harassment day in day out due to the uneducated percentage who don't see the gravity of their actions on other people's lives; the hope is to reduce this figure across Warrington.  
16/08/2021 £2,021 £63,144 FRODSHAM YOUTH ASSOCIATION Friday night youth club – engages over 120 young people every Friday night in positive youth activities and decreases young people hanging out on the streets or at the skate park engaged in anti social behaviour. Outcome – young people engaged in crime diversion activities. Sunday breakfast and homework club – One Sunday a month youth club provides a full cooked breakfast that is cooked by the young people themselves to improve life skills and then to provide tutoring and homework help and access to a computer and printer. There is also washing and drying facilities at youth club for young people to be able to wash their own clothes, including school uniforms. Outcome – young people who do not have a computer at home or internet will access to computers, internet and adult support with homework. Duke of Edinburgh award – D of E has increasingly become an expensive opportunity for young people who’s parents can afford for them to participate. Frodsham youth club aims to eliminate this barrier by providing access to D of E cheaply, with youth worker support and to give young people this prestigious youth award on their CV to increase their life chances. Teen market – FYA works in partnership with Helsby High School to encourage entrepreneurship skills with young people and the opportunity to make money legally, at a time when youth employment is so low and petty crime and theft high. Girls Group and Boys group – Alternate Monday nights, Girls group and Boys group. A focussed discussion and activity session to address and discuss issues affecting the lives of young people with a focus on gender issues Developing Life Skills and Improving Mental Health are two outcomes / objectives that the charity aims to support through the following: Life Skills The charity provides the opportunity to improve life skills and overcome some of the barriers that members have to live with through the interactions with others within a safe setting. These include: • Talking to others and socialising • Managing simple tasks involving money • Turn taking • Following instructions / rules • Understand how to be safe • Understanding others needs and personal space Mental Health and Wellbeing Through the activities that the charity provides members benefit from social interaction with their peers, sessional staff and event hosts, provides the opportunity to reduce the social isolation that many have to contend with on a day to day basis in their community in a safe environment. Outcomes- -Reduction in crime -Increased youth employment -Young people empowered to make informed and positive/healthy life choices. -Young people who have a community conscience and want to give back to the local area once they grow into adulthood. -Young people having a more positive opinion of the police which will continue into their adulthood and when they become parents. -Less crime and anti social behaviour at the skate park in Frodsham. Our various sessions tackle many complex issues and sports/ social activities really help.
16/08/2021 £2,021 QUEEN’S PARK HIGH SCHOOL ROWING CLUB Queen's Park High Rowing Club doesn't just teach rowing to their students. Through the sport they teach a wide range of life skills. The club is at risk of losing club members because of the impacts of covid on mental health combined with the requirements for competitive participation. The project will help set up a recreational rowing group, where these children will be able to get out on the water, once or twice a week and just row in their own boat with out any pressure of being coached or having to do hard training, skills or attend competitions. A grant will help pay for additional oars and boats to accommodate this.
09/08/2021 £1,950 £166,782 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME Developing life skills LF has downe syndrome and complex needs ( autism, learning difficulties). Buddies have supported LF since she was 8 she is now 19. LF has never riden a bike when we have taken her cycling she has always sat with someone and they have peddled. On one occasion at Wythenshawe ( simply cycling) she got on a small trike ( called a buddy bike). she then did a lap of the running track on her own on the bike. Since that day she always gets on the buddy bike and will cycle round increasing her laps each time ( she is now up to 5 laps per session). This is an amazing acheievement and one the whole team did not think was possible. the project has developed LFs life skills as well as improving her physical and mental health and well being. Improving mental health Parents have reported that when their disabled child or uoung person has been out with the buddies their mood has improved, they are happier, more talkative and will tell them what they have done. Parents also report that on days when they have been cycling the child sleeps better which helps them the following day.
06/08/2021 £14,991 £42,634 QUARRIERS Quarriers is a unique Scottish health and social care charity which aims to transform the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people across Scotland by challenging the inequality they face and supporting their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Quarriers Music Therapy Project will provide specialised one-to-one music therapy sessions centred around interactive music-making, singing and improvisation, in blocks of 10 weeks to 36 adults receiving support for their mental health and support with physical or learning disabilities that enables them to remain in their own home. The Assura Community Fund will cover the cost of engaging experienced Music Therapists to deliver tailored sessions 2 days per week for 30 weeks across the year, we will purchase musical instruments to facilitate the sessions as well as tablets to allow for virtual sessions plus refreshments and certificates to celebrate the end of each 10 week block. As part of Quarriers supported living services, the intensive music therapy will give Adults living with Mental Health Needs, or Physical/Learning Disabilities meaningful interaction with others that builds their confidence and develops skills, improving their wellbeing through self expression and creativity allowing them to connect and feel positive, using the power of music to communicate without words.
04/08/2021 £9,860 £4,605,585 ST ROCCOS HOSPICE St Rocco's Hospice provides care and support for people diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and their families. Their project - At A Loss - will provide bereavement counselling and support through telephone calls. The grant funding will provide 580 hours of bereavement support to older people of Warrington who are coping with the loss of a loved one. This project will mean that 580 potentially lonely and isolated people, who may have had nowhere to turn to at a devastating time in their live, will be supported, cared for and advised by a trained and experienced counsellor.
04/08/2021 £9,998 £54,104 LYMM SANCTUARY HUB Lymm Sanctuary Hub (LSH) provides a range of community support programmes aimed at people with special needs, including the young, vulnerable and the elderly. This IT project is the first phase of a programme which aims to help isolated people aged 65+ who live in the Lymm and the surrounding area, especially those who are not currently taking part in online activities or able to access available online services. The grant funding will be used to cover the costs of managing and delivering the project including the purchasing of 20 IT devices with remote online access and the provision of training support which will be loaned to 40 elderly people over a 6-month period. The project will reduce social isolation and improve the wellbeing of elderly people who are disadvantaged by not being able to communicate and access information and support services online.
04/08/2021 £10,000 £671,010 ST WILFRID'S CHURCH GRAPPENHALL St Wilfrid’s Church wants its Safe Access for All project to enable more people to access the facilities in the Grappenhall Conservation area. This project will enable them to transfer from cars or minibuses, safely off the main street and walk along a smooth, well drained walkway to the new Annexe at St Wilfrid’s – giving them access to toilets (10-4pm) and all the activities that happen in Church, as well as the option to walk safely round into Church Lane. A grant will fund the creation of a patio by the Annexe entrance with seats and flowerbeds so people can enjoy the fresh air, the sound of birdsong and companionship within a friendly and safe setting, this patio will be a very accessible “tonic” to improve physical and mental health whilst promoting a feeling of wellbeing.
04/08/2021 £10,000 £4,221,000 TORUS FOUNDATION Torus Foundation partners with communities to build better futures together. They work to tackle significant social and economic issues, address deprivation and promote inclusion. The project aims to support Warrington residents severely impacted by the recent floods. Funding will provide emergency furniture packages to older people whose homes and contents have been destroyed. Torus Foundation will be supported by the delivery partner on this project; Care UK Charity, based in Warrington. Grant funding will be used to replace white goods, damaged furniture, flooring and other essential household items. Helping those most vulnerable to access items needed, so that they can move back into their homes. Allocation of resources will be coordinated in a fair, needs-led basis with support to those most vulnerable and with most damage to their home.
03/08/2021 £3,515 ELLESMERE PORT PCC Ellesmere Port PCC will reach out into the community through local schools to help feed vulnerable families during the Easter holiday and providing them with activities for the children. The project will help alleviate food poverty to those families who currently have children eligible for Pupil Premium hence receiving free school meals. This will be a top up to the food they can already access through PP. The activities will provide physical and mental stimulation for the children involved. The grant funding will be used to purchase the food required. There are many families in this area who are living on the poverty line and who have now lost their only form of income due to the COVID pandemic this project will help feed these families over the Easter break relieving the parents of the constant strain and pressure they have on having sufficient funds to feed their families.
02/08/2021 £15,000 £439,907 WARRINGTON VOLUNTARY ACTION The project will support the coordination of the community led food organisations across Warrington. This will ensure the people of Warrington, especially those in deprived wards have improved equal access to healthy food. It will help build a healthier food system working with local food groups, the wider voluntary sector, local authority and health partners as well as the private sector and support the capacity of community food organisations. A grant will go towards the salary of a part time coordinator.
02/08/2021 £1,990 CHESHIRE DOWN'S SYNDROME SUPPORT GROUP Cheshire Down's Syndrome Support Group want to reduce the attainment gap for children with Down's syndrome in Cheshire that is reaching crisis point due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Unlocking Potential project will deliver crucial resources and training to parents and carers to support their child with additional needs. The funding will pay for 242 specialist phonics books, 40 special education iapps and training for up to 40 parents/ carers on how to use the iapps to support their child's education. This project will make a difference to children with Down's syndrome in Cheshire many of whom are not at school, have lost their specialist TA support and whose parents are incredibly anxious about their learning and development.
02/08/2021 £2,000 £169,005 WEST CHESHIRE FOODBANK West Cheshire Foodbank currently provides nutritionally balanced ambient emergency food supplies to local people in financial crisis by way of a pre issued voucher from an approved referrer confirming need and signposting to other agencies for longer term support. This is then provided from a network of 16 hubs. In Neston this is operated weekly from Neston Community Centre by valued Foodbank volunteers. WCFB would like to establish a local project to supplement these food supplies with fresh fruit and vegetables, locally sourced where possible. At present Neston hand out approx 12 emergency food boxes supporting 20+ local people weekly and demand is increasing. A grant will pay for fresh produce to supplement the ambient food boxes.
28/07/2021 £1,500 HOME-START CHESHIRE Home-Start Cheshire supports families with children under 5 who are experiencing difficulties. We aim to increase the number of families we support in the areas in and around Macclesfield, Poynton, Wilmslow, Handforth. The grant funding will pay for Home-Start to run a weekly parenting course in Macclesfield called the CIRCLE programme designed to help parents with low level life skills and will contribute to the salary of a part time coordinator who will run this group and also manage a case load of families who will receive home-visiting support. This project will give parents the skills and confidence to manage their own homes, enable them and their children to live healthier lives and to engage with the resources that are available to them in the community.
26/07/2021 £2,800 £442,479 THE JOSHUA TREE The Joshua Tree supports families affected by childhood cancers. This project will provide a Summer Support Programme of activities for family members affected by a childhood cancer diagnosis. It will enhance the emotional well-being and social interactions of families who have been isolated for the last 18 months and longer due to their child's cancer diagnosis and compromised immunity along with the COVID-19 restrictions.  
26/07/2021 £1,735 HOME-START CHESHIRE Home-Start Cheshire provides practical and emotional support to families who need help to build confidence and resilence and enable children to experience early childhood development opportunities. This project is a seaside trip to offer parents and children from a deprived area the opportunity to experience a trip to New Brighton. The grant funding will be used to pay for a coach, staff time, volunteer expenses, entry to an indoor play area, food and drink and ice creams. As many of our families live in poverty or in low level income households, this project will enable our families, particulalry our children, to enjoy a day out to the coast and have new experiences, including being on a bus trip for the first time with other families, and the day will help to make some special memories and creating unique bonding moments between parents and children.
20/07/2021 £5,000 £199,749 THE WELCOME, KNUTSFORD/MIXED MARTIAL ARTS SPORTS CLUB The Welcome is a true hub for the local community and works closely with many other charities within the Knutsford area. It has a wide reach supporting all aspects of the community. The Welcome has partnered with the principal volunteer, Ric Barnhill, who is an accomplished Mix Martial Arts (MMA) National and World Champion. Owning and running a successful gym in Northwich, Ric is seeking to use his sport over the summer on a voluntary basis to help young people: Developing Life Skills, by teaching young people how to respect others, develop good habits around diet, what they do and don't indulge in, and to learn the principles of how they manage money as they grow up Building Strong Communities by engaging with children across Knutsford, regardless of gender, race, family background, economic situation, disability or any other potential prejudice Improving Mental Health by promoting physical engagement in sport and a positive growth mindset Developing Employability Skills by improving participants self respect and respect for others Reducing Crime and Anti-social behaviour, by providing 12-16 year olds with a regular sporting activity In summary, through sport, the intention is engage a cohort of young people that would otherwise have few choices for activities during the summer and as such be vulnerable to more malevolent influences from society and social media.
19/07/2021 £2,021 PURPLE GECKO COMMUNITY CIC The company’s activities will provide benefit to People of all ages who experience Financial, Social, health and wellbeing challenges and inequalities who as a result of which live with low self-esteem, poor mental and physical fitness and may struggle socially. The services we offer will help to bring people together to boost and encourage physical and mental wellbeing. They will encourage self-esteem and social confidence. We offer dance, karate, pre and post natal exercise and fitness to all ages of the communities of the North West
15/07/2021 £2,521 PHOENIX FIRE AMATEUR BOXING CLUB Phoenix Fire ABC was established in 1990, since our inception we have worked with thousands of young people from Warrington and across wider Cheshire. Our club although it has a very strong tradition in developing talent and high level performance in sport, the vast majority of our members do not compete in formal competition, we offer a safe haven for all the community. Our sessions are predominately focused on Sport for Development and meet all the criteria listed above; Developing Life Skills- Our sessions are disciplined and young people have to meet behaviour criteria and attend on time this approach prepares young people for worklife outside of sport and young people are encouraged within our framework to lead others and take responsibility for their actions. Building Strong Communities- Our membership is significantly diverse, however all differences stop at the door once in sessions young people work together to meet achievable goals and outcomes collectively. The friendship created is strong and a significant proportion of our members become life long friends. Improving Mental Health- As a club we provide BOX IN MIND workshops and all our members have access to this facility. In addition we encourage be open and talking about feelings at every session this has been important during lockdowns when we have facilitated online sessions for members. Reducing Crime and ASB, 85% of our young people are from areas of IMD 1/2 in Warrington, and would be classified at being at risk of offending or being involved in ASB, our club gives these young people a place to go 5 nights a week and at weekends in combination with the holistic nature of our approach to activity we literally save lives on a daily basis.
15/07/2021 £2,521 £1,098,181 CHESHIRE SCHOOLS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION Our association provides opportunities for hundreds of children from across the county of Cheshire to engage in an enjoyable and healthy recreational activity. Participation in schools' football contributes towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle for our youngsters and encourages qualities such as teamwork, fair play and pride in one's school. Many children who participate in our activities are from disadvantaged backgrounds so we hope that children's self-esteem will be enhanced through the medium of schools' football.
15/07/2021 £2,521 £63,805 WARRINGTON YOUTH ROWING We work with Secondary School children that are on the Pupil Premium Register. We mainly operate with Year 8 youngsters and our aims are to enhance their lives by providing them with a life experience that they wouldn't normally have exposure to. The school selects 10 pupils and they attend their local rowing club for a 2 hour session during their school day. They are always accompanied by a member of the school staff and Warrington Youth Rowing provide 2 rowing coaches to look after the youngsters whilst they are at the rowing club. If the conditions allow we teach the youngsters how to row within a team of 4 plus a cox. If the weather is not ideal we work on their posture, fitness and physical wellbeing in the gym.
15/07/2021 £2,521 CHESHIRE GHOST RIDERS The club provides a safe environment (welfare and equipment) that allows individuals to ride and potentially race BMX. The club is at the heart of the community given its base which is at Queen's Park, and provides coaching which helps individuals to learn both BMX and life skills through its coaching programmes. Communication is key and working in groups real helps bring this along as well and helping to develop team working, listening and social skills. Out of club sessions, the track is open for anybody to use (it really is a community track) thus underpinning our approach to equality. In short if you want to ride and learn new skills then Cheshire Ghost Riders is the club for you.
15/07/2021 £2,021 NORTHWICH ROWING CLUB Henley Regatta Charitable Trust (HRCT) with Sir Steve Redgrave as its Chair invited Northwich Rowing Club to create a "Youth Rowing Initiative". Our Youth Rowing program engages with 12 local schools all over mid-Cheshire to take 10-12 "Pupil Premium" children from each school for a weekly 2 hour rowing session. Pupil Premium is the government term for disadvantaged children who generally face challenges in reaching their potential both at school and in their life outside of school. Our objective is to help to bring out the best in the young people on our program, helping them to develop a whole range of skills which will serve them in their future, as well as improving self-esteem, self-confidence, resilience and life skills. When the youngsters first get out in a boat, they very quickly feel part of something special and that not only helps with self-esteem and motivation but also promotes a desire to get better at something. They then take this back into the classroom, Further information about the program can be found here: https://warringtonyouthrowing.org.uk/northwich/
15/07/2021 £1,935 £104,616 LOWER MOSS WOOD NATURE RESERVE AND WILDLIFE HOSPITAL Lower Moss Wood use their 18 acres of woodland to teach young people about conservation and nature.  In order to keep providing relevant and safe educational activity sessions they need new resources. The project will provide stationery, pond dipping kits, binoculars and craft sets to  kick start youth activity sessions for groups of children including children with disabilities and special educational needs. 
15/07/2021 £1,600 £33,870 KNUTSFORD & DISTRICT LIONS CLUB Knutsford Lions are a well known charity organisation supporting many charities in the Knutsford area. The project is a Fair which will give the opportunity for the local community to come together in the centre of town after being under Covid restrictions since March 2020. Local charities will be able to show visitors their activities and make some well needed funds. The grant will be used for hiring portable toilets, hiring gazebos for charities who do not have one, publicity for the event (eg flyers) Printing a programme ( costs are normally covered by donations and advertising). After over a year of Covid restrictions, it will give local people the opportunity to go out and mix with people again, a boost to mental health and wellbeing, local charities will once again be able to show what they do and earn much needed funds.  
14/07/2021 £12,818 FILAMENT PROJECTS CIC Filament Projects create high-quality, varied, and exciting artistic experiences, that are accessible to all. The Forgotten News Desk will produce an immersive creative adventure for Dee Point Primary School (Blacon); through a series of actor-led encounters children at the school will be immersed into the world of a lost newspaper office and tasked with creating articles for their own newspaper, which will then be printed and shared with the wider community. A grant will cover the full costs of delivering this project, including funding all project management, documentation and artistic costs, additional in-kind support has been secured in the form of rehearsal room space. This project will allow the young people from this socio-economically deprived ward the opportunity to develop their creative and critical skills, improve literacy through writing for a purpose, enhance practical tools such as enquiry and research skills, and empower them by giving their voices a platform.  
10/07/2021 £2,000 £3,852,415 STOKE-ON-TRENT AND NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE THEATRE TRUST (NEW VIC THEATRE) This innovative, community engagement project will address the issues surrounding loan sharks, by creating a documentary-drama (using real life stories) to be performed in community settings and put an early intervention in which will direct people away from loan sharks and towards solutions which will help create safe and secure futures.
10/07/2021 £2,000 £191,736 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO One part of Motherwell Cheshire’s service is to host Peer Support groups as part of Social Prescribing Wellbeing Planner. One of the groups that we host is our BAME Womens Group called Motherwell Cultural Connect (MCC). This group is ran by IJ, a volunteer from the BAME community herself. The group meets every 2 weeks. The meetings have taken place online, however, from October meetings will be face to face at our Crewe Hub. The group was set up 6 months ago when IJ approached us during a lockdown period. The group has gone from strength to strength with 25 regular members attending the group. The group talks about a wide range of topics each time they meet. The topics discussed have included the following ; The positives of talking about Mental Health Healthy Relationships Local Support in the Community Healthy Lifestyles There have also been guest speakers from Health Watch, local churches etc. The impact of this group has been: Reduced loneliness and Isolation Knowing what support is available in their local community Friendships have been made The Women have given themselves permission to talk about Mental Health We are applying for funding towards the costs of running this group
10/07/2021 £2,000 CYCLING WITHOUT AGE CHESTER CHAPTER Cycling Without Age Chester Chapter will provide free rides to the isolated, vulnerable and frequently lonely, elderly community in specially adapted electrically assisted trishaws. The grant funding will be put towards the purchase of the first trishaw in the Chester Chapter. This incredible project will benefit the elderly by allowing them to take rides on safe cycle routes in parks and on designated cycleways letting them re-connect with the world outside, giving them freedom and the right to 'wind in their hair'.
07/07/2021 £3,000 THE PUDDLE PROJECT The Puddle Project is an inclusive ecological and agricultural facility, blending innovative modern engineering seamlessly with the environment. Project Willow is an initiative aimed at providing eco-therapy sessions to children with complex needs within the SEND community who have particularly felt the impacts of isolation and shielding during the pandemic. A grant will be used to pay professionals and to obtain any materials required in order to deliver eco-therapy sessions. Project Willow aims to enrich participants social, physical and mental wellbeing. During the pandemic all of us have had to face change and have been restricted in some capacity, however the difficulties faced by children with complex needs and their supporting network has been immense - restricted treatment, facilities and long periods of isolation have left our SEND community with a sense of abandonment, Project Willow aims to provide the green shoots of recovery.  
06/07/2021 £2,000 £6,888 HOUGH, BASFORD AND CHORLTON VILLAGE HALL The Hall was built, primarily of a wooden structure in 1965, with an expected life span of 25 years! After 55 years maintenance costs, dilapidation, anticipated end-of-life, environmental efficiency, carbon footprint and competitiveness with other halls offering superior facilities, are demanding that the Hall is rebuilt to a higher standard which meets current regulations and insurance requirements and offers improved kitchen, storage and entertainment facilities. A number of local Halls have undergone such rebuild projects at overall costs in the region of £700,000.
06/07/2021 £2,000 £3,099 ST BENEDICTS PTA St Benedict's PTA The Trim trail will provide the children of the school a new area to play within on their break and lunch times, it will encourage balance, exercise and overall fun for the children. The funding we are hoping to gain will contribute towards the amount of £5,000 which the PTA voted on the 13th May to fund, which will enable the school to get a large piece of equipment. The most significant difference this equipment will provide for the children is variety of playing equipment, the school only currently has a small area with tyres on and the playground in which footballs, hoops or skipping ropes are used. The school is looking to improve greatly the playground equipment that the school has for all ages covering key stage 1 and 2 pupils. This will encourage the children who are not fans of playing football to go on an adventure and explore, test and improve their motor skills.
05/07/2021 £760 £2,886 THE BOATY THEATRE COMPANY Grant to The Boaty Theatre Company
04/07/2021 £6,305 £2,013,358 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE - MY CWA My CWA is a domestic abuse charity, supporting families across the Cheshire area to be safer and live free from fear. The Recovery Journey -Sand Between Our Toes project aims to provide families in Cheshire who would not normally be able to self fund a trip to the coast as part of their recovery journey, with the opportunity to enjoy a day by the seaside including the experience of a coach trip with other survivors of abuse. For the majority of those who will benefit this will be the first time they have been on a coach trip, played on a beach, been to a seaside fair or had lunch in the sea air with the support of trusted adults who are on hand to provide emotional and practical support.
04/07/2021 £1,196 £905,910 SAVE THE FAMILY The purpose of Save the Family is to create positive and sustainable futures for families that have experienced various problems resulting in homelessness. They aim to end the cycle of problems woven together by circumstance and lack of opportunity. The project will offer their residents a day out in August at the beach with their children and the opportunity to create some happy memories in the midst of very difficult times. The grant will provide transport, a picnic lunch and activities throughout the whole day. This will ensure that this is a worry free day so parents and children are able to experience the normality of a joyful stress free day with their family. This will create some enduring memories they can think back to and speak about with their peers.
25/06/2021 £7,500 £1,419,521 HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE ASSOCIATION The Huntington’s Disease Association is the only organisation dedicated to supporting families affected by Huntington’s disease, a devastating terminal neurological condition of the central nervous system. The project will provide 12 month funding towards their local Specialist Huntington’s Disease Advisory service across Cheshire which provides care, advice, support and information to families and professionals affected by Huntington’s disease. The grant will pay for staff costs.  People with Huntington’s disease are some of the most vulnerable in our society and without this local Specialist Huntington’s Disease Advisory service, people with Huntington’s disease across Cheshire, would not receive the best possible care; they would have a worse quality of life, be more isolated and increasingly vulnerable.  
25/06/2021 £14,586 £148,396 CHESHIRE DOWN'S SYNDROME SUPPORT GROUP Cheshire Down's Syndrome Support Group assist 200 children and adults who have Down's syndrome (DS) and their families in Cheshire. This project will run a weekly drama session for up to 20 teenagers and adults with DS focusing on confidence building, life skills, social interaction, preparation for the world of work and for transition to reintegrate back into their community post-lockdown as well as providing an opportunity for members of the group to cultivate their own social network of peers. The grant funding will be used to pay for accessible venue hire and specialist SEN drama workshops. This project will make a massive difference to teenagers and adults with DS who will benefit from increased levels of confidence and self-expression, a boost to their communication and life skills as well as a reduction in the loneliness and isolation many have faced over the past year due to having to shield during lockdown because of their vulnerability to coronavirus.  
25/06/2021 £9,172 £139,771 SPACE Space provides a fully accessible play centre that offers a fun, safe and accessible environment in which children with disabilities and additional needs can play and learn. They also provide information, guidance and the opportunity for peer support to parents and carers of children with disabilities and with additional needs. A grant will enable them to extend opening hours to accommodate a greater number of families, whilst providing a Covid safe environment. Funding will mean that around 1400 children and families will have the opportunity to make friends, try new things, learn new skills, develop their confidence, improve their communication skills and have fun after many isolated months on lockdown.  
25/06/2021 £7,000 £109,307 SPEAKING UP, SPEAKING OUT SUSO will deliver a Well-being Project for people with learning disabilities in Macclesfield, which will encourage a healthy and fulfilled lifestyle for beneficiaries. Benefits will include improved confidence and self esteem, improved physical & mental well-being, and reduced isolation for people with learning disabilities by creating opportunities to meet together. A grant will pay for staff costs to deliver weekly activities based on five ways to wellbeing.
25/06/2021 £15,000 £23,092,000 MAGGIE'S CENTRE AT CLATTERBRIDGE Maggie’s Merseyside offers practical and emotional support for free to anyone with cancer and their families. They help people take back control when cancer turns their life upside down, by providing expert support for anything from treatment side effects to money worries and how to cope with the isolation of shielding. Maggie's responded rapidly to the pandemic by adapting services, meaning that people with cancer and their families can find a way to cope with the devastating impact of having cancer during the pandemic. Maggie's Frontline - Cancer Support Specialists are the first point of contact for the majority of our centre visitors. With NHS background in oncology, they are knowledgeable in the challenges people with cancer may face and are able to support them with the guidance, clarity and reassurance that they need to be well informed about their diagnosis. This project will help fund the the salary cost of a Cancer Support Specialist to facilitate a number of cancer support groups and one to one appointments face to face within the Maggie's Centre following the easing of restriction.
25/06/2021 £10,000 £483,983 CHAPTER (WEST CHESHIRE) LTD Chapter is a mental health charity for adults in West Cheshire, whose work includes supporting people to manage Serious Mental Illness (SMI) through community-based activities and providing wellbeing toolkits to enable people to improve their own wellbeing; the overall aim for this client group is to manage their illness and stay out of hospital, decrease their isolation, and maintain their independence. The ‘Aspire’ service will provide one-to-one support and community-based group activities for people living with an SMI to manage their illness and encourage positive outcomes. The grant funding will be used towards the delivery costs of Aspire, including the salaries of key staff delivering the programme (Chapter’s expert Wellbeing Coaches) and room hire to provide a safe space for one-to-one support sessions. Aspire supports over 100 adults who are living with a serious mental illness – such as schizophrenia - across Cheshire West and Chester and is a lifeline for some of the most marginalised and isolated people in society – the support enables people to develop connections, improve their self-worth and rebuild their lives.  
25/06/2021 £8,740 £965,665 AGE UK CHESHIRE EAST Age UK Cheshire East is a locally based charity which provides a bespoke range of services, specifically designed for older people. The project will help fund their Older Person's Information & Advice service, which continues to be a vitally important service supporting older people with the many challenges they face in later life, by providing targeted information and support, empowering older people to take better control of their lives and achieve more financial freedom. A grant will pay staff costs for four months. This project makes a significant difference to the lives of older people who access it, and can bring about life changing outcomes to support them in later life, which includes realising additional benefits to pay for essentials such as heating; adaptations to their homes; or to cover caring responsibilities. This Service is even more important than it ever was before during the post-pandemic recovery phase, to help rebuild the confidence of a cohort of people who have been disproportionately affected by this virus.  
25/06/2021 £7,853 £1,992,625 AGE UK CHESHIRE Age UK Cheshire is a local charity working across Cheshire that is dedicated to later life. They co-produce excellent services, make opportunities, connect people meaningfully and influence positive change. They support all older people in Cheshire and offer services to people 50 years and over. The project will allow them to continue their telephone befriending service, Sharing Time. A grant will pay for staffing and management costs, needed to deliver the service and manage volunteers. Sharing Time seeks to reduce the risk of loneliness and isolation amongst older people in Cheshire by delivering a telephone befriending service, with regular calls to older people, most of whom are living alone, in order to make meaningful friendships and relationships and to reduce the risk of loneliness and social isolation.  
25/06/2021 £3,150 £5,358,783 EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE East Cheshire Hospice provides expert palliative care in the community with their Hospice @Home service and in their In Patient Unit free of charge to those adults facing end-of-life in East Cheshire. The Workforce Wellbeing COVID-19 Recovery project will enable clinical staff to continue to care for those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic struggling with isolation and loneliness. The grant will fund a 12 month COVID-19 impact recovery counselling and training programme to build resilience in the clinical team. During and post the pandemic the Hospice has lost nearly 2000 clinical working hours directly attributed to the impact of COVID-19, the majority within the Hospice @Home clinical team. The community nursing team has been a lifeline for those who have been isolated due to Government rules and felt at their most vulnerable facing life limiting illness. East Cheshire Hospice aim always to put the patient at the centre of everything they do. 
25/06/2021 £15,000 £568,091 PASSION FOR LEARNING Passion for Learning provides volunteer support and enrichment to children from challenging family circumstances that create barriers to learning. The project will deliver learning resources and enrichment activities directly into the family home. The funding will pay for the books, games, materials and activities that will form the contents of the bags. Many of our families have few or no learning resources in their own homes, including books and other absolute basics, meaning that they were disproportionately impacted by the challenges of home learning and the experience of lockdown.  
25/06/2021 £9,240 £121,610 WARRINGTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST The project will deliver a detached and outreach youth work programme for young people in disadvantaged wards within Warrington. WYFC have developed relationships with young people in these areas through being based in local high schools. This programme will build on these relationships and networks, as well as building new ones, and provide a programme of activities, sports and 1-1 support. The grant funding will pay for a team of 5 part time WYFC workers to set up and deliver this programme. After initial reconnaissance workers will co-design a 2 month programme of activities with the young people they have built relationships with. As well as group activities and discussion times on topics and themes such as mental health, drugs and alcohol etc. youth workers will also provide 1-1 support and informal mentoring to young people, helping them to explore and discuss issues and challenges that are affecting them. WYFC will also use their links and relationships with other local agencies to arrange for specialist input during these sessions. Following periods of outreach and detached youth work a more structured and long term drop in programme would then be established. The project will improve the physical and emotional health of young people through reducing isolation and loneliness. Many of these young people have been isolated during COVID 19 which has had a major impact on their mental health and their inactivity has impacted on their physical health. Physical activity is particularly important for young people who are vulnerable to obesity and also those with a range of disorders such as Autism and ADHD, which are particularly prevalent in disadvantaged communities. Through engaging young people in co-designing these services as well as relationship building through informal 1-1 mentoring young people’s self-esteem and confidence for the future will be increased. 
25/06/2021 £7,372 £190,941 LIFE CHURCH WARRINGTON Life Church Warrington is a charity that provides direct support services to the local community of Warrington and Golborne and has a culture of "open door to all" at its heart. It delivers a range of local social interaction programs. Life church prioritises its care on families and individuals who are categorized as being the most vulnerable within our society. The Willow, Orford Community Project consists of a three-way agreed partnership, between Life Church Warrington Charity, Emmaus Christian church Charity, working in direct conjunction with Eden Project, The Message Trust. The grant funding will help pay for delivering a Community Hub resource centre with a free drop-in café, cultured in a safe and friendly environment, offering relevant support services from both council, private and voluntary sectors. The Willow will help and serve all, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or culture. The main impact will be to support people's wellbeing and mental health. By establishing a non-profit community café delivering hot and cold drinks, cakes, and snacks with a warm friendly environment will support residents to come in and feel safe, valued, included and equipped. A community hub using a free café model, will help to link people to services indirectly via café conversations and relationship, or directly by programmed sessions with an IAG (information, advice, and guidance) worker/s and encourage residents to access a broader range of support and wellbeing services and social support services.  The project will be supporting individuals and families spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing, by helping peoplge get back into some normality and encourage social interaction in a COVID safe environment.
25/06/2021 £9,240 AUTISM DOGS CIC Autism Dogs CIC train Assistance Dogs that help to transform the lives of autistic children, adults and their families. The project will support existing teams with remote online training and reintroduce face to face training adhering to covd-19 guidelines. They will retrain face to face trainers to help supply appropriate support during the transitions following the pandemic and facilitate sufficient hours to allow waiting lists to reopen. A grant will pay for the cost of specialist dog trainers and a Psychotherapist to deliver (a) face to face and (b) remote training including introductory sessions for potential new families. Their clients are very vulnerable and highly anxious people many of our existing families need continued support as they start to recover from shielding.
25/06/2021 £9,100 £61,139,353 KING'S CHURCH WARRINGTON King's Church runs innovative food aid projects, through three pop-up locations offering free food parcels to anyone in need. People are welcomed, given a drink and cake and have the opportunity to chat with the team and other members of the community; increasingly it is this social connection that is of the greatest value. They aim to provide enough food to feed each family that visits for 3-4 days, including fresh and long life food and breakfast. They are working closely with a number of local primary schools to support their families and communities.  A grant will cover 6 months of operating costs including food supplies. 
25/06/2021 £8,652 £1,484,369 CHESHIRE COMMUNITY ACTION This is joint project between Cheshire Community Action (CCA) and Cheshire West Voluntary Action (CWVA).  The project will support their member organisations as they recover, rebuild and/or re-purpose their activities as a consequence of COVID-19. This will be achieved through a 10-12 month plan of 40 comprehensive training sessions and seminars. The grant will be used for web development (online resources), communications, management and staff costs.  Demand for 3rd Sector support is greater now than it has been for many years therefore the project's focus is to increase confidence, knowledge and skills around the challenges that organisations are facing as a result of COVID-19 to enable them to continuing delivering the essential services to those most in need.  
25/06/2021 £14,440 £158,560 PARKINSON'S CARE AND SUPPORT UK Parkinson's Care and Support UK improves the lives of everyone affected by Parkinson's. The project will support people with Parkinson's living in Cheshire and Warrington through the Parkinson's Mental Health Support Hub. This hub. launched on 11th April 2021, is designed to address and tackle the most common mental health issues within Parkinson’s whilst providing adequate support for newly diagnosed people and those who are approaching end of life. The hub provides targeted services which support people with anxiety and depression, who may be struggling to accept their diagnosis, who need End of Life and Bereavement Support, and who are experiencing isolation and loneliness. The Parkinson's Mental Health Support Hub is the only service of this kind that exists worldwide.  
25/06/2021 £14,806 £237,713 STOCKPORT AND DISTRICT MIND Stockport & District Mind is a local independent mental health charity affiliated to the national Mind network, supporting people in Stockport and Cheshire East suffering with mental ill-health. The project will build and train a volunteer base to support vulnerable and isolated people living in the northern area of East Cheshire with a focus on addressing the mental health impacts and fall-out of the COVID-19 crisis and with the objective of reconnecting people within their communities. The grant funding will pay for a part-time Mind staff member to make direct contact with isolated individuals and in parallel recruit and train a cohort of volunteers to expand capacity and provide sustainability. They already support people from Cheshire East via telephone, and some attend our social groups, but the significant difference this project will make is a focused extension of service into the area, dedicated to meeting not only the existing gap in provision, but also the extra needs at this time, when those already more vulnerable may be fearful and need extra support to benefit from community support and activities.  
25/06/2021 £13,159 £1,038,386 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Warrington Youth Club are applying in partnership with Verve Place and Think Therapy, for a project which will support disadvantaged young people experiencing mental health problems. The funding will allow them to offer clinical counselling sessions for those in most severe need, and support pathways into a range of community projects for young people who are isolated. The project will benefit young people disproportionately impacted by the pandemic by improving emotional wellbeing, reducing social isolation, and developing support networks that keep them active and engaged in their communities.  
25/06/2021 £7,069 £2,677,971 CHESHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST The Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) is a conservation charity the purpose of which is to conserve and create space for nature that is enjoyed and valued by all.  Breath of Fresh Air (BFA) will deliver CWT’s Wellbeing with Nature programme (WWN) in collaboration with Cheshire Dance (CD) as delivery partners and Pathways CIC (PCIC) as referral partners. WWN is a wellbeing development programme integrating mindfulness, movement and connection through a 6-session programme. The programme is developed to cover the 5 ways to wellbeing (move, give, connect, learn and notice) and is themed around the 5 ways to nature connection (contact, beauty, emotion, compassion and meaning). BFA will engage 30 people through 2 on site 6 week development programmes. The funding will pay for delivery staff costs, materials and resources for the programme, consumables for participants, refreshments, project administration and management. Project development and monitoring. The five ways to wellbeing approach, which will be delivered, states that ‘connecting’, having a sense of belonging and feeling part of something bigger, are important to people’s mental health to avoid feelings of powerlessness and disenfranchisement. The pathways to nature connectedness, also delivered through this work, provides a route for people to develop a new closer, healthier and more sustainable relationship with nature through noticing, feeling, beauty, celebration and care.
25/06/2021 £10,000 YOUTH FEDERATION outh Federation for Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral's mission is to make a positive difference by engaging, empowering and enriching the lives of young people. This project will provide support to restart and rebuild the many uniformed and non-uniformed youth groups across Cheshire that have been adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The grant will predominantly be used towards the salary of two support workers, who will work with the groups to recruit volunteers & young members, help to identify alternative premises where meeting places have closed down and signpost funding opportunities to groups who have suffered a dramatic drop in income. The most significant difference this project will make is to ensure that young people in Cheshire regain their safe space to meet with the trusted adults who can support them. Many Youth Groups have been closed for over 12 months and vulnerable young people / volunteers have not been engaging with virtual meetings, meaning that issues such as domestic abuse, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, loneliness and risk of homelessness have gone unnoticed and young people haven’t received the support that they need.
25/06/2021 £15,000 £156,740 HOME-START WARRINGTON Home Start Warrington is a family support charity, supporting vulnerable families with at least one child under five that does not attend a childcare setting. This funding will help sustainability and enable more community focus through family activity days and playgroups for children and babies, who have missed out on vital social interaction over the last 12 months and finally it will provide training for a bank of volunteers. The grant funding will be used to pay for additional staff time to facilitate groups, the cost of training of staff and volunteers in paediatric first aid, the cost associated with additional cleaning and sanitising supplies and time. The project will improve parental mental wellbeing by offering peer support to parents, and improve children's wellbeing and development by providing them with opportunities for much needed socialisation with other children and play. The impact of the pandemic on the mental health of families and their children has been huge and an adult voice when families have been isolated has helped parents feel valued and heard to that they can offload some of their anxieties and worries.  
25/06/2021 £6,760 £961,758 THE NEUROMUSCULAR CENTRE NMC provides specialist services and support for individuals, families and carers from the Neuromuscular community. Neuromuscular conditions including Muscular Dystrophy are progressive muscle wasting in nature and result in those affected having increased and sometimes complex physical disabilities. The Saturday Club will deliver a range of activities and opportunities for the most vulnerable within Cheshire to begin to engage in society after over a year of isolation and shielding. The funding will be used to create a safe external space, provide stimulating and attractive activities to be delivered and to pay the associated sessional staff costs relating to delivering the project. As a result of the Covid pandemic NMC's community of individuals with progressive long-term physical disabilities and their unpaid carers have become further detached from mainstream society, experiencing mental and physical health issues and are experiencing fear around the prospect of getting back to 'normal'. This group were already experiencing loneliness and isolation pre-pandemic due to their social interactions being limited, in many situations whole family units are at risk due to a lack of safe opportunities to join in with as restrictions ease. The Saturday Club concept has been co-designed by NMC's community who recognise their needs and desire to meet others in a safe trusted environment. This application is for a project rather than to fund unfunded core costs.
25/06/2021 £9,943 £9,327,054 HOPE HOUSE CHILDREN'S HOSPICES Hope House Children's Hospices provides care and support for terminally and seriously ill children and their families. The project will help fund a key worker to provide greater support for families in Cheshire in their own homes and communities between respite visits to the hospice. The project will make a significant difference to the families' wellbeing and quality of life, throughout the remainder of the pandemic and beyond. Key workers offer regular, proactive emotional and practical support for families who have been left incredibly isolated by the pandemic - they also signpost to other local services, advocate for families, and coordinate between medical teams, reducing a large amount of the stress that families face while caring for their terminally ill child.  
24/06/2021 £3,000 £140,353 OPAL SERVICES (RURAL WEST CHESHIRE) OPAL provides a range of services for older people and their carers living in rural parts of west Cheshire and at potential risk of being socially isolated and as a consequence experiencing extreme loneliness. This project will enable them, as the covid restrictions lift ,to support a number of people who need a much more extended and gradual transition to social situations within the community than do others who are generally quite enthusiastic and ready to embrace the various experiences and social opportunities available to them at this time. The funding will allow us to temporarily extend some of the specific support measures employed through lockdown including the provision and delivery of regular activity packs and goody bags that have proved to be very helpful indeed as vehicles to establish close communication with individuals who are especially reticent and reluctant to have any contact or socialise with others following the pandemic. A grant will allow intensive support to a number of those older people and carers who have suffered greatly as a direct result of lockdown and who will be offered the chance to slowly but surely come to terms with their fears and establish the means to transition with confidence to life once again in the wider community.
24/06/2021 £2,000 MID ORFORD RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION we here at MORA, under normal circumstances, hold a weekly bingo club on a monday evening, including upto 60 older local paople our hub has obviously been closed due to coronavirus since may 2020. now, may-june 2021, in the hope of our community centre re-opening after 16 months, we hope to restart our popular weekly bingo evening. to do this, we have would need to acquire some perspex acrylic dividing screens so, with masks and sanitisers, cleaning products and covid safe advice on hand, we have the best chance of getting back to some kind of normality. with having no normal income for the past 16 months, we would need help to acquire these screens, and cleaning products, including sanitisers, spray cleaners, blue rolls to wipe down, direction tape for the floor to direct our members in a 1-way route, masks, visors, gloves, anything needed to ensure our members are safe, happy, and are willing to come back to bingo. the fact that we may be able to restart bingo is vital to our members, as for 16 months they have shielded, isolated, suffered. we have lost 5 members with covid, and this has also impacted members mental health. it is vital our members can have somewhere to go when we get the go-ahead to restart. and with extra safety equipment in place, this should be made more possible to give us the chance to facilitate this for everyone. the good things about these screens, is that they can be used by other groups if it will help them too to restart their own projects and activities. with cleaning products in stock, they can be kept well sanitised, clean, safe.
22/06/2021 £2,521 MACCLESFIELD TOWN LADIES FOOTBALL CLUB Faye is a 15 year old girl who has severe and complex needs. Faye has a diagnosis of ADHD, Autism, Delayed language Delay, Learning Disability and Vocal Tics. Faye has many daily challenges to overcome a lot of which is down to her ADHD and Autism. Faye struggles with sensory impairment issues which impact her life highly on a day to day basis. Faye attends a special resource provision school that is fully adapted to her needs and includes an Educational Health Care Plan and delivered in a way in which Faye can learn through education as she isn't your typical 15 year old girl. Faye expresses herself through sport; she is more settled after exercise and can complete tasks after football training Sport for Faye is really important and she loves sport especially football, along with many people who have Autism. Faye has been a member of Macclesfield Town Ladies FC since she was 7 years old and has played all the way through the age bands up to the Under 15's where she currently is at present. Faye is able to express herself through football and often says she feels 'free' and 'normal' and like everyone else. This is really important to Faye and a huge credit to the club and especially her coach Gareth. She has always been treated like everyone else and you can see it in her development over the years, she now knows at half time you change ends and I no longer need to remind her to make sure she goes the other way in the second half, a big achievement. Gareth understands Faye's needs and triggers and always takes this on board when he arranges training mad match days. He goes above and beyond in making sure Faye is aware if a new player is coming along to training so I can prepare Faye before she arrives so it doesn't trigger her. He also knows if it starts to rain heavily Faye will run to the car and nothing is ever said and he just carries on with his sessions. Faye really struggles with friendships but she will say her only two friends are two friends at football and the really are lovely girls. the whole team are and they support Faye, make sure she is okay and feels part of the team. They tie her shoe laces if needs be. For Faye to be able to go and play football and be part of such a fantastic football club is so important for Faye and her Mental Health. Unfortunately, as a parent, I have seen the downside to this especially recently with the Covid pandemic. Faye has found it very difficult not to be able to play football and have her routine so disrupted which lead to periods of self harm to which she has support through her counsellor at school. Faye is really pleased football is back up and running and is smiling again.
22/06/2021 £2,000 £16,496 WIRRAL COMMUNITY POLICE BOXING CLUB We are a community boxing club that has a wide variety of members at our gym, irrespective of age, sex, religion, sexuality, ethnicity or disability. As a community gym we look to engage all our members in all our development projects. During this challenging time it has proven difficult to keep track of our 14-17 year old youth members. We have a club motto that says "Gloves not Gangs" and we don't want any of our members being caught up in gangs hanging around the streets and getting in to trouble because we are unable to provide training classes for them. We recently started a project called "Active Youths" which has assisted us with bringing live workouts via video calls or electronic outdoor sessions.
17/06/2021 £2,000 MARLFIELDS PRIMARY SCHOOL Grant to Marlfields Primary School
16/06/2021 £3,000 £25,640 MINERVA ARTS Minerva Arts has a long history of providing high quality arts participation for young people in Cheshire though regular youth theatre groups and stand-alone projects. This project seeks to provide additional support to those families who engage in youth theatre but have been struck by hard times in the pandemic by offering some extra financial support to subsidise youth theatre places and provide some extra activities and pastoral support for these young people. The key difference this funding will make is in providing a free service to support young people who have missed out on interaction, creativity and the chance to find their own identities outside the home and school during the pandemic. Young people's mental health was already in crisis and this period has exacerbated this. Time with like-minded friends. time to express themselves in a creative space and chance to share their feelings with peers and trusted adults is vital to helping heal. 
15/06/2021 £2,000 STAFFORDSHIRE AND CHESHIRE EQUINE ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY Sceap Cares: to provide equine therapy to support and help young people in the area. Poject will allow more people to be seen. Funding will allow development of site at entrance to field, putting down hard core to make it safer for both horses and people, including moving the muck heap. Project will make the site safer and more accessible for people to attend.
14/06/2021 £2,983 £179,986 TIME OUT GROUP (NORTH WEST) Time Out Group (North West) provides a range of activities and support for adults with learning disabilities. The project will provide a courtyard garden and mental mental health support for 35 individuals. The funding would pay for materials to convert their concrete yard into a pleasant, convenient, easy to access, Covid safe and private outdoor area, in which people can relax and unwind. It will also contribute towards the salary of a Mental Health Worker. The refurbished courtyard will provide an area in which the Mental Health Worker will be able to offer one to one and group support to members to help them tackle their mental health issues arising from the pandemic whilst offering a safe space in which people will be able to relax as they slowly reintegrate.  
14/06/2021 £3,000 ELLESMERE PORT PCC Ellesmere Port PCC reaching out into the community through 7 local schools helping to feed vulnerable families during the last 6 months and providing them with activities for the children. This project is a follow on from the provision of food hampers. Even though lockdown restrictions are being lifted it is still apparent there are many families in the community who are struggling financially, mentally and physically.  The summer holiday fun project will provide the children and their families with a time to have fun together whilst having lunch together and also taking home food parcels. This will relieve some of the financial pressures together with giving the children a time to enjoy the outdoors. A grant will go towards the food parcels to be given at the end of the day plus providing picnic lunches on the 3 planned fun days and some activity costs. The two significant impacts of this project firstly is to provide food for families who do not have sufficient funds to feed their families. Secondly, this will give the children the much needed time out to be children! This hopefully will help with their social skills and will widen their vocabulary skills through enjoying different life experiences. 
09/06/2021 £2,521 BARROW CRICKET CLUB Approximately two years ago the Club where contacted by Barrow Primary School, who had a group of year boys, who were causing problems in school and around the Village. The Club sent a coach into the school, specifically to encourage this group of boys to take an interest in the Club and hopefully develop an interest in cricket. We invited the boy's and there parents/guardians to meet with a few Club coaches and the committee. The group received free coaching throughout the summer and quickly became part of our under 13 side. One of the boys with a diagnoses of autism was introduced to Cheshire Disabled Cricket Club and is now playing for there teams. Two of the boys parents have taken a level 1 coaching course and are fully involved in the Club coaching sessions. It is also noted that there has been marked improvements in the boys attendance at school and behavior in the village. One of the boys is also helping to coach and run our U9 Junior side. The Club take a pride in linking with the village of Great Barrow, which has limited sporting facilities. Many of the families children are entitled to free school meals and come from a low social economic background. The Club does have a wide catchment area and attracts players and Juniors from many other local villages. We believe we help develop friendships and a stronger community atmosphere. The case study does indicate the connection with improving social behavior and valuing local resources. Social skills are improved with all the Juniors, who learn to work in a team environment and the need to support others.Hopefully these transferable skills will help with future life skills and employability.
09/06/2021 £2,000 £32,237,959 MAKING SPACE Making Space is a health and social care charity which provides health and social care for vulnerable people and their carers. This project will deliver social and inclusion activities for older people with care needs living at Harpers Green housing development in Warrington. The grant will be used to provide tea and coffee mornings, fees and expenses for guest speakers, volunteers expenses for volunteers to help facilitate the activities and for trips out for the older people. This will help improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of older people, will help connect them to their local community and will combat loneliness.
09/06/2021 £2,000 £16,029 BURTONWOOD AND WINWICK COMMUNITY BUS Burtonwood and Winwick Community Bus has three minibuses. Demand has increased, but one of their accessible minibuses needs a replacement clutch and is off the road. They are also asking for funding to help with the costs of insurance, fuel and regular vehicle inspections. 
09/06/2021 £1,465 £931 MUSEUM OF POLICING IN CHESHIRE The Museum of Policing in Cheshire is a physical museum focused on policing in Cheshire from 1857 to the present day. The current website is not fit for purpose and they want to replace it with a modern, up to date site. The project will involve professional design and creation of the new site, alongside training a small team of volunteers (all older people) to manage and create new content to look after the website moving forwards. They will gain a range of new skills and have opportunities to create content. 
09/06/2021 £710 BURTONWOOD SEWING GROUP Burtonwood Sewing Group provides a dedicated sewing hub serving 30+ users for 50 weeks of the year. Health and Safety requires that they have annual PAT testing in place and all sewing machines serviced and they need to replace a wall heater. Most of their users have had to work from home during the pandemic (making scrubs) and they've been able to meet via technology. Word spread so more people were getting involved. These people now want to attend the unit, so they're making plans to open more sessions. It's vital that they continue to offer a warm, safe and welcoming place.  
07/06/2021 £3,000 £73,949 KIDSBANK CHESTER KidsBank Chester distribute resources from where they are abundant to where they are lacking, reducing parental stress, anxiety and depression, in turn helping children and instilling in them a sense of value and confidence. Due to an ever increasing number of referrals, as a consequence of Covid, it is now necessary for the charity to broaden its service delivery, by increasing their age range from 0-5 years to 0-12 years old, creating a Maternity Wear facility and a School Uniform bank. Grant funding will be used to pay for additional items, as requested by the families they assist, to offer the increased level of service delivery, as set out above.
07/06/2021 £1,659 £1,006,968 KOALA NORTH WEST (FORMERLY HOME-START WIRRAL) Koala North Wirral provides range of support services for children aged 0-11 years and their families. The grant will enable them to set up a Sleep Support Resource Loaning Library to complement their Sleep Support Service. The grant will fund resources and storage and admin hours in the first 3 months to purchase the resources and set the library up along with admin systems for monitoring the loaning of the resources. The project will support families who have a child aged 1 to 11 years old, where poor sleep routines are having a significantly negative impact on the whole family, often also resulting in learning and behavioural issues.  
07/06/2021 £1,700 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD To raise awareness for Just Drop In - Mental Health Support for young people aged 12-25, and for other Knutsford charities.  
05/06/2021 £4,940 £384,861 NEWCASTLE RUGBY FOUNDATION Newcastle Rugby Foundation utilises the power of sport to engage and positively impact long-term lifestyle change in our supporters from local communities in greatest need. 'Thunder Fit' is a 12 week well-being programme designed to address the negative physical health and mental wellbeing issues that covid and lockdowns have had our rugby league supporters in the North East. The grant funding will match fund the Foundations investment to pay for project staff, facilities and some small capital equipment costs such as Thunder branded t-shirts and step counters for individual participants on the programme.
05/06/2021 £5,000 £340,906 SAINTS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION Saints Community Development Foundation is the official charity of St Helens R.F.C and delivers a range of community based projects across St Helens and Merseyside. The foundation is looking to apply to Assura to support a project called Saints Veterans Wellbeing Project. The grant funding will be used to pay for staffing costs, facility hire, marketing, equipment and resources for the project. The most significant difference this project will make is by saving lives, whilst providing positive skills and experiences for ex service people who have fallen on hard times.
05/06/2021 £4,850 £156,817 STATE OF MIND SPORT 1. To complete a wellbeing baseline (using a World Health Organisation-5 Wellbeing scale) for rugby league match officials in eleven community rugby league referee societies and to complete an evaluation of the project using both quantitative and qualitative responses from the baseline (repeated at the end of the project) and qualitative comments from delivered sessions (virtually or face to face depending on national guidelines). 2. Deliver mental fitness wellbeing awareness or specific tailored match official sessions to complement the Rugby League World Cup 2021 mental fitness charter and monitor qualitative outcomes from sessions 3. To offer support from a mental health nurse consultant and former professional rugby league referee during the project to support and signpost any match officials who require support. 4. Repeat the baseline questionnaire at the end of 12 months and State of Mind Sport will offer (free of charge) the opportunity for volunteers from up to two volunteers from the referee societies to attend a two-day mental health first aid course to sustain mental health support in the societies.
05/06/2021 £5,000 £477,837 WIGAN WARRIORS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Wigan Warriors Community Foundation provide charitable activities and services that support people to improve their lifestyles through positive health and wellbeing interventions. The Rugby Memories Project will provide regular physical exercise, heritage and social activity group sessions in bringing vulnerable members of the community together; our focus is on improving both physical and mental health/wellbeing and in preventing isolation, loneliness and depression. The grant funding will be used to cover staff costs involved with preparation, delivery and evaluation of the project, activity costs such as refreshments and travel costs in contributing towards the fuel costs of picking up elderly care care home residents or those faced with barriers to transport so that no one is excluded. Rugby Memories will empower vulnerable adults to be active, contribute and be connected and part of their community for longer, playing a significant role in improving health related quality of life, cognitive ability and strength/mobility, economic contribution to the borough and also indirectly improving their community connection and happiness, reducing visits to A&E, GP's, ambulance calls and discharge times.
05/06/2021 £5,150 £153,389 FEATHERSTONE ROVERS FOUNDATION Featherstone Rovers Foundation (FRF) is committed to providing engagement opportunities for our local communities to support them to lead a happy, healthy and fulfilled lives. The Rovers Tots project will provide a safe, nurturing environment for families with young children, supporting child development and support for parents/ guardians. The grant funding will be used to mainly cover the cost of facilitating these activities which include employing a project leader, venue hire, refreshments/ resources for the session and additional focused events for all participants to enjoy. This project will provide the opportunity for families with young children in Featherstone and surrounding areas can access this free of charge service.
05/06/2021 £4,950 £241,203 SALFORD RED DEVILS FOUNDATION Salford Red Devils Foundation has a track record of positioning rugby league at the heart of bespoke interventions which deliver improved participation, health and wellbeing, education and employment, and inclusion outcomes for Salford residents. Through accessing funding from the RLWC2021 Community Fund Grants Programme, the Foundation will deliver a dual employability and wellbeing programme designed to support unemployed adults living with health conditions to develop new skills and lead healthier, more active lifestyles. Funding will enable the Foundation to employ specialist employability and wellbeing instructors who will deliver ‘First Step’ sessions, hire facilities at Eccles Sixth Form College, and support participant recruitment activities (marketing and promotion). ‘First Step’ is focused on improving both physical and mental wellbeing within its participant group, mindful of the heightened challenges that unemployed individuals face as result of Covid-19. In achieving this, participants will have reported favourably to areas including improved self-esteem and confidence (particularly around the job attainment process), increased participation in physical activity, reduced feelings of stress or anxiety, and fewer feelings of loneliness.
05/06/2021 £4,023 £64,983 ROCHDALE HORNETS SPORTING FOUNDATION We are Rochdale Hornets Sporting Foundation and we aim to help the community lead fuller and healthier lives. Our project will deliver mental health awareness and return to physical activity sessions to ladies aged 16+. We would like to provide a mental health professional (Emma Conway) to deliver a seminar and development workshop, to assist participants in mental health awareness in themselves and others. We would also like to include a speaker from the State of Mind project and make use of the videos via Offload. The grant funding will be used to pay for Emma Conway's workshop, State of Mind speaker, facility hire at Rochdale Mayfield and Crown Oil Arena, equipment and sanitising products. This project will make a significant difference in participants lives by reducing social isolation and providing an outlet where they can return to activity safely within the borough. By providing participants with the tools to spot early signs of mental health issues, they become more aware of their own health in particular. We will also use this project to highlight how the power of physical activity and exercise can offer significant benefits, mentally, physically and socially.
05/06/2021 £5,000 £318,526 LEIGH YOUTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TRUST Leigh Youth and Community Development Trust, is a community focused charity, that harnesses the power of sport and its affiliation to the local professional Rugby League club as a means of both personal and community development and cohesion. The Different Routes programme works with men aged 18+ with long-term conditions through a men only self-management programme that provides beneficiaries with the skills, confidence and empowerment to better manage their chronic disease and interact with the Primary Health care system. We are asking for £5000 over 12 months to continue the delivery of the programme twice a week whilst also adding a digital self-help aspect to the programme. Funding will pay for sessional staff delivery costs for the extra two days delivery per week and additional facility costs for one day a week. The programme will empower individuals to cope with their disease, build resilience, aid with individuals mental wellbeing whilst also reducing feelings of isolation and widening participants social networks through the group sessions. Increase aspirations for the future, promote volunteering and/or re-entering the workplace through improving their ability to manage their own condition effectively.
05/06/2021 £5,000 4WINGS NORTHWEST CIC 4Wings delivers practical support, as well as creative, physical and formal programmes, that raise self-esteem and well-being designed to eliminate barriers to inclusion and engagement. this enables our marginalised and vulnerable service users from diverse backgrounds to move on and integrate into the community. The Nordic Walking project will improve mental and physical health and reduce the social isolation which has increased loneliness during lock-down. We will do this through the Nordic Walking Technique which is an outdoor exercise that combines cardiovascular with a strength workout in a welcoming, safe and social environment. The project costs include a Nordic Walking coach, equipment (walking sticks and shoes), transport, staff and venue cost, as well as a trainer course to allow us to deliver the programme ourselves in the future (project continuity), creating an additional income stream and volunteering opportunities to our community. Recognising the benefits of physical exercise and mental health, the project will introduce a safe, sustainable, and inexpensive form of workout, that is easy to learn for our diverse group of women of all ages and physical conditions, while also allowing for much needed social interaction and future work opportunities.
05/06/2021 £5,978 £52,470 CALDERDALE COMMUNITY COACHING TRUST Calderale Community Coaching Trust Will deliver wheelchair rugby league into the community encompasing Healthy lifestyles and positive social messages The funding will pay for sports hall hire, qualified coaches coaching hours, website build and maintain and volunteer travel support We aim to increase Confidence, Self worth, and Empowerment to vulnerable young people at risk of poor social choices coming out of lockdown.
05/06/2021 £3,810 YORK CITY KNIGHTS FOUNDATION The York City Knights Foundation would like to extend our successful FitKnight programme which has a record of successfully delivering sessions for people aged 18- 50 to deliver a new 'FitKnight’ Extend project targeting people over the age of 60. This project will provide regular sessions at the new LNER Community stadium to develop healthier habits for participants emotional and physical wellbeing as well as creating new peer groups and postive opportunities to improve their social wellbeing. The programme will be delivered through a mixture of physical activity sessions and interactive workshops and will work with older people who, because of personal circumstance and Coronavirus, have seen their physical and mental health suffer over the last 12 months. Participants will be recruited through a dual approach of open promotions and bookings as well as receiving referals from our networks including the City of York Councils Local Activity Coordinators, York MIND and other community stakeholders.
05/06/2021 £5,000 WEST LONDON COMMUNITY CIC West London Community CIC, delivering various projects to inspire and improve the lives of people in our communities. For all the London Broncos players it is of vital importance to be both physically and mentally fit so that they can perform at their best.,Getting Match Fit will teach you some ways to deal with difficult situations in a better way and not feel that everything is out of your control. The funding will be used to develop and print resource workbooks. This project will develop the resilience of its participants and give them some of the tools needed to deal with difficult situations.
05/06/2021 £5,000 £432,889 HULL KINGSTON ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST Our role is to inspire people through sport and physical activity and to deliver real and lasting benefits in terms of education, health and wellbeing. We achieve this by working in schools, community clubs and the wider community across Hull and beyond. ‘Live Well’ drop in sessions will offer our local Community the opportunity to attend weekly sessions at the stadium, where they can find support in CV writing, job searches, listen to guest speakers in subjects such as mental health and well-being and signpost individuals who require support to our specialist partner agencies.. Whilst enjoying refreshments, people will have the chance to hear stories from local and sporting people. The grant funding will pay for refreshments, staffing costs, room hire, guest speakers and their travel expenses. The home of the Community Trust is Hull College Craven Park Stadium, which is situated in the centre of the Marfleet Ward which is ranked as the 3rd most deprived ward in Hull, with over 34% single person households and 70% of all pensioners in single person households; resulting in increased loneliness exasperated by the current pandemic, which results in mental health and well-being issues which this project will help to address.
05/06/2021 £4,970 £407,766 HULL FC RUGBY COMMUNITY SPORTS AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION Hull FC Community Foundation prides itself on using the power of rugby league to deliver needs led interventions which tackle known health and social inequalities in Kingston upon Hull. With the support of the RLWC2021 Community Fund Grants Programme, ‘Boulevard Revisited’ will use the heritage of Hull FC as a catalyst to support older people to engage in positive activity which supports improvements in physical and mental wellbeing. Funding will be used to support the employment of qualified, experience wellbeing instructors who will deliver the weekly sessions, as well as enable the purchase of equipment and marketing resources that will enhance participants experience. Recognising the negative impact that Covid-19 has had on worsening health inequalities in the city, ‘Boulevard Revisited’ is focused on improving the mental wellbeing of older people (a known vulnerable group), principally through inspiring new social connections which reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation.
05/06/2021 £3,850 LONDON SKOLARS JUNIOR RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB London Skolars Rugby League Club deliver Rugby and fitness sessions for wide variety of people. We are great believers in the power of sport and its ability to harness positive change. This project will deliver a weekly exercise session for those that have become increasingly in-active (as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic). The club have liaised with 'Mind' mental health, who have identified a number of clients, who would be interested in engaging with this project. The grant funding will be used to pay for qualified coaches, CPD for those coaches, equipment, marketing, refreshments and an appropriate space to undertake the sessions. This project will improve levels of physical and mental health amongst numerous individuals in Haringey (and surrounding Boroughs); it will directly target those who are isolated and / or suffering from loneliness. Opportunities to exercise and communicate will be provided. Furthermore, there will be opportunities to take on volunteering roles at the club (and possibly at WC2021), so participants will be able to remain involved beyond the conclusion of the project.
05/06/2021 £4,610 £142,035,000 COMMUNITY INTEGRATED CARE Working in partnership with RLWC2021, we will develop garlands and gifts for visiting the London-based Rugby League World Cup teams. Engaging people living with dementia in the creation of these gifts using therapeutic arts and reminiscence techniques, the project will drive positive health and social outcomes, provide respite to carers, whilst also giving the visiting nations an incredible welcome. We will use this experience to provide Community Integrated Care with a toolkit of our learning / approach, so they can then go on to replicate this project in other communities – expanding the impact of your donation nationally, without additional cost. We will also engage people who have a skill and interest in sewing to support the players in the Wheelchair games, by providing a sewing service to fix and maintain their kits at the London fixtures. These plans have been developed in consultation with the RLWC2021 tournament organisers.
05/06/2021 £20,373 £189,607 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Motherwell Cheshire is a Women and Girls Charity that supports the mental health and wellbeing. We offer a range of support through, Counselling, mentoring, peer support and social prescribing activities. We ha One of our growing projects is the Inspire Project this projects supports the mental health and wellbeing of girls aged 13-18 years many are in education, some are also out of education due to their declining mental health. Our Inspire Project offers an holistic support journey, that has the young people at the heart of every thing we do, as well as offering Counselling and mentoring, we have #iam Youth Board , they help us shape our Inspire Service and also work with us on campaigns and represent local young Women. With the young people we are also developing a Mental Health Champion Campaign where we will train champions to work with their schools to positively support teens mental health. We are seeking funding for a part time Young Persons counsellor to work within our premises and in schools and Cheshire College Crewe to offer person Centred counselling. The impact of the counselling will be: To offer Young Women a safe space to reflect on their current situations To help support Young Women to better manage their mental health To reduce loneliness and isolation For the Young Women to better understand the vulnerable situation that they sometimes find themselves in. Ultimately the Inspire Project is to "Inspire" all the Young Women that we support, and a counsellor offering a non judgemental space is crucial to the women that we support.
05/06/2021 £5,128 £9,240 SWINTON LIONS COMMUNITY SPORTS FOUNDATION Swinton Lions Community Sports Foundation provide a range of services for people of all ages across Greater Manchester, these include provision and support community rugby league clubs to grow participation, have developed bespoke female only offers through the Swinton Lionesses, facilitate a community gym and support a range of inclusion and heritage projects. This project will deliver summer activities within the borough of Trafford and ensuring that the participants aged 8-15 will have access to appropriate physical activity opportunities and the provision of food to prevent holiday hunger in key identified targeted areas of Stretford, Sale Moor and Partington. This funding will be used to contribute to staff costs, and mini bus hire to ensure the project can be facilitated. This project will make a significant difference to the participants whom engage with the project as it will ensure all participants will receive a meal as well as enjoying physical activity and opportunity to learn new skills within a friendly caring environment with a a further pathway opportunity built in the program. Holiday Hunger is a significant challenge particularly in the areas of the borough identified and this project will support significantly residents who need this support.
05/06/2021 £5,000 £1,103,043 LEEDS RHINOS FOUNDATION Leeds Rhinos Foundation works within the local area delivering services and activities to our local community. This project will be an intergenerational offer for local young people to volunteer with older customers from adult social care provider Community Integrated Care to deliver a project at Herd Farm Outdoor Centre, to help improve and update the services it provides for disadvantaged groups across Leeds. We will require funding to support the purchase of equipment, support transport costs and to have a small end of project celebration event. The centre works with both adults and young people with additional needs and is in need of support after the long lock down of the pandemic.
05/06/2021 £3,320 £1,038,386 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Warrington Youth Club (WYC) offer a wide variety of quality projects, engaging over 3,000 children and young people across the Borough. This project will support children with additional needs by engaging them in inclusive dance and movement sessions and by providing access to a wide range of additional emotional wellbeing support and social projects. The funding will allow us to employ experienced and compassionate staff who understand the needs of vulnerable young people and will enable us to purchase all the necessary resource to deliver the project to an excellent standard. The project will have the dual benefit of inspiring disadvantaged young people to achieve physical health outcomes through engagement in dance activity, as well as facilitating greater emotional wellbeing as young people develop social connections and feel less isolated and lonely.
05/06/2021 £4,978 £602,074 WARRINGTON WOLVES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION The Warrington Wolves Foundation deliver inclusive health and wellbeing projects which encourage people of all ages to become more physically active and mentally fit using the brand of a professional sporting organisation to engage and influence positive behaviour change. The aim of EmpowHER is to provide an issue based female only personal development programme which will ensure that women and girls become healthier and happier by improving life skills, physical activity, confidence, self-esteem, leadership qualities and creating social capital. The grant funding will be utilised to create a menu of physical, cultural, educational, emotional and social opportunities delivered by qualified and experienced practitioners in safe, accessible local community facilities promoting independence and increasing social connectedness alongside their peers. The provision of a structured pathway, informed by insight and identified need, will seek to break down some of the barriers which affect regular community engagement of vulnerable females in socially deprived localities. EmpowHER will address gender inequality by empowering vulnerable women and young females with the skills, confidence and support to become the best version of themselves whilst fulfilling their ambitions and becoming inspiration role models to those who follow in their footsteps.
27/05/2021 £37,600 £1,038,386 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Warrington Youth Club is a children and young people’s organisation based in centres and venues across Warrington. Since April 2020 they have been working to develop a digital platform for children and young people from across Cheshire. They are applying for funding to cover the salary costs of a central coordinator for the YOOF platform and hosting costs of the platform. This role is critical to the success of the platform and will ensure the platform is successful in providing children and young people from across the county with a safe space online. This project will address social isolation which is experienced by many children and young people from across Cheshire as a result of limited transport links, mobility challenges, confidence issues and low self-esteem. These issues were major concerns for those working with children and young people before the pandemic, following the lockdown the level of anxiety and mental health issues experienced by children and young people is dramatically increasing. YOOF will provide a safe space with interesting and engaging content, online interactive live sessions and information for those young people who need a more focused level of support.  
24/05/2021 £3,000 £265,984 RIXTON WITH GLAZEBROOK COMMUNITY HALL Rixton with Glazebrook Community Hall has been in regular use for social and recreational purposes for 50 years, and is showing its age. A major refurbishment of the hall has been started; the funds available  will cover this essential work, but not include flooring, decoration, or new equipment. For the last year the hall has been closed due to Covid and the aim is to have the building work completed by this autumn, enabling activities to restart safely. The main hall has a sprung wooden floor which is particularly suitable for dancing and similar activities, but it needs restoration, sanding and sealing. This will be particularly valuable to the weekly dancing group, which is mainly older people and will enable the hall to reopen fit for all user groups. 
24/05/2021 £1,870 £166,950 FRIENDS FOR LEISURE Friends for Leisure is a registered charity providing fun and friendship to disadvantaged local children and young people with disabilities across Cheshire East. The project will deliver a number of face-to-face activity sessions to disabled children and young people as part of their overall summer holiday activity programme. A grant would pay for all costs associated with delivering 3 sessions in more rural parts of Cheshire East, including sessional staff costs, activities, travel, and venue costs. The most significant difference the project will make is to increase social interaction and reduce the loneliness that children and young people with disabilities (and their parents/carers/siblings) have experienced during lockdowns, particularly those living in more rural areas. These sessions will help slowly reintroduce local disabled children back into the community and help them develop, or regain, important social and emotional skills as well as increase confidence and enjoy improved overall well-being.  
05/05/2021 £864 £14,334 BARE NECESSITIES TOILETRY BANK Grant to Bare Necessities Toiletry Bank
29/04/2021 £5,000 £977,433 WARRINGTON DISABILITY PARTNERSHIP Grant to Warrington Disability Partnership
29/04/2021 £15,520 £1,774,629 CREWE YMCA YMCA Crewe provides support and accommodation for single people experiencing homelessness and a wide range of community activities. We are applying to deliver a mental health first aid project in conjunction with local GP services, who will prescribe patients to us when support is needed but not to the degree that professional mental health support is required. We will use the grant funding to train up one member of staff to deliver mental health first aid and another to deliver mental health first aid training, as well as to cover project costs. The most significant difference this project will make is to reduce some of the increasing pressure on mental health services as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
29/04/2021 £3,595 £199,749 THE WELCOME (KNUTSFORD) LTD The Welcome our hoping to take their local disadvantaged residents on a day trip to the seaside. They would like to run two trips, one for families and one for adults. The grant will be used to cover the cost of the day trip, providing coaches and lunches.  
29/04/2021 £2,000 £34,100 VICTORIA MUSIC LTD We deliver quality training in the performing arts for both educational purposes and as a means to combat mental health and isolation. Due to covid we have, for the first time, moved into digital media, training in filming drama and freshly written pieces. We need access a grant which will buy us lighting and green screen equipment as well as pay facilitator fees for training the participants and young people in particular. We have striven to accommodate the learning needs of many who have accessed all of our online workshops and schemes since March 2020 and this will enable us to maintain this other faction of our charity once we are allowed to go back to live performance and training. Some of the people accessing the online media and drama training suffer with agoraphobia or other issues which would make them less comfortable attending a live session so we don't want them falling by the wayside once lock down is lifted. . This is all about sustaining the good work we have achieved with people accessing our services virtually who are no less deserving than others we help.
28/04/2021 £1,950 £385,423 REUBEN'S RETREAT Reuben’s Retreat is partnering with The Worry Wizard in Chester to develop two short, animated films which, together with discussion scripts will help children and adults explore together key themes in both grief and loss and supporting a child with their Worries and should the application be successful, it will provide funding for the first animation and provide a positive start to this brand-new initiative. The short films provide an important therapeutic tool for children’s bereavement counselling but also a reassuring resource that will be offered to the adults who care for them via two short films which can be provided as a standalone resource for use by counsellors for 1:1 or group sessions, face to face or virtually, or by individual families and adults. The children’s animation although primarily for use with our beneficiaries, will also be suitable for use in schools, community groups and charities across Cheshire and the surrounding areas and the aim of the programme is to help children articulate and cope with their worries as they experience sibling loss or uncertain futures. It will also help significant adults understand the child’s thoughts and feelings empowering them to deal with the child’s worries.
28/04/2021 £2,000 £308,977 STEPS CHARITY Steps will use the £2,000 to ensure that we continue to provide our essential helpline and family support services to the families in Cheshire. Telemedicine is now widely used, and while it has great benefits, parents often say they need another source of information and Steps fill the gaps. In this project we aim to provide the personal support of a volunteer to ensure the parent/patient feels informed and supported, in the absence of face to face appointments we can compliment telemedicine. The funding will allow us to recruit and train new volunteers from the region and to provide volunteers access to online training courses. The funding will allow us to continue to provide a wide range of online resources including videos, films and webinars, and, it allows parents to connect with a volunteer who has experience of the condition. The positive impact of this project is that families, parents and individuals will have information that is not available elsewhere. Our resources will alleviate the stress and isolation that parents experience when children are facing surgery, amputation and years of complex treatment.
28/04/2021 £1,950 £166,782 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME The park buddies project will support disabled children to be out and about in local parks. ( Sandbach and Northwich). As soon as restrictions ease we want to get the children back into local parks meeting friends, playing and having fun. we are aware that many children we support have not left the house for 8 or 9 weeks during the latest lock down. They have not been for a walk or played in the garden. we want to offer supported play programmes in Sandbach park once a week for 2hours. WE want to run 2 sessions a day on a Saturday ( 10-12 and 12-2pm). As a 'youth organisation' we will be able to support 15 disabled children at a time while restrictions begin to ease ( after 29th march). We will meet the children at the park where they can play with friends, make arts and crafts, play tennis, basket ball, football and other games. The two 2hr sessions will be outside ( where the risk of transmission is reduced), the children can play as small units ( 3 or 4 per activity). the two 2hr blocks will enable buddies to support different children am and pm.
28/04/2021 £1,032 EMOTIONAL WELLBEING GROUP LTD We are Emotional Wellbeing Group Ltd a not for profit with a focus on relationship and mental health counselling. This project will offer a drop-in service for Warrington residence to live chat with a counsellor. This particular funding will pay for staffing costs on this project. Our aim is to achieve better mental health outcomes for local residence. We will use this funding to offer an extra 2 hours on our service for 3 months and to advertise this to warrington residence.
28/04/2021 £2,000 £20,256 AMASING ARTS AmaSing is applying to The Cheshire Community Foundation to help fund an online concert that will see 1000's of children from Cheshire take part online. This is part of a larger project Amasing has secured funding for. Due to the pandemic AmaSing has had to adapt and change the way we operate. AmaSing is currently hosting/running online music, dance and singing workshops with 1000s of children in their school bubbles/classes in school and children at home due to the current restrictions. The pandemic has made it impossible for our theatre concerts that see 1000s of children participate take place and have been cancelled. Last September we hosted our first online concert which same approximately 6000 children attend via Zoom online. This remarkable figure was made up of school class bubbles from the northwest and abroad. Due to the success of the concert we are now planning to host the second concert online which will reach even more children and schools. Please note that the figures quoted in the Number of Beneficiaries section below has come from our previous show data and is for online attendance only.
28/04/2021 £2,000 £229,238 CONGLETON EDUCATION COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP Congleton Education Community Partnership provides early intervention support to children, young people and families in Congleton. The project will deliver mental health & wellbeing support for children and young people who have been affected by Covid-19. The grant funding will provide groupwork counselling sessions (remotely until government guidance changes) The project will provide an intervention at early identification stage to offer support to those children and young people where the impact of Covid-19 has affected their mental health & wellbeing. Referrals will be made via the school nurse or school staff. The project will target those from disadvantaged backgrounds (those on either free school meals or pupil premium), to prevent the situation escalating and further pressure being put on local GP practices and the CAMHS service.
27/04/2021 £1,947 £339,428 RUBY'S FUND Ruby's Fund is a charity supporting children and young people aged 0-18 years with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. This 12 month project will enable us to continue our siblings wellbeing and social group which supports 30 siblings (aged 5-15 years) who are young carers of the brothers and / or sisters with SEND when funding ends in March. The grant will fund 11 x 2 hour monthly sessions which includes session delivery costs for up to 15 siblings per session from across Cheshire East to access the monthly sessions of 'Sibs @ Ruby's'. It is our aim that with our support project siblings who are disadvantaged through their young carers role will have the opportunity to have a break from their caring responsibilities at home, have the opportunity to make new friends, learn new skills to encourage them to reach their potential and improve their own wellbeing by having a sense of belonging, whilst have support from peers who understand the challenges they face and from trained staff.
27/04/2021 £2,000 £62,674 SANDCASTLE TRUST The Sandcastle Trust provides bespoke packages of family respite (called Sandcastle Memories) to families affected by a rare genetic condition. We are seeking funding for delivery of Sandcastle Memories to families affected by a rare genetic condition living in Cheshire. The grant funding will pay for a contribution of £500 towards a bespoke package of respite for four affected families. Surveys evidence that out support is not a luxury and its impact should not be underestimated. The benefits of Sandcastle Memories (bespoke family respite) are not short lived; they can offer holistic respite for the whole family, improve mental health outcomes, reduce stigma and social isolation, help carers to maintain their quality of care and generally provides a positive focus which can empower families with a new enthusiasm and strength to deal with the often ongoing daily struggles of illness, gruelling hospital treatment and sometimes a devastating loss.
27/04/2021 £2,000 £14,334 BARE NECESSITIES TOILETRY BANK Bare Necessities Toiletry Bank collects and distributes toiletries and hygiene essentials to local organisations and charities whose clients live in poverty. Our new project 'Give a Smile' project aims to provide dental hygiene necessities in specific bundles aimed at promoting good dental health across four key demographics; family, teens, inidviduals and first teeth. The grant funding will allow the bulk purchase of good quality tooth brushes, toothpaste, floss, mouth wash, interdent brushes and disclosing tablets. One of the most requested toiletry item at food banks is toothpaste, with tooth extraction being responsible for the greatest number of hospital admissions in the 6-10 year age group, it is a fact that poverty has a direct link on dental health, we know that fresh breath impacts mental health and well-being dramatically as well as physical health, yet for many a replacement tooth brush and effective tooth paste are out of reach luxuries.
27/04/2021 £2,000 £443,653 ST HELEN'S CHURCH NORTHWICH 1 – St Helen’s Church is Northwich’s “Town Church”. In addition to providing the full range of services expected of a major town Church St Helen’s is also an important community asset. Local organisations, including local primary schools, regularly use the Church for events. The Church also opens for public community activities. 2 – This project will enable the Church and the many community activities it supports to be better accessed by disabled people. That it they will for the first time in 700 years have access to high quality wash room facilities. 3 – The grant funding will be used to pay for the building works installing these accessible facilities. Work will only start once full funding has been achieved. 4 - The most significant difference this project will make is to those disabled members of our wider community who are currently not provided for in terms of wash room facilities. The project will also aid those with babies as new baby change facilities will be provided as a secondary benefit.
27/04/2021 £2,000 £37,062 FAMILIES UNITED (WARRINGTON) This project aims to reduce barriers by offering our young members with SEND the opportunity to participate in engaging, inspiring activities that they would otherwise find it hard to access, giving a sense of inclusion within the community. The project aims to address the needs and aspirations of our members with clear vision, recognising that disability and disadvantage can take many forms. Funding will go towards the delivery of bespoke project activities which are accessible and achievable for all our children/young adults, including those with more complex needs and behaviours (with or without support from a parent/carer/sibling).
26/04/2021 £644 £4,626 OVERWATER WHEELYBOAT PROJECT Overwater Wheelyboat Services provides wheelchair accessible canal pleasure trips to anyone with limited mobility with the support of our wheelchair accessible minibus which is also used to transport disabled people around south Cheshire for education or leisure. During the COVID-19 outbreak, they have only been able to offer very few people any leisure trips to relieve their social isolation, and only essential medical trips so far this year. They are planning to launch the Wheelyboat and begin to offer minibus trips sometime in July or August this year, which will require them to service the Wheelyboat, purchase a canal licence and prepare the minibus seat storage trailer.These services will be a very desirable break from the long months of restricted socialisation with small groups able to visit the countryside canal environments or just visit friends and relatives at suitable venues.
26/04/2021 £2,000 £463,984 DAISY'S DREAM Daisy's Dream support children and young people who have experienced a death or life limiting illness in the family - enabling them to move forwards in a positive way. Daisy's Dream East Cheshire - aims to continue the provision of its service in East Cheshire to ensure children and young people impacted by a bereavement or serious illness are able to get the support they need so that they are not defined by that experience. A grant will contribute to enabling the service to be extended to respond to an increase in demand for its service - especially as schools reopen and families come out of lockdown and need support. Funding will ensure that bereaved children in East Cheshire can get the help they need when they need it so that the rest of their life is not impeded and they can go on to fulfil their potential.
15/04/2021 £30,000 £15,130,287 DEMENTIA UK Grant to Dementia UK
15/04/2021 £25,000 £1,038,386 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Grant to Warrington Youth Club Limited
12/04/2021 £500 CONGLETON LESS ABLE CLUB The Congleton Less Able Club supports less able people in the community. The group aims to expand it's membership by making it's programmes more interesting and attractive to a wider range of less able people. We want to increase the number of patients (and carers) attending from the Leonard Cheshire Home, Sandbach and also from local care homes. We would like to include more activities and experiences which we don't yet have the finances to offer, but would help to improve our members' physical and mental wellbeing.
03/04/2021 £1,993 £376,906 CVS CHESHIRE EAST This project would undertake a mapping exercise to gain an understanding of the size of the sector based in and supporting the community in Knutsford. The project would then identify potential partnerships and facilitate and build relationships between these organisations. The results of this can also be shared between partners and to promote services available in the area.
03/04/2021 £2,000 £5,570,178 CAUDWELL CHILDREN Caudwell Children work with disabled children and families to ensure they get the support and equipment they need. The project will buy 15 “Get Sensory” Packs for children in the Knutsford area, the packs will be used by families in the home who are unable to access sensory equipment at the current time and are in need of sensory items in the home to support their child. They will target children with a disability in families on low incomes. Access to equipment will help with a child's physical and mental healthcare needs, families will also be supported with online videos and support. Consultation with families shows they ‘feel more isolated than ever…it’s very difficult to keep a 16-year-old motivated when he knows he is losing range of movement because he can’t do the things he normally would’
02/04/2021 £12,000 WEMINDTHEGAP WeMindTheGap is a social mobility charity that works across the North West and North Wales to provide new opportunities in life and work for under-served young people. Their WeDiscover programme is a virtual 10 week programme designed for those young people aged 16 - 18 at risk of not engaging with education, training or employmenet; with the help of their own dedicated mentor, whose support continues after the main programme is completed, participants will discover and build a positive future for themselves despite these uniquely difficult times. The project will allow 25 young people from Winsford or Northwich to access the WeDiscover programme. The outcome for those young people will be improved self-confidence/mental health, raised aspirations, and an increased awareness of choices that exist to them, as well as on-going support from their own dedicated mentors as they take their first steps into their new worlds of education or work.
02/04/2021 £15,000 £157,097 CHESHIRE CONNECT Cheshire Connect links business skills donors with charities that need their skills to become both sustainable and to offer their services and impact to greater numbers of Cheshire and Warrington communities. The twelve month Transform Programme will deliver to twenty charities - targeted business skill donors for strategic development and planning, one to one business mentor, leadership development, leadership support and finally numerous 'empowering' skill matches such as marketing, governance, HR etc. The grant funding will be used to pay for salaries. The programme will have lasting impact. Using a proven implementation strategy based around Inspiration, Aspiration and Support, twenty charities will achieve sustainable development that will allow them to deliver more services and remain operational to serve the communities in which they work. Cheshire Connect will work with partners such as the CCF, CVS, WCVA and CWCVA to identify charities that need to rapidly develop their capacity and delivery to ensure that the needs of the communities they serve are met.
01/04/2021 £2,000 LATCHFORD METHODIST CHURCH Latchford Methodist Church & Community Halls provides both worship and community facilities for local residents in deprived area of Latchford East. The proposed AV Livestreaming Project will roll out virtual contact with and between isolated individuals and groups of lonely and mainly vulnerable people in order to improve their health and wellbeing, furnish them with new technical skills, increase their independence and capabilities and improve their quality of life. The grant will help purchase a Datavideo Camera to be used in combination with other equipment in the Community Hall which will more intimately engage with users, especially older people who can see the faces of friends as they speak, and help them participate in activities in a more hands-on manner.
01/04/2021 £1,320 PURPLE GECKO COMMUNITY CIC Purple Gecko Community provides and delivers dance and chair exercises classes for over 50 year olds. The Mature Movers project will provide 4 x 30 minute sessions per week for 12 weeks. The grant will be used to pay for the instructor’s time/delivery and room rental hire. Participants will be able to see that they are part of a wider community and to have fun. Classes will reduce their feelings of loneliness and support the person’s mind, body and spirit.
29/03/2021 £11,500 £29,895 TRANSFORMING LIVES TOGETHER Transforming Lives Together works mainly with churches of all denominations to support local communities, particularly in response to poverty and loneliness. 'Steps to Recovery' will provide food to vulnerable families but also begin the process of equipping them to move to being able to manage their food and finances themselves. A grant will enable TLT to purchase food and cooking equipment, in addition to the provision of local support information, referral, sharing forums, recipe ideas. The project will feed individuals and families who are struggling with food insecurity but will also begin the process of supporting them to move away from being dependent on food providers.
24/03/2021 £1,000 £145,773 BRIDGE WELLNESS GARDENS Grant to Bridge Wellness Gardens
16/03/2021 £25,000 £2,358,204 CHANGING LIVES TOGETHER The Cheshire Food Hub, in partnership with The Welcome Network, and the Recipe Exchange are coordinating a slow cooker project as we start 2021.  Warrington Youth Club are supporting the project expand across Warrington. This is building on lots of fantastic work that is already going on across Cheshire within community projects as people cook together and find creative ways to cook on a budget.  The Cheshire Food Hub have already been gifted 200 Slow Cookers and plan to run a crowdfunding campaign over the next few weeks so that more slow cookers can become available.
02/03/2021 £2,500 £102,434 FALLEN ANGELS DANCE THEATRE NORTH WEST 'Together While Apart' is FADT's new, vibrant online programme helping their vulnerable service users, who are all overcoming significant challenges including mental health breakdown, addiction, long-term unemployment, personal trauma and other disadvantages. To minimise the impact of the cessation of weekly workshops due to Covid19, this project will offer high-quality creative participation and learning opportunities, and valuable social interaction within FADT's creative and engaging online space. It also offers early-intervention support, advocacy and signposting to ensure vulnerable members have greater resilience throughout this difficult time. A grant will enable approximately 25 vulnerable people (and their families) to maintain better physical/mental health, increased emotional/social wellbeing, and provide additional protective support from the community at this difficult time.
02/03/2021 £2,500 SPACE4AUTISM Space4 Autism provides a wide range of clubs, services and activities for children, young people and adults with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), and in addition runs initiatives to support their parents, carers and wider families. Funding will help deliver a range of interim outreach services to support people with ASC and their families during the Coronavirus pandemic. A grant would go towards staffing costs. The project will play a vital role in the lives of member families, ensuring that they do not feel alone during the crisis, that they have someone to turn to for advice, guidance and support to help them through this difficult time - reducing anxiety and isolation.
02/03/2021 £2,500 FAMILY TIES CIC Family TIES is a CIC based within a large social housing estate in the West End of Crewe. They are an established team with a collective of 40 years experience of working directly with children, young people and their families/carers, to make positive changes within their daily lives. They offer a range of services including: Training - professionals to enhance their understanding of children's emotional health and wellbeing. Intervention - Bespoke programmes to promote and enhance children's emotional health and wellbeing. Education and Support - for parents/carers of those children/young people accessing interventions to ensure the holistic whole family approach strengthens outcomes. The 'Together We Can' project aims to achieve development of virtual education and skills to parents/carers through partnership working within our local community. A grant will help support core costs and provide resources to continue offering virtual support to enhance emotional wellbeing and mental health of children, young people and families/carers.
02/03/2021 £2,500 £109,307 SPEAKING UP, SPEAKING OUT Speaking Up Speaking Out (SUSO) supports people with learning disabilities in Macclesfield. The Lockdown Project will reach out to our vulnerable beneficiaries to provide support remotely online and on the phone during lockdown. Grant funding will go towards the costs of small items of equipment or materials to support activities. The people SUSO supports already experience social exclusion and poor mental health. The Coronavirus has made this worse. The 30 regular ‘dropper-inners’ who have learning disabilities and/ or additional needs are vulnerable. Some live alone and are very isolated. Others have communication difficulties, including speech and language difficulties which make this strange period of isolation even more difficult for them to understand. This grant will make it possible for SUSO to continue to reach out and support people with learning disabilities in Macclesfield now and in the future.
02/03/2021 £2,500 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD To cover operating costs to enhance our services so we can work remotely. To connect those who are self-isolated, those with no friends or family by building on our experience and expertise to do this remotely. We shall support our staff to work remotely and provide essential youth work support for our young people who are in vulnerable situations, as well as the wider community. A grant will go towards core costs including vehicle maintenance costs.
02/03/2021 £2,500 SNOW ANGELS CIC The demand for our services is increasing and we are receiving more volunteer applications which need processing and we need to provide support to our volunteers throughout this difficult time. We also want to be able to increase our telephone befriending service - we would normally call our older people once a week but we want to increase this, particularly for our more vulnerable and/or isolated people
02/03/2021 £2,500 £8,210,552 NTCG - LIGHTHOUSE CENTRE CREWE The Lighthouse Centre provide regular weekly, hot cooked food, and food parcels; clothes; shower facilities; emotional support; advice; sign posting and counselling for the homeless and those suffering with addictions and mental health disorders, causing social isolation. The grant will go towards the running costs of this service. The individuals accessing the current support will not engage with other agencies under normal circumstances; furthermore, the Covid-19 situation affects their ability to salvage or scavenge for food from restaurant waste and food offered by the goodwill of passing people in the streets, parks, rail stations, bus stations and other usually populated public spaces causing their health to further deteriorate; they are becoming suicidal and some have already taken their own lives, therefore this work will help save lives.
02/03/2021 £3,660 ELLESMERE PORT PCC Ellesmere Port PCC will reach out into the community through local schools to help feed vulnerable families during the half term holiday and providing them with activities for the children. The project will help alleviate food poverty to those families who currently have children eligible for Pupil Premium hence receiving free school meals. This will be a top up to the food they can already access through PP. The activities will provide physical and mental stimulation for the children involved. The grant funding will be used to purchase the food required. There are many families in this area who are living on the poverty line and who have now lost their only form of income due to the COVID pandemic this project will help feed these families over the half term break relieving the parents of the constant strain and pressure they have on having sufficient funds to feed their families.
02/03/2021 £2,500 £416,000 CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS Cheshire Young Carers support young carers living across Cheshire offering respite activities and trips during term-time and school holidays, providing that much needed time away from their unfortunate family circumstances. However, due to the current Covid-19 guidelines, CYC had to cease all group gatherings and activities. In light of this increased isolation for families already universally recognised as isolated, CYC's education and welfare workers have been making wellbeing calls and supporting home learning. A grant will go towards salary costs to continue this service. This project will reduce further isolation and stress, mental health and wellbeing will be positively impacted for young carers.
02/03/2021 £1,873 REDESMERE SAILING CLUB Redesmere Sailing Club is a recognised RYA training centre teaching both adults and children how to sail, with continual participation and improvement programmes including racing, social sailing, and paddle boarding. The project will offer under-privileged children and their families in the local community an opportunity to participate in sailing and paddle boarding, learning new life skills along with improving mental health. Grant funding will be used to pay for Sailing kit, volunteer time, transport costs, Insurance, session running costs including power boats, club boats and paddle boards. This will give individuals a unique opportunity to take part in exciting outdoor activities that they may have felt would never be open to them, providing them life time skills such as organisation, communication, confidence, independence and determination to take on new challenges in life.
02/03/2021 £1,400 £164,116 FRIENDS FOR LEISURE Friends for Leisure are a registered charity providing fun and friendship to reduce the negative impacts of social isolation on children and young people with disabilities across Cheshire East. Because of COVID-19 they ceased all face-to-face activities, youth groups and volunteering buddy meet-ups moved provision online and 'at a distance' through the post in order to maintain as much 'normality' as possible for vulnerable children. Grant funding from Cheshire Community Foundation will help staff salaries so that FFL can continue to support disabled children and parents/carers/siblings. The most significant difference of this work will be to minimise the negative impacts on disabled children of enforced isolation - a vulnerable group who already struggle with loneliness - and make sure they have the support they need during this difficult time.
25/02/2021 £4,500 £568,091 PASSION FOR LEARNING Donor directed award
16/02/2021 £9,500 £310,438 ST PAUL'S CENTRE The St Pauls Centre delivers a Foodbank called St Paul's Pantry and a furniture re-use project for people in need in Crewe and surrounding areas. SALS shoes will provide free footwear for children in families who are financially challenged, through an existing specially designed shoe display and fitting unit within St Paul's Centre. We already have the goods and display area. Funding will cover staff costs for organising stock and referrals, and fitting shoes for those referred to the project. One of the greatest expenses families face is footwear for children; SALS shoes will provide good quality fitted footwear free of charge to the neediest families referred from the local community.
16/02/2021 £948 £14,958 CHESTER WOMEN'S AID Chester Women's Aid has seen a 125% increase in demand for crisis grant money since the pandemic began in March of 2020 because more victims are isolated with their abusers and needing to flee, while there are fewer statutory resources accessible and available during the pandemic. They want to support as many people as possible through the crisis and expect demand to stay high for 2021. The funding requested is to support CWA's work by providing virtual event and social media tools such as Zoom and Hootsuite, and meeting operating costs which support their activity.
15/02/2021 £2,000 AUTISM DOGS CIC Autism Dogs CIC train Assistance Dogs that help to transform the lives of autistic children, adults and their families. The ongoing uncertainty of lockdown has created catastrophic mental health issues for many of the families they work with. who now need support 7 days a week. The funding will be used to pay for the cost of an out of hours telephone operator to take calls and provide emergency support and advice up to 9pm during the week and between 10am and 2pm on the weekends for 10 weeks. Autism Dogs' clients are very vulnerable and highly anxious people, who require additional support whilst unable to access usual services 7 days a week. The emergency out of hours helpline would be able to offer telephone support during times of crisis offering urgently needed coping strategies and advice.
15/02/2021 £1,408 £27,163 FAMILIES UNITED (WARRINGTON) Families United will source and deliver a CARE package to children/young people with SEN & disabilities, or their parents/carers/guardians/siblings, depending on need, within our Families United (Warrington) community. There are currently 104 families with one or more vulnerable/shielding children/young people on the database, many of whom have reported feeling isolated and fragile, unwell or having mental health issues, especially whilst shielding and home-tutoring during the pandemic. Many of the families are at a socio-economic disadvantage. Funding will provide a CARE package containing essential toiletries, books, etc. which a family may not be currently able to afford. The most significant benefit of the project will be to improve the recipient's frame of mind, offering respite time, alleviating feelings of stress and isolation, increasing confidence and motivation, as well as boosting emotional and mental health at this very difficult time.
08/02/2021 £2,000 £877,582 THE NEUROMUSCULAR CENTRE NMC provides a wide range of health, vocational and social activities and opportunities to enable good life outcomes for the target community. Physical activity and participating in sport has been a long standing challenge for the Neuromuscular community due to the condition manifesting itself in the form of physical disabilities which can be very complex resulting in extremely limited mobility. In 2017 NMC opened the UK's first Neuromuscular Gym which enables 85% of our community to participate in accessible active exercise and achieve so many of the associated health benefits. The links between the funding programmes outcomes and the NMC Titans project are multi-layered. Participating in a team sport supports mental health and a sense of community, this is particularly relevant to the target group as many have limited social contact which has mental health implications. Many participants need additional life skill development support, especially in terms of confidence and finding their voices, all too often parents/carers speak on behalf of the individual which is poor preparation for the transition to adulthood. Employment for young physically disabled individuals is low nationally, Scope state that disabled people are twice as likely to be unemployed in the UK and only 19% of working age adults are disabled. NMC's employment vocational opportunities have resulted in 40% of NMC's current workforce have a disability. NMC also provides work placement for young people, volunteering opportunities in accessible environments and delivers 'Ready for Work' workshops and support. The following case study is from one of our existing NMC Titans team players who explains this impact being part of the team has had on him; "playing power chair football with the Titans has allowed me to experience playing in a team and has helped me to improve my ability to work well in a team. It has also allowed me to improve my communication and leaderships skills”? The?young man who wrote this has since completed his Bronze level Duke of Edinburgh’s Award which NMC delivers in an adapted way and is working towards the Silver level. He was referred to NMC more than 4 years ago with low self-esteem, very isolated and with no social outlets.
01/02/2021 £3,177 CONGLETON 4 CONGLETON Grant to Congleton 4 Congleton
26/01/2021 £28,219 £565,860 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Pure Insight 1628 works alongside young people age 16 - 28 who have left or are about to leave statutory care in Warrington. Insight in Mind is designed to equip care leavers and those supporting them to learn helpful self care skills that promote emotional wellbeing and tackle some of the difficulties care leavers face in accessing existing services by developing fast track systems and seeking solutions that may be outside the current offer. The funding will pay for a specialist mental health worker who will work alongside individuals to identify what will be helpful, provide some lower level interventions, teach self care skills to staff, volunteers and young people and identify alternative provision where necessary and the support to access this. The project will provide flexible, tailored mental health support for young care leavers (most of whom who have unresolved trauma), addressing immediate periods of crisis whilst also tackling low level mental health needs before they escalate.
26/01/2021 £25,558 £365,900 MEDEQUIP4KIDS MedEquip4Kids will deliver a 6-week Mental Health Well-being Programme to 600 students ‘at risk’ of potential mental illnesses in partnership with schools across Cheshire West and Chester. The grant funding will be used to pay for the salary of a part-time Project Co-ordinator, volunteer costs, resources and activity costs, Management and administration costs and organisational costs related to the project including marketing and overheads. The project will significantly help vulnerable young people identify, respond to and cope with potential mental health issues through their adolescent lives - a crucial time in their lives - so that they become better equipped to manage their wellbeing, giving them better chances of succeeding through school and later life.
19/01/2021 £1,710 £146,047 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME Central Cheshire Buddy Scheme provides activity clubs for disabled children and young people. Through the project CCBS will run forest school type activities at Lower Moss Woods at Ollerton. Over the past 6 weeks CCBS have piloted sessions at the woods and the results have been fantastic. They would like to continue to run activities once a week at the centre as part of an adventure after school club for disabled children. The project will make a huge difference to local disabled children as it will get them out and about in the fresh air with their friends. The project will support both physical and mental health improving health and well being. The project will support 8 disabled children and young people 1 session a week for 12 weeks to attend the woods after school. The funding will be used to fund 2 salaried members of staff for 4hrs each week to plan, develop and deliver the sessions.
13/01/2021 £1,000 £78,240 SUPPORTING HOMELESS ASSISTING REFUGEES EVERYWHERE Grant to Supporting Homeless Assisting Refugees Everywhere
13/01/2021 £800 WEST CHESHIRE AUTISM HUB Grant to West Cheshire Autism Hub
13/01/2021 £1,082 NUMBER 71 CRISIS CAFE Grant to Number 71 Crisis Cafe
09/01/2021 £4,359 VICTORIA PARK SENIORS BOWLING CLUB Victoria Park Seniors Bowling Club is an active and successful club with a mixed (male and female) membership of around 60 bowlers. During lockdown many members have had to shield due to being vulnerable. The project will help the club to welcome new and existing members back by providing more outdoor safe space. It will also help to make their outdoor area more user friendly and support those who are anxious about returning to bowls, and to be more community focused. The grant will help them to expand their offer to local families and residents in the area with a view to introducing people to bowling and make more use of the pavilion with activities tailored for older people.
09/01/2021 £25,000 £977,433 WARRINGTON DISABILITY PARTNERSHIP Warrington Disability Partnership provides personalised information, advice and guidance and supports independent living through mobility services. Over 75% of their users are over 55 and this project will provide a full-time generic Disability Information Officer for older people to provide information advice and guidance on a wide range of disability/age related matters. These include living well, staying independent, staying mobile, independent living and then signposting where necessary. This generic Disability Information Officer post for older people will be beneficial because so many service users are over 55 and this will allow WDP to to provide support for their needs which it has become increasing evident that this particular audience need particularly since the effects of the pandemic.  
09/01/2021 £10,000 WARRINGTON HOUSING ASSOCIATION LIfeTime opened in 2013 providing a hub and opportunities for people in later life to maintain their health and wellbeing through the five ways to wellbeing. The pandemic has put barriers up for people who were taking part and were connected. This project will focus resources on working closely with members with the aim of getting them reconnected. Grant funding will support this work, paying for additional resource to allow us to spend time reaching out to people, discussing their feelings and needs to recover to the place they want to be, and to deliver a programme of activities tailored to overcome barriers. This will keep people connected, give them a sense of purpose and resilience and feeling part of the community.  
04/01/2021 £7,800 £4,924,609 THE ROSSENDALE TRUST The Rossendale Trust is a registered charity based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, it provides accommodation and high quality, person centred care and support for adults with learning disabilities. They are seeking support for WorkTaste - a dynamic ‘in-house’ supported employment service working with local employers and community project partners to provide real employment experience for their tenants and the wider learning-disabled community. The grant funding will be used to pay for the continued support of a young man who has been on a Supported Internship (SI) programme during his last year of higher education, but which has been disrupted by the pandemic. The funding would allow The Rossendale Trust a further 4-6 months to work with the young person giving them the support needed to secure a future, doing a real job and contributing to society.
03/01/2021 £2,000 £977,433 WARRINGTON DISABILITY PARTNERSHIP Warrington Disability Partnership provides personalised information, advice, guidance and services, in addition to supporting independent living through mobility services. The project will offer a free delivery service to service users of hot meals and of items such as wheelchair loans, small aids, walking sticks, incontinence pads, protective bed sheets and small kitchen aids during the Covid-19 lockdown period. The grant will contribute towards staffing costs and travel expenses during this project. This includes staff costs to organise the delivery and provide information, advice and guidance to service users over the phone; and for one delivery driver. This project will have a significant impact on the safety of vulnerable, frail and disabled people as many clients will remain indoors during lockdown, they have less in-house support due to social distancing measures; this service will provide aids that will help prevent falls, support independent living, reduce the need for additional support many will be struggling to receive, and provide nutritious hot meals to those who cannot access them easily.
03/01/2021 £1,480 £90,489 WINSFORD YOUTH AND COMMUNITY FORUM LIMITED Winsford Youth & Comminity Forum work are a charitable organistation established since 1969 who work with and on behalf of children, young people and adults throughout Winsford and the surrounding area by providing activities, projects, facilities and services to encompass the whole of the local community. The project is being delivered to provide a safe place for young people to go on a Saturday night, this is to some extent a diversionary project and will support young people into building meaningful relationships. The aim of the project is to provide young people with a warm dry secure place to go that supports confidence and motivation and enables young people to make positive choices including gaining more softer outcomes such as communication, problem solving and reliability. The grant funding will be used to eliver the project and pay for venue hire, professional staffing costs, food, resources, Covid cleaning and PPE. The anticipated Saturday Night project will impact on the lives of young people but will also address a number of challenges that are currently being presented these include:violence, verbal abuse, harrassment, vandalism, anti social behaviour, street drinking, drug dealing, explotation and radicilisation.
03/01/2021 £560 £141,655 ALL SAINTS CHURCH THELWALL All Saints Thelwall is the only church in the Parish of Thelwall, and offers church worship and services as well as fellowship to the whole of their local community. Through a simple gift of a cream tea and spring plant, they will demonstrate caring and concern for our single elderly population. The grant funding will pay for the provision of home-baked goods and a plant. This small endeavour will bring companionship and personal contact to the local elderly population currently lonely and isolated through bereavement and Covid19 enforced shielding.
03/01/2021 £1,940 TREASURE YOUR WELLBEING CIC Treasure Your Wellbeing is a Community Interest Company that delivers courses and workshops about improving and maintaining wellbeing and mental fitness using mindfulness. The courses and workshops are delivered free of charge to enable everyone in the community to access the support, regardless of ability to pay. This project delivers weekly online support sessions for anybody who is struggling with mental health or wellbeing issues specifically related to the impact of the pandemic. A grant will extend an existing online project, funded by the National Lottery, that has been running for the last 6 months. A large number of our participants have asked for weekly sessions to continue as they have found the course vital in helping them to stave off the major impacts of Lockdown, including loneliness, fear, isolation and hopelessness.
02/01/2021 £1,350 £345,188 MACCLESFIELD MUSEUMS (THE SILK HERITAGE TRUST) Since the Silk Heritage Trust's regular Have a Dabble art classes were suspended in March 2020 they have developed an alternative approach to supporting our community while also growing the number of people involved. Their art teacher has produced over 30 art lessons that have engaged and inspired over 400 people, through distribution in a weekly e-newsletter, used as materials by other groups (such as ECHC), inclusion in the printed newsletters sent to MHA members, hardcopies sent monthly to over 60 people and also through the Macclesfield Museum website. They are seeking funding to continue to offer this service until the end of June 2021. Feedback from participants demonstrates that the project is reducing isolation (through online sketchbook sharing sessions, by increasing members confidence in using online chat software and through a feeling of community in a group), while also offering a creative outlet for many people which benefits their mental health.
02/01/2021 £2,000 £160,306 URBAN CHURCH Urban Church is a Christian Church who wants to make a difference and impact in people's lives in order to help them to reach their full potential. The project delivers quality lunches and activities in a safe environment in the church building, for primary school children at the weekend when they are not in school to receive this support. During lockdown, this has been adjusted to weekend menu packs that include all the ingredients and instructions for nutritious meals for the entire family. Delivering food packages directly to families during this period also provides children/families with a link in the community for support and help to avoid social isolation.
15/12/2020 £5,000 £107,525 WARRINGTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST Warrington Youth for Christ provides emotional health and wellbeing support for vulnerable young people in Warrington. Workers are based and embedded within local high schools in some of the most deprived wards in Warrington, providing a range of 1-1 and group support programmes based in schools as well as outreach and detached youth work programmes in the evenings. As a response to the Covid 19 pandemic WYFC provided online mentoring support to vulnerable young people identified by the local schools since lock down began in March 2020. Feedback from the schools and the young people was that this programme was a key element in helping young people through the difficult and challenging time they experienced during the pandemic. The current project is in recognition of the impact that social isolation and lack of social contact has had on young people, and the importance of renewing face to face contact with trusted adults. This project will continue these valued mentoring relationships as well as develop new ones, and will seek to provide them face to face in Covid safe environments. The grant funding will be used to pay for skilled and experienced youth workers who will provide 1-1 mentoring outside of school time. The project will reduce the impact Covid 19 has had on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people. Through the mentoring sessions the young people will develop coping strategies to enable them to recognise and deal with their anxieties and fears and develop greater resilience and self-confidence.
15/12/2020 £4,199 ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY CHURCH, CHESTER St Thomas of Conterbury Church would like to create a new digital community hub to offer a range of quality digital support services to the local community in the Garden Lane Quarter area of Chester, in response to reported low levels of wellbeing and resilience in older members of the community together with high levels of reported isolation due to Covid19. The work will target lonely and isolated people to ensure that their health and wellbeing is maintained including those who are supporting people continuing to self-isolate. A grant will allow the purchase of new digital equipment to help adapt service delivery to enable:- 1. Digital community music and singing programme to engage and support improved wellbeing in the community 2. A Mental Health First Aid course for 6 volunteers to better improve provision and offer around mental health 3. A digital buddy programme targeted at older members of the community to support those who are isolated and feeling alone through Skype / Microsoft Teams digital sessions.
15/12/2020 £4,500 AUTISM DOGS CIC Autism Dogs CIC train Assistance Dogs that help to transform the lives of autistic children, adults and their families. Following delivery of the trained Assistance Dogs it is vital that their skill and the handler's coping mechanisms are maintained. The Remote Training Services will achieve that whilst face to face training is not possible due to the virus. The funding will be used to pay for the cost of specialist trainers and Psychotherapist to deliver the remote video sessions. Autism Dogs CIC works with clients who are very vulnerable and highly anxious people. The Remote Training will provide ongoing critical training and support services that could be life saving during the continued impact of the virus.
15/12/2020 £4,400 LIVE LAUGH LACHE Live Laugh Lache run a social supermarket called The Larder, redistributing surplus food on a pay as you feel basis. They have seen an increase in demand throughout the pandemic and have been supporting people through lockdown with food parcels, deliveries to the vulnerable and Christmas gifts, and would like to continue this increased support. The funding will be used to extend the contract for the driver who collects surplus food from supermarkets and restaurants all around Chester and North Wales. The accessibility of good quality, healthy, fresh, affordable food makes a huge difference to the wellbeing of Lache residents, particularly over this difficult period when income has been lost and stress has increased and it is more important than ever to maintain physical and emotional health.
15/12/2020 £5,000 PENNYSMART CIC Pennysmart CIC deliver money advice and training services to those in financial distress across CWAC and Crewe. The project will extend their Money Advice Helpline to Cheshire East area and provide casework support to an additional 65 of its most vulnerable households, in addition to training staff/volunteers to improve financial wellbeing amongst even more at risk families. The grant will be used to pay for salaries, and infrastructure costs for the increased capacity required to deliver those results. They expect the average household to be at least £2500 per year better off after interventions, meaning the difference between being able to feed their families and pay their rent for the first time in years, reducing anxiety and feelings of hopelessness.
15/12/2020 £2,863 £336,850 ST WILFRID'S CHURCH GRAPPENHALL To improve sound quality for people in their homes and in local care homes who want to listen using the internet to activities in St Wilfrid’s Church. The grant will be used to install new, directionally focused speakers and improved mixer controls. This will enable music and voice to be blended without distortion and then transmitted using the live streaming equipment.The project will allow people who are isolated to feel connected to their local community.
15/12/2020 £4,510 £55,866 AUDLEM & DISTRICT COMMUNITY ACTION Audlem & District Community Action provides a range of services to older people and carers, including lunch and coffee clubs, befriending and home support, carers breaks, medical transport and a Coronavirus home support service to over 300 people with the overall aim to combat loneliness, enable people to stay health and active and to cope during the pandemic. The project will expand their existing weekly Covid-secure lunch and coffee clubs between January and March 2021 to provide for a further 40 people each fortnight directly and 30 carers indirectly to respond to increased demand for such services which has arisen during the pandemic. Grant funding will be used to cover costs of the project including staff, transport costs, volunteer expenses, venue hire, and food costs. This project will significantly increase the number of vulnerable and isolated older people who receive vital support during the pandemic. The people ADCA aims to support within the clubs are lonely, suffer from depression, anxiety or dementia or are carers who need a short break from caring. The existing Covid-secure clubs have contributed to improved physical and mental health and helped combat loneliness and depression among the 70 people currently attending every fortnight. They will also expand their Home Support Service, including meal delivery, to an additional 50 people.
15/12/2020 £5,000 £1,456 PANTRY FOR BLACON CIO Blacon Beacon (BB, aka Pantry for Blacon) provides weekly food bags to eligible Blacon residents, providing them with a bag of ambient food and also of fresh fruit and vegetables; also given with them are recipe cards and other items like personal hygiene or nappies, as required. The project will provide much needed food for its members, so that they can have an affordable, healthy diet, and at the same time other needs identified and addressed. The grant will pay for the cost of purchase of food to provide these weekly food bags. The project enables those living in food poverty to receive regular affordable food, in order to be able to have a good, healthy balanced diet; this having a knock-on effect not only on their weekly budget, but also on their (and their families’) physical and mental well-being.
15/12/2020 £3,000 £73,164 SILKLIFE FOODBANK Silklife Foodbank offers emergency food support to vulnerable people and families in Macclesfield who would otherwise go hungry. We provide 4-5 days of nutritional non-perishable food for those who are temporarily unable to provide for themselves. Referrals come from agencies such as Cheshire East Housing, Social Services, Probation, Drug and Alcohol Services and CAB. We run a weekly distribution centre and have a team of drivers that make deliveries across the town to the most vulnerable.
15/12/2020 £3,435 SIGNING SOLUTIONS CIC Signing Solutions CIC supports those people who communicate using British Sign Language (BSL), by improving their access to information and services by ensuring that critical information is provided in BSL. The Keeping Safe and Well project is aimed at making that information more visible in the community. A grant will help purchase digital display screens to be put in public places with a high footfall, on which Signing Solutions will run public information videos in BSL. The videos will be captioned, so this project is fully inclusive and a great opportunity to ensure that everyone, both hearing & Deaf, gets the information needed to keep them all safe and well. Being given, and being able to understand, information on how to access services and support is essential to health & wellbeing. This is even more important now during a pandemic and with information often changing depending on local or national restrictions, making sure that information is available and visible in a timely manner is particularly important.
15/12/2020 £4,461 £9,055,000 NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH OF GOD - NATIONAL OFFICE The Lighthouse Centre provide regular weekly, hot cooked food, and food parcels; clothes; shower facilities; emotional support; advice; sign posting and counselling for the homeless and those suffering with addictions and mental health disorders, causing social isolation. The project will deliver twice weekly hot food and food parcels, during Covid-19 crisis and cold weather conditions, with support for those living on the edge of society, sometimes ex-offenders with complex, chaotic lives and suffering severe mental health disorders and often with alcohol and drug addictions. The grant will pay for food supplies, toiletries, shower and laundry supplies, overnight emergency accommodation. The individuals accessing the current support struggle to engage with other agencies under normal circumstances; furthermore, the Covid-19 situation affects their ability to salvage or scavenge for food from restaurant waste and food offered by the goodwill of passing people in the streets, parks, rail stations, bus stations and other usually populated public spaces causing their health to further deteriorate; they are becoming suicidal and some have already taken their own lives, therefore this work will help save lives.
15/12/2020 £4,000 £66,648 EAST CHESHIRE EYE SOCIETY East Cheshire Eye Society provides support to people affected by sight loss. A large part of this is helping people cope with the effects of loneliness, isolation and loss of confidence. The Corona Virus has meant that the society has had to cancel all of face-to-face social events and activities they run for people with sight loss, removing a valuable source of physical and mental activity, enabling physical and mental wellbeing. A grant will go towards the costs of staff to continue to run a resource centre through the corona virus period, enabling them to give advice and support, continue a successful and well received telephone befriending service to those people identified as most at risk of loneliness and isolation. They plan to extend and grow this service, enabling a range of different group calls between sets of friends in different areas. In addition, they plan to develop a dedicated counselling service for people affected by mental health issues through recent experiences
08/12/2020 £10,000 ST LUKE'S (CHESHIRE) HOSPICE Grant to St Luke's (Cheshire) Hospice - towards core costs
01/12/2020 £15,000 £46,424 MENTELL Mentell supports men (18+) suffering from mental or emotional discomfort by providing safe and confidential spaces to talk, free from advice and judgment - This is done via online and face to face peer to peer support groups. This project will deliver a dedicated Mentell community presence within Crewe, Congleton, Macclesfield over 12 months. The grant will fund a community engagement lead who will spend three days per week raising awareness and targeting hard to reach vulnerable adults (male 18+) living within the three key priority areas. The impact of the project will mean men who traditionally fall out of the established mental health net will get the opportunity to help themselves by self-referring to Mentell.
01/12/2020 £12,034 £1,101,042 AGE UK CHESHIRE EAST Our project will support people with dementia, and their carers, who are not able to access face-to-face support and services due to the COVID-19 restrictions, which we know leads to isolation and anxiety. The support will include the circulation of bespoke monthly activity packs for carers to hold ‘remote’ sessions with their loved ones. The packs will include a range of activities enabling the carer to run activities to break the monotony of isolation. We will hold ‘virtual’ coffee mornings with carers who are digitally connected, as well as other ad-hoc support, including regular welfare calls; distribution of ‘mental health welfare packs’ (jigsaws, puzzles, treats etc) or loan of equipment we have traditionally used in our Day Club to occupy those with dementia. By having regular contact with carers, we will be able to identify early on issues which may need additional support, such as access to benefits, which we can signpost to our own Information & Advice Service, or other relevant local services. Our project will ensure that isolated older people, struggling with the additional pressures of COVID-19, are not forgotten because they cannot receive face-to-face support, and empowering them to better support their loved one independently.
01/12/2020 £12,000 £107,213 PLATFORM FOR LIFE Platform for Life currently offers counselling and play therapy to low income families in Blacon and Lache who are struggling with poor mental health. This project is about increasing our counselling capacity to meet demand in these 2 communities and expanding our service into Kingsway, an area of significant need in Chester that often gets overlooked. In the second part of the year, depending on overall levels of demand in these 3 communities and therefore our waiting list, we may also look to extend our service into 1 specific area of Ellesmere Port with significant needs such as Westminster or Wolverham. This grant will cover the costs of us providing 5 counselling sessions per week for 12 months. This will enable vulnerable families to access counselling for poor mental health in one or more family members, helping them process unresolved long-term traumas and shorter term challenges resulting from the Covid-19 crisis. Our aim is to bring about real healing and a return to better mental health and with it the chance for clients (and their families) to enjoy an improved quality of life.
01/12/2020 £14,096 £555,501 WALTON LEA PARTNERSHIP Walton Lea Partnership provides supported work experience and social interaction to Learning Disabled (LD) adults by providing opportunities to develop practical skills and key life skills to improve confidence, communication and mental health and wellbeing. Our project will empower LD adults to learn new skills and improve their numeracy and literacy whilst being involved in the design and production of a newsletter and product catalogue that will be distributed internally and externally to promote the work of the charity, and the achievements of our supported learners, to the wider community. It will cover the salary shortfall of the Marketing Lead Support Worker and will pay for an Apple Mac computer, accessories and photographic equipment for use in the production of the newsletter and product catalogue. Through this project we will motivate, inspire and support LD adults to develop new skills which will improve their mental health and well-being, contribute towards the achievement of individual goals/objectives, and increase confidence through accredited and non-accredited learning to enable access to further education and volunteering opportunities, and for some people, employment.
01/12/2020 £49,983 £236,164,000 MHA 1. We are MHA Communities in Ellesmere Port and Macclesfield and our sole mission is to ‘enable people to live later life well’ by inspiring the best care and wellbeing at every stage of later life, regardless of faith, background or belief. 2 & 3. Operation Resilience is a ‘Prevent - Respond - Restore’ model of tackling loneliness and isolation, which allows members to stay connected/active, restoring self-confidence/self-esteem. It will contain three strands:- 1 - Connection telephone or digitally - provision of loan equipment if needed ; 2 - Green Care and Wellbeing packs to their door - support resilience and wellbeing 3 - Robust referral routes and support to access to the right services (mental/physical) if needed. 4. We will reduce social isolation and loneliness in people over 55 and increase wellbeing and resilience
01/12/2020 £26,375 £307,884 CITIZENS ADVICE CHESHIRE NORTH (CACN) Citizens Advice Cheshire North (CACN) and Stockport & District Mind (S&DM) have identified the need for additional support for people within the northern part of Cheshire East to deal with their mental health problems, as they deal with fallout issues from Covid-19, especially as they attempt to negotiate the welfare rights system. Both CACN and S&DM have many years experience of delivering Advocacy services to people with mental health problems and have jointly identified the need for additional support in accessing their rights to welfare benefits and mitigating the negative impact of Covid-19. The service we are proposing is for a S&DM Community Advocate to work out of the offices of CACN in Macclesfield to primarily offer skilled and qualified support to people, but to also act as an opportunity for S&DM to begin offering other services to the people of Cheshire East, after a number of years without a local Mind presence within the borough. The services offered by S&DM and CACN are very complementary and the expectation is that there will be a great deal of cross over and added value as our respective services respond to the numerous practical and emotional problems people are facing from Covid-19.
01/12/2020 £14,976 £942,650 VISYON The Building Capacity Project will enable us to increase our reach to young people who would not otherwise access the service and increase the capacity we have to support young people when they first contact us for help. We will achieve this through: 1. Training the staff team to ensure our new Virtual Support Model (telephone and online) is a quality led, safe and effective service. Online support has become a core element of our offer as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions and we plan to continue to develop this complimentary offer and embed as a permanent part of our support model. 2. Recruit and training volunteers to support open access services to increase our capacity to support young people at the point of entry to Visyon. 3. Publishing digital media that promotes and engages the community in our services, shouting louder about our work so the community know we are here for them. We expect this project to improve our service delivery offer for young people and their families, to develop resilience skills for life, and experience an improvement in their mental health and wellbeing.
01/12/2020 £44,774 £201,927 CHAPTER (WEST CHESHIRE) LTD Chapter is a mental health charity supporting people's mental wellbeing needs across the county of Cheshire West and Chester through the delivering of coaching support, group activities, virtual activities and training delivery. We are seeking funding to deliver a telephone based mental health recovery service, delivered by trained volunteers, and developed by a partnership of local organisations. A grant will pay for volunteer training, management salaries, and project operational costs. The project will improve people's mental wellbeing, providing clear and measurable goal-based recovery support, as a result of local people being trained as support volunteers.
01/12/2020 £37,200 £113,604 NESTON COMMUNITY YOUTH CENTRE Neston Community Youth Centre works to improve the health, wellbeing and community engagement of local people to create a healthy and engaged community. CHange64 will fill in gaps in current service provision for 3 distinct groups who are struggling with mental health and wellbeing issues. Before the pandemic hit, there was already a mental health crisis for young people; second, there are a group of people (all ages) who consider themselves unemployable - largely due to a lack of self esteem; and finally, there are older people who's confidence has been negatively affected by the pandemic. The interventions, including counselling, personal development programmes and wellbeing programmes will impact on these mind states by improving confidence, self esteem and general wellbeing. The grant funding will be used to deliver accessible and tailored group programmes that seek to address these issues such as counselling, mindfulness, personal development and pre-employability programmes The most significant difference the project will make is on people's feelings of wellbeing improving mood, reducing the negative impacts of stress, increasing self esteem and reducing anxiety and feelings of depression and loneliness. Ultimately, transitioning into other services and support that are, or will be, available locally.
01/12/2020 £24,854 £942,650 VISYON Visyon provides Holistic mental health and wellbeing support to children and young people and those who support them. We would like to provide an easy to access early help service in partnership with UTC Crewe to young people who attend the provision and often have mental health vulnerabilities that require a different approach to mental health support. The funding will be used to pay for staff time and resources that enable us to offer support to young people, their parents and school both in the community and in the education environment. This funding will enable us to break down barriers to mental health support at the earliest opportunity to raise young peoples ability to cope and change their engagement and attainment in learning.
01/12/2020 £48,800 £874,514 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE (FORMERLY CREWE WOMEN'S AID) The ReST project will offer immediate access to virtual trauma therapy alongside a mental health peer support group in Warrington, Cheshire West and Cheshire East to adults affected by domestic abuse and mental ill health. Individuals will be supported to access virtual EMDR online and then to debrief and explore their progress during the peer support group. This project is a recognition that mental health support is needed in the moment, in the crisis and especially for people with additional complexities. We believe that by offering this bridge into mainstream services, we can support those most at risk of self-harm and suicide to get onto the path to recovery.
26/11/2020 £9,316 £416,000 CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS LTD Cheshire Young Carers supports young carers living across Cheshire offering respite activities and trips during term-time and school holidays, providing that desperately needed time away from their unfortunate family circumstances. Building on the positive relationships we have with schools, we will deliver (in schools) workshops led in a teenage friendly way, to cover five key topics: Lifestyle Choices (promoting physical health and understanding emotions), anxiety & worry, stress, anger and teenage issues. Funding will go towards developing materials and delivery of 5 modules/workshops 20 times to between 30 and 40 schools. The expectation is that each school will have between 15-25 pupils to register on the programme. The aim is to enhance the support offered to pupils within the education sector and in particular vulnerable children with low / mid level mental health challenges that are 'common issues'. It will promote positive mental health in young carers and the wider pupil population and in particular following and throughout the isolation and difficulties experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also inform participants in the programme of the additional help and support that is available within the school, within the local area and via national helplines.
26/11/2020 £15,000 £138,184 HOME-START WARRINGTON Home Start Warrington provides parents with the best support they need so their child can have the best start in life because childhood cannot wait. Dad Matters is an ambition to change the way dads are thought about by all services involved in the perinatal period and beyond, while the prevelance of maternal and postpartum depression is well established, the impact of paternal prenatal and postpartum depression is less documented but is an emerging and developing area of research. The grant funding will be used to launch the Dad Matters scheme in the Warrington area and will provide an 8 hour post, for a Dad Matters co ordinator as well as Dad Matters volunteer training for our male volunteers. We aim to reduce stigma around male mental health and the barriers this can form to prevent men from accessing support, it will enable fathers to receive support from the beginning of their parenting journey so that they can understand the importance of parent infant bonding and their crucial role as a father.
26/11/2020 £43,330 £647,151 WARRINGTON WOLVES The Warrington Wolves Foundation deliver inclusive emotional wellbeing projects for men with mental health issues in partnership with key stakeholders including LiveWire Warrington, Directions for Men & Time to Change Warrington. The aim of MoveMENt is to co-create an ambitious programme of activities which focus on engaging vulnerable ‘at risk’ men including those from marginalised groups (e.g. BAME & LGBTQI), enthusing individuals to take part in meaningful opportunities and providing appropriate specialist support as required. The grant funding will be utilised to create a suite of new physical activity, peer support, creative and social opportunities for men delivered by an infrastructure of qualified and experienced practitioners in the most socially deprived areas of Warrington to improve emotional wellbeing and increase social connectedness of the proposed beneficiaries alongside their peers. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 with 76% of all individuals who take their own lives being male and the proposed MoveMENt project aims to establish a revolutionary approach using lived experiences to tackle men’s mental health by bringing together four passionate organisations in collaboration, embedding a culture of long term behavioural change.
26/11/2020 £14,483 £296,705 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD Cre8 Macclesfield is a Macclesfield based Charity that delivers a comprehensive programme of community and youth work projects using an asset based model of engagement. This project delivers the opportunity for socially isolated people from a broad range of backgrounds and generations to meet and share their experiences. The funding for this project will support the staff and venue costs that facilitate the creation of a safe and engaging space for the participants to meet and interact on an ongoing basis. Through the proposed activities we provide the opportunity for small groups of disadvantaged individuals who are at risk of suffering from poor mental health health to learn together and share together within a safe space that encourages the self-directed development of activities that will improve their mental health and hopefully inspire others as well as building long term face-to-face social connections.
26/11/2020 £14,920 HEALTHBOX CIC Healthbox CIC currently runs community counselling services across Cheshire West and Chester. The project will provide additional BACP counsellors to support residents with a range of issues from anxiety, depression, bereavement and low self-worth and compiled issues from the pandemic. We are applying for funding for supplying additional counselling hours to help meet the increased demand for talking therapies that COVID has had on our local communities. Our holistic counselling services help people not only learn to cope again, but actually start enjoying life again: "The Counselling has helped me change massively over the months, I am almost unrecognisable mentally from the person I was at the start of the process" - Healthbox counselling client.
25/11/2020 £3,681 £47,195 WARRINGTON FOODBANK Warrington Foodbank provides food parcels to relieve persons in Warrington and surrounding areas who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress. This project is in response to the Covid-19 outbreak to continue to meet the needs of Warrington's hungry in the new circumstances. This project will help to ensure that adequate supplies of food are available to meet the increased need and fund extra costs associated with collection, making up and distribution of food parcels. In addition to the normal identification of need via food vouchers, the Foodbank is now assisting vulnerable people who can not get out and homeless people who are living in hostel accommodation.
25/11/2020 £4,931 £296,705 CRE8 MACCLESFIELD LTD Cre8 will work with the Hope Centre, and build on their combined experiences since the outbreak of COVID-19. The two organisations will work to enhance the skills of young people in order to enable them to support the needs of wider community members. Young people will be empowered and engaged as they become a source of support for people in our community who rely on this help. The project will create opportunities for young people to learn skills around providing food for the homeless, meeting the needs of the community and how to fulfil those needs with a nutritionally based meal. The key benefits will be to let young people learn about the difficulties faced by those more disadvantaged; while developing their own skills to make a positive difference to the lives of others. The project will teach cooking skills, within a safe environment so young people can also learn about nutrition and how to prepare low-cost but healthy food. A grant will cover costs including staff time, equipment, materials and premises.
25/11/2020 £2,577 £418,552 ST PAUL'S CENTRE The St Pauls Centre provides a Foodbank and a Furniture re-use project for disadvantaged households in Crewe. Funds will be used to deliver Christmas food parcels to current Foodbank Clients and also, 75 parcels for people who are being supported in their own accommodation who were rough sleepers, 75 parcels for single young people living in Hostels, and forty families who are disadvantaged and need additional Christmas food. The grant will cover food costs, and small amount to cover travel and staff time. Almost all these groups are at the lowest level of income and the most vulnerable in our society, the funding will provide food over the Christmas period,but as importantly lift their mood as they experience an additional and personal investment reducing isolation and enhancing their lives.
25/11/2020 £2,500 £144,264 MIDCHESHIRE FOODBANK Midcheshire Foodbank provides emergency food to local people who are referred to us in crisis We have sublet a space in The Old Schoolhouse to act as our store & distribution hub for our emergency parcels The funding we are applying for is rent for the building and the costs of transporting the food to our distribution centres This funding will enable us to pay the rent and transport costs of needing a separate hub as a result of the pandemic driving increased volumes
16/11/2020 £7,662 £8,839,830 DEMENTIA UK Grant to Dementia UK for core running costs
12/11/2020 £5,000 £13,081 AXMINSTER AND LYME CANCER SUPPORT Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support provides practical solutions to patients and families affected by cancer through counselling, complementary therapies, exercise, workshops to promote a healthy lifestyle and drop-in sessions with others who share the same or similar experiences. Our project will deliver relief from isolation, anxiety and despair together with enhanced resilience by supporting clients with a tailored package of activities according to their needs which may include a weekly phone call, six sessions of counselling, 1-2-1 exercise tutorials and distraction methods to reduce loneliness in the form of magazines, books and jigsaws from our library. This funding will be used to pay for counselling, complementary therapies, end of life and self-help books, magazines, jigsaws, activity packs, postage to maintain social distancing, increased telecoms and other core costs. This project will make a significant difference to the mental well-being of clients undergoing cancer treatment, often with life-limiting consequences, who do not have family support, clients who have have been newly diagnosed and do not have access to the usual channels of support due to reduced NHS provision and family members who are struggling to cope with a bereavement without being able to say a proper goodbye due to travel restrictions.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £488,828 BRAIN TUMOUR SUPPORT Brain Tumour Support provides support for those who have received a brain tumour diagnosis throughout the West Midlands. The proejct will provide one to one support, counselling and information for anyone effected by a brain tumour diagnosis. A grant of £5,000 would provide 3 months of support either over the telephone or via virtual platforms. Receiving a brain tumour diagnosis can be absolutely terrifying for the patient and their loved ones, and the charity makes a difference to families by providing the truly vital emotional and practical support that the NHS can’t offer, and yet which is crucially needed to navigate through this life-changing situation; patients have to cope with major life changes; potentially invasive surgery and treatments, neurological symptoms, intense fatigue, and severe emotional and psychological effects.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £1,010,357 AYRSHIRE CANCER SUPPORT Ayrshire Cancer Support has introduced a Wellbeing check in for all the community who are shielding due to any health reasons and bereavement counselling and trauma support for COVID-19 deaths. The grant funding will be used towards keeping these two new projects going for the rest of the this year. There is a definite need for the well being service to alleviate isolation. In terms of the planned Bereavement services for COVID-19, there are no charities within the area undertaking this work. This came to light when a member of staff lost on of their parents due to COVID-19. As specialists in bereavement it was evident that their loss created significant issues around not being able to see their parent prior to passing away. Social media is full of reports of families struggling to come to terms with the process and death of a loved one under the rules in relation to COVID-19.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £12,113,150 QUEEN ALEXANDRA COLLEGE Queen Alexandra College is a specialist college and registered charity, supporting young people with disabilities. The project will develop and deliver a community based music provision, offering group and individual music sessions specifically for young people with disabilities in the West Midlands area. The grant will be used to pay for a music facilitator to deliver music sessions within the community, over three 12-week blocks, to around 60 young people, along with the delivery of a 3-day 'music camp' during the holiday. The project will open up opportunities to get involved with music, and be creative, which are often inaccessible to people with disabilities - due to lack of understanding, accessibility, support etc. Personal impacts will include skills development, confidence and social interaction.
12/11/2020 £3,875 £84,589 MEARNS KIRK HELPING HANDS Mearns Kirk Helping Hands (MKHH) is a volunteer led charity providing support to Newton Mearns and the wider East Renfrewshire area, aiming to improve health and wellbeing and to reduce loneliness and isolation by the community helping itself. The Befriending Project is a new service deilvered as a one year pilot in the first instance. The Befriending Project will provide one to one volunteer befriending support, once a week, to 20 people aged 65 and over and experiencing social isolation. The befriending activity may take place at the home of the beneficiary or in the community. Volunteers will be fully supported in their activity by the staff team. The funding will be used to support the activitiy of a team of 15 volunteers, including travel and activity expenses, volunteer training, and advertising of the Project. The Project will help to build confidence, wellbeing and social networks for the beneficiaries. It will also improve their knowledge of other supports and services they can access. It will reduce loneliness and isolation and give enjoyment and motivation to those most isolated in our local community. For volunteers, the Project will build skills, knowledge and confidence around issues facing older, isolated or lonely people. It will increase their own social networks and give a sense of purpose. It will also be an enjoyable and sociable experience.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £49,622 CASSANDRA CENTRE This will cover some of the costs of our Outreach Worker, volunteers travel, and costs of essential Reduce isolation and anxiety of self-isolated of 130 older people; each week sustain their wellbeing; increase access to support and essential services.
12/11/2020 £4,500 £57,202 SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY Supporting our Community will Invite vulnerable people from the local community to participate in a range of craft workshops that will introduce them to alternative lifestyles and hobbies. Participants will learn traditional crafts such as Knitting, Sewing and Crochet as well as trying out creative crafts such as felting and jewellery making. People will also have an opportunity to learn practical woodcraft in our Outdoor Learning Centre. The project will have a significant impact on people's mental health and wellbeing. It will help to reduce isolation, increase skills and confidence to get back into the job market, encourage positive life choices and ensure that people have a safe place they can go to for support and advice.
12/11/2020 £5,000 ACHIEVING RESULTS IN COMMUNITIES (ARC) CIC Achieving Results in Communities (ARC) improves mental and physical health and wellbeing through providing people with opportunities for outdoor physical activity, socialising, and developing a deeper connection with nature. Ecotherapy at Foundry Wood will deliver weekly outdoor sessions for socially disadvantaged people struggling with mental health, social isolation and in addiction recovery to support them to practice the Five Ways to Wellbeing (connect, be active, take notice, keep learning, give) and better connect with nature. The funding pays for facilitation staff and some basic session expenses. The project has a wide range of different positive impacts on participants physical and mental health allowing them to lead a happier and more productive life (80% are on benefits when they join the project), e.g. a participant has stopped having seizures brought on by stress allowing her to return to work; another has overcome an eating disorder and is starting university; another overcame extreme social anxiety and performed in a play we organised; a retired lady was barely leaving her house and now engages in various social groups; the examples are many and varied.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £731,781 THE HAVEN CARING COUNSELLING COMMUNICATION CENTRE The Haven provides timely and responsive programmes of support to help families across North and South Lanarkshire, affected by life limiting illness (e.g. cancer, Parkinson's, M.S, dementia and those in the covid-19 high risk and shielding categories) to cope with the physical, emotional and practical aspects of illness and/or caring responsibilities and to enable them to face the future positively and with hope. The Wellbeing Toolkits project will provide vulnerable clients with therapeutic resources bespoke to their individual needs to enhance Haven programmes of care and help them progress towards personal outcomes. Funding will support the delivery of this project by contributing towards the core staff salary costs of Project Co-ordinator (overall responsibility for project development and delivery, monitoring, evaluation and impact measurement), Emotional Support Practitioners (collaboratively identify client needs; provide dedicated and ongoing emotional support; support clients to make use of toolkit resources; identifying emerging client needs to steer further project development) and Admin Co-ordinator (supporting administrative processes – ordering of resources and posting toolkits). This project aims: to improve the emotional and mental wellbeing of Haven clients; increase self-management skills; build resilience; reduce stress and anxiety; and reduce the impact of loneliness and isolation.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £692,165 LIGHTBURN ELDERLY ASSOCIATION PROJECT Leap has provided a successful volunteer led befriending service since 2001, a 1:1 service and a group befriending which are currently delivered within 18 communities across South Lanarkshire and which is underpinned by Quality in Befriending Excellence accreditation. With the onset of the COVID - 19 Pandemic the service had to be reviewed because of social distancing and therefore moved to a telephone befriending, however, Leap hopes to resume to offering face to face befriending and socially distant group befriending, but would also like to continue with the telephone befriending service which has attracted a significant number of new clients. The project will allow Leap to recruit a Volunteer Development Officer with the role of recruiting volunteers to deliver telephone befriending of providing support and supervision and for matching of clients with volunteers.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £182,985 ME2 CLUB Me2 Club addresses the challenges of isolation and exclusion of children and young people aged 5 to 19 years with wide ranging additional needs and disabilities, regardless of a formal diagnosis, by enabling them to experience, and benefit from, weekly mainstream leisure activities of their choosing. This project will empower children to access a wide range of activities of their choosing which their mainstream peers can take for granted. The funding will pay for the recruitment, training and support of 10 additional volunteer ‘buddies’ who will be carefully matched to children requiring their dedicated and individual help. Working with our trained volunteers we will transform the lives of children with additional needs and disabilities, and their families, ensuring ‘Inclusion for All’.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £113,393 DRYLAW TELFORD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, Drylaw Telford Community Association, offers a range of services (fitness classes, after school clubs, cultural sessions, youth and senior groups and gardening projec), across all ages, to help combat loneliness, build community cohesion, encourage community engagement and build the resilience of vulnerable groups of people from our young parents, long-term unemployed, children and young people to our elderly residents. They are seeking support for their Urban Community Food Growing Project - this project helps to educate 50 trainees, of all ages, to learn about community growing. Gardening is a great form of exercise, has a positive effect on the environment and “going green” can truly benefit the planet. Plants are highly effective air cleaners, absorbing carbon dioxide, plus many air pollutants, while releasing clean oxygen and fragrance. Supporting trainees to establish micro-gardens allows low-income families to meet their needs for vitamins, minerals and plant protein by providing direct access to fresh, nutritious vegetables every day. They also offer a source of extra income from the sale of small surpluses. Gardening offers a variety of health benefits such as Exposure to vitamin D, decreased dementia risk, mood-boosting benefits, enjoyable aerobic exercise and helps to combat loneliness.
12/11/2020 £2,600 PCC OF WALTON BRECK AND HOLY TRINITY Post Covid Community Support Project, a project utilising the church and its skills to help, support and empower the local community in Everton and Anfield. This project provides a wider package of support offered to individuals and families who have been severely impacted through Covid 19, either financially, emotionally or socially. A grant will go towards the salary costs of the Church and Community Champion, a pivotal role in delivering community support.
12/11/2020 £3,350 £212,177 WARRINGTON VOLUNTARY ACTION Well Time enables people to connect with communities and organisations to help reduce social isolation and improve health and wellbeing, whilst empowering its members throughout the project to utilise thier own skills to benefit other people that need support. The funding will enable socially isolated people to be able to reconnect with activities, groups, access online services and reconnect with friends and family and others in the local area. The grant funding will be used to pay for multiple Android tablets and sim cards to enable access to the internet, for the socially isolated members of Well Time. The most significant difference this will make to people lives will be the reduction in socially isolation and the positive effects it will have on mental health by enabling people to interact again with other people, make new friends, keep in contact with family members and access online activities.
12/11/2020 £2,500 £1,518,177 MOVE ON Move On supports people affected by homelessness and vulnerable young people who have experienced the care system or are not engaged in education, training or employment to identify and achieve their goals and unlock their potential. Young people who have experienced care/homelessness or other disadvantage are supported to improve their mental health and wellbeing through mentoring; they are matched with a trained and police-checked volunteer mentor and encouraged to identify/achieve goals and access opportunities (anything from using public transport to gaining employment). A grant from the Assura Community Fund will give 10 disadvantaged young people in Edinburgh: the opportunity to choose and participate in activities that will improve their wellbeing, alongside their mentor; one-to-one person-centred support to develop/implement a Personal Wellbeing Plan; tools and resources to improve their wellbeing including a personalised Wellbeing Box. The project improves outcomes for vulnerable young people including better mental and emotional wellbeing, increased confidence and extended social networks and, importantly, offers young people a reliable and positive relationship within agreed boundaries which can help them to build similar relationships with others and is key to developing resilience and overcoming loneliness and isolation.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £665,583 ST ANNE'S HOSTEL St Anne's Hostel for homeless men supports its residents with the services of its own in-house resettlement and move-on team. The funding will be used towards the costs of an in-house resettlement team who support the homeless men living at the hostel and the other units of accommodation. The resettlement team provide support with accommodation, education, training and employment, health (including physical and mental well-being), substance misuse, families, finance, benefit, debt and transitions and case management. Resettlement concerns itself with providing homeless people with the best possible chance of a successful life away being without a home.
12/11/2020 £4,950 £186,267 FIRSTHAND LOTHIAN Firsthand Lothian supports disadvantaged and vulnerable families across the city of Edinburgh providing tailored 1:1 support and guidance to help them become more resilient and better connected tot heir local community. The project, delivered by trained volunteers, will support isolated and vulnerable lone parents, carers of children with disabilities and those with mental health issues to rediscover themselves and engage in activities they used to enjoy before they became " just a mum". The grant funding will be used to pay for a contribution to the Lead Worker's salary, equipment ( mobile phone and FB Portals for volunteers) and equipment for isolated mums so that they can engage in activities and access online activities together initially, before moving towards actual physical attendance when current COVID19 restrictions are lifted. For an isolated parent who has low self esteem, anxiety &/or depression, the opportunity to be able to develop a positive relationship and meet up with another adult on a regular basis, being encouraged and supported to explore activities and interests together will enable mums to reconnect with who they used to be, learn and develop skills and confidence and develop networks and friendships of their own within their local community.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £195,652 REELTIME MUSIC Reeltime Music is a registered Scottish Charity established in 1997 based in Newarthill, North Lanarkshire that aims to bring about a positive change in the lives of disadvantaged young people aged 12 – 25 years living in North Lanarkshire. They require funding towards the delivery of Tempo Weekly Music Workshops for disadvantaged young people, specifically targeted towards those involved with CAMHS or Social Work services aged 13+ . A grant will pay towards the sessional staff costs of 2 Community Music Tutors who will have responsibility for the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of the programme. The work helps to build transferable skills not only for future employability, but skills which build resilience to mitigate the effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) in socially excluded and deprived young people. We engage with disadvantaged young people, deliver effective interventions, improve their quality of life, health and well-being by providing access to opportunities, information and support.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £83,640 ARTS TOGETHER Arts Together works with frail, disabled, isolated older people, using stimulating and sometimes challenging arts activities in small social groups, to counteract the harm to their health and wellbeing caused by extreme loneliness, combining inspiring activities with essential support in a way that is unique in services for the elderly in Wiltshire. We have no idea when it will be safe to reopen our groups so this Digital Connections project will enable us to provide a flexible service delivery, moving seamlessly between postal and telephone delivery, group meetings and a new online programme of creative activities and social opportunities. A grant of £5000 will fund 250 hours of staff time to deliver our new Digital Connections project, which will promote Arts Together, offer stimulating creative projects to any isolated older people who are forced to spend long periods without social contact due to shielding plus new activities via Zoom for group members. The project will ensure that more isolated older people stay mentally active, remain more positive and feel more confident and socially connected despite the restrictions on group-working imposed by Covid19
12/11/2020 £15,000 £133,583 OMEGA, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR END OF LIFE CARE Omega aims to tackle loneliness and social isolation among older people. We propose a strategic partnership where NHS staff based at Assura practices throughout the West Midlands and beyond can refer patients who are socially isolated and may be frequent visitors to surgeries to one or several of our programmes, which include telephone befriending, a letter-writing programme, a structured bereavement programme and bereavement friendship groups as well as support groups and meetups for carers. We are applying for a contribution of £15,000 towards the core costs of Omega as part of this strategic partnership, as agreed to in a separate email with Angela Richardson of the Cheshire Community Foundation. Our programmes aim to reduce loneliness, improve wellbeing, give people a sense of purpose and belonging, improve social networks by helping people reconnect with friends and family as well as make new friends. We also aim to improve clients' self-confidence and to gently encourage self-help. We also help people access services and support for their specific circumstances. In some cases, we act to forestall problems by working with referrers when concerns are flagged to us by befrienders.
12/11/2020 £4,980 £545,516 MULTI-CULTURAL FAMILY BASE Multi-Cultural Family Base (MCFB) provides a range of services to support vulnerable BAME(Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) children and families within the City of Edinburgh. Through individual contact and group-based initiatives (currently online) the Wren Project will deliver support, advice and information to new migrant/refugee families who have children with additional support needs. The grant funding will be used to pay for part of the staff salary costs of the project. The most significant difference this project will make is to enhance the wellbeing and mental health of isolated BAME parents/carers of young children who have been particularly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £13,431,192 EAST ANGLIA’S CHILDREN’S HOSPICES (EACH) East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) are a charity that care for life-threatened children across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Essex, as well as supporting their families. EACH’s end-of-life care aims to address everything a family might need, and includes; specialist Symptom Management nursing to help children cope with difficult symptoms and pain; expert advice and information about difficult but important topics such as funerals and care of the body; wellbeing support such as counselling, art and music therapy, spiritual support, group activities, and bereavement support; and enabling memory making activities, giving families important memories and keepsakes to treasure after their child has died. Funding from the Assura Community Fund will help to deliver EACH’s core end-of-life care and related services, including costs such as staffing for nurses, counsellors and therapists, medical treatments and equipment, organisational overheads, supplies for various activities, and much more. EACH’s specialist and personalised end-of-life care ensures that life-threatened children are as fulfilled and comfortable as possible during the limited time they have left, which enables families in Suffolk to say goodbye to their child in the way that is right for them, and enjoy their precious time left together.
12/11/2020 £18,000 £1,222,666 ROALD DAHL'S MARVELLOUS CHILDREN'S CHARITY Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity provides specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children across the UK. Many families caring for a seriously ill child often are not able to access the financial support and benefits they are entitled to. These funds are vital in helping them overcome the unique life challenges that come with having a child with a complex, incurable, lifelong illness. With Assura’s support, we can establish the Marvellous Family Support Service which will help families to access their benefits entitlement, overcoming these financial worries and help to relieve the associated stress and anxiety caused.
12/11/2020 £4,781 £1,028,573 THE FOUNDATION FOR CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION NICE, the service arm of The Foundation for Conductive Education, provides direct services and training to teach children and adults with movement disabilities how to learn vital skills needed to improve their level of activity in everyday life. This project will focus on adult rehabilitation services for people with Parkinson’s, which are currently delivered both face to face and remotely, and designed to improve motor function, communication and confidence and combat the progressive nature of the condition. The grant will be used to pay towards full cost recovery, including direct staffing costs and overheads for 200 x 1.5 hour sessions for a total of 20 different people to each receive 10 sessions. This grant will enable people with Parkinson’s to access timely specialist rehabilitation services in order to gain control of their body rather than needing to wait until a crisis occurs to receive statutory support; these sessions can transform their outlook from one of little hope to one of greater control, skill and understanding over their situation and lead to a more positive future living with an incurable condition.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £436,931 STREET CONNECT Street Connect Clydebank is an outreach hub supported by Park Christian Fellowship, enabling local people to reach out to hurting people in their own community. The hub runs street outreach, a drop-in cafe, one to one support, recovery groups and makes referrals to other agencies & to partner rehabs. The grant funding will go towards staff costs. Last year in Clydebank, with 2 - 3 staff working alongside 9 volunteers, the service engaged with 678 people in the street, had a footfall of 401 in our café, gave one to one support to 23 men & 11 women, had 33 men & 11 women attend recovery groups and sent one man to rehab – one participant saying “They’re always there, no matter what problems we face.”
12/11/2020 £4,575 £1,361,341 ASTON VILLA FOUNDATION Aston Villa Foundation are a registered charity that delivers the community and social responsibility work of Aston Villa Football Club. Working alongside key local and national stakeholders, the Foundation delivers projects, initiatives and provides opportunities to achieve its mission of ‘Working Together to Enrich Lives’. Think Football will deliver football-based sessions in an informal, yet structured manner where the focus is not on football coaching, more getting participants playing football and taking part in fun games and drills. Alongside the sessions the participants will be provided with suitable contacts and drop-in workshops, through partners, to support them with their mental health and wellbeing. The grant will pay for the overall running of the project, including staff delivery time, training & workshops, venue hire, marketing materials and kit/equipment. Social recovery and physical activity are key elements with regards to improving a person’s mental health & wellbeing, we aim to provide an informal, social environment for our participants through our Think Football sessions. By giving people the opportunity to meet others, take part in physical activity and access support services all under one roof, we have evidence that this has a positive impact on all parts of their lives.
12/11/2020 £5,000 £13,634 CARERS FEDERATION The Carers Federation was established in 1992 and provides a diverse range of services; some key areas of work include: an active team of around 25 volunteer mentors supporting young adult carers; providing training in Level 2 & Level 3 qualifications in independent advocacy; online learning via a VLE which currently includes safeguarding, Carers Standard and Mentoring Training. The project will deliver training on young carers with a focus on the impact of Covid to GP practice teams, this will support the development of an accreditation framework for the health sector. The funding will cover Carers Federation and Citycare staff time to deliver training and the cost to update the education pack to include information relating to health. GP practice teams will be skilled in identifying young carers and understand how to mange their needs, including Covid related issues. The health and well-being of young carers and their families will improve if support is identified and put in place, contact with GP practice teams provides an ideal opportunity to do this at the earliest opportunity.
12/11/2020 £5,478 £162,662 THE FRIENDS OF TOWER HAMLETS CEMETERY PARK The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park work with the community to care and improve Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park and other vital greenspaces in the borough to improve local health and wellbeing, the local environment, understanding of the area’s history and community cohesion. Our project, Nature & Us, will support >300 community members vulnerable or already suffering from mental and physical health issues, through twice monthly nature-based sessions such as therapeutic gardening and nature walks (24 x 2 hour sessions in total). The grant will be primarily used to pay for sessional costs (staff, materials, seeds and bulbs) to bring beneficiaries together on a regular basis. By the end of the project we will have supported participants vulnerable to ill health (eg. the isolated elderly, low income families, those recovering from substance abuse) by improving their feelings of health and wellbeing and reducing their sense of isolation.
12/11/2020 £14,992 £45,714,000 QUARRIERS Quarriers is a unique Scottish health and social care charity which aims to transform the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people across Scotland by challenging the inequality they face and supporting their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Quarriers Dementia Befriending Service in North Ayrshire supports people with dementia by carefully matching them with a well-trained volunteer befriender who offers much needed companionship with regular home visits, outings and activities all based on the individual’s interests and hobbies. The Assura Community Fund will support the cost of our Dementia Befriending Coordinator, a critical role responsible for building partnerships, recruiting and training volunteer befrienders, planning activities and monitoring the progress of befriending relationships, offering support and guidance as well as monitoring and evaluating impact while exploring sustainability. Quarriers Dementia Befriending Service is designed to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness among those living with dementia, improving their sense of wellbeing and allowing them to remain in their home for as long as possible; family members are quite clear on the significant positive impact befriending has had “The befriending service made a huge difference to mum’s emotional and mental health – giving her an interest in the outside world once again.”
12/11/2020 £5,139 £181,500 PASIC - CANCER SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE PASIC provide emotional, practical, and social support for families of children and young people with cancer in the East Midlands. They need funding towards a support project for families of children with cancer affected by Covid-19. A grant will pay for a Family Support Administrator salary 1 day a week. Their role is key to the success of the overall project in response to Covid-19. They co-ordinate activities and provide online support for families to meet increased needs due to Covid. Overall the project will improve the mental/physical well-being of children with cancer and their families. Even without coronavirus, cancer has a huge impact on families. Family life disintegrates, siblings/parents are separated for lengthy periods. The mental, emotional and physical health of all is negatively impacted. Our project will help address some of these issues at an early stage and offer opportunities to reduce isolation, emotional support, unite families and help children, siblings, and parents build support networks, offer breaks from treatments and increase confidence.
12/11/2020 £4,776 PARTNERIAETH ECO DYFFRYN DYFI ECO VALLEY PARTNERSHIP T/A ECODYFI Ecodyfi supports a greener economy and community in the Dyfi valley, Mid Wales. This project will deliver a series of Covid-safe group sessions in woodland, for wellbeing, drawing on the partnership and social prescribing relationships that have been established already within the previous pilot ‘Trywydd Iach / Outdoor Health’ project. The grant funding will pay the professional contracted Leaders and Assistants to deliver the sessions, and contribute towards the employment costs of ecodyfi’s proposed Trywydd Iach Project Officer, who will coordinate referrals, transport, procedures and monitoring. The project will improve the wellbeing of people with mental, emotional and physical health concerns, reduce the isolation that has sharpened this year, and improve people’s self-esteem through learning new skills and through being part of a supportive group.
09/11/2020 £4,000 PENNYSMART CIC 1. Pennysmart CIC combats poverty and financial exclusion by providing free specialist money advice and casework services to those least likely to access mainstream provision, together with training and technical support for their community support workers 2. The project aims to see a minimum of 30 families/individuals to deal with their debts, make ends meet through accessing their full benefits entitlements; make arrangements to pay priority bills on time, be able to set money aside for irregular spending and as a result report a reduction in their stress levels resulting an overall increase in their financial well-being. 3. The grant funding will be used to fund a referrals telephone-based specialist money and casework service for those in financial difficulties, together with tailored training and support for referral partners staff e.g. support workers of Pathways CIC. 4. The service will enable those least likely to ask for help to reduce anxiety/stress levels and increase financial well-being by regaining control of their money, by making ends meet through maximising income and paying less for bills, dealing with problem debts; setting arrangements to pay important bills on time and setting money aside for irregular spends and making their money last until payday.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £118,505 BRIDGE WELLNESS GARDENS Bridge Community Wellness Gardens address wellbeing and health issues in the local community, including mental health, isolation , loneliness. They will deliver weekly interactive sessions for the local over 50 population who are signposted to them because they have been isolated and lonely during covid-19 and need to transition into the community. A grant will fund sessional workers, venue and volunteer costs as well as to provide a light lunch and drink from the Better Lives Café. There are many over 50's in the area that are in a deprived area and as such have not had life opportunities that have prepared them for middle and older age - the project can provide them with a social network that will reduce social isolation and levels of loneliness and improve their mental health and wellbeing.
04/11/2020 £4,775 £23,858 FAMILIES UNITED (WARRINGTON) Families United's project F.UN KIDZ ON THE MOVE provides Warrington's children with SEN and disabilities inclusive, enabling and empowering activities: physically accessible sessions in the local community such as animal therapy, sailing, orienteering, sit-skiing, climbing wall, bespoke swim/sport sessions. The project will provide clear outcomes for children and young people. With regular attendance, sessions will help create small and lasting changes in attitude and behaviour, building confidence and self-esteem being alongside others in a similar situation, enabling parents/carers to feel a sense of pride, inclusion. The ability to build confidence in small environments with familiar supporters and peers is a vital step to a more independent future for many children, alleviating social isolation and loneliness. A grant will go towards the costs of one to one animal therapy sessions and other activity costs.
04/11/2020 £3,560 £166,163 BROOKVALE COMMUNITY CENTRE (HALTON SPEAK OUT) Brookvale Community Centre wish to run a cooking programme by Fresh-Beginnings to promote and encourage healthy eating at affordable prices. This project will support members of the community to enhance and develop their skills in the kitchen by delivering cooking sessions on a budget. A grant will pay for a qualified tutor, food, equipment, publicity to promote the classes and a health awareness day at the end of the programme, which will be available to all our community to help promote the ethos of healthy eating on a budget and to further demonstrate the cooking skills and social interaction together that has been achieved. The pandemic has increased isolation and loneliness, which can greatly impact poor physical and mental health. This programme will help to bring the community back together again, to promote and encourage social interaction in addition to the learning and developing of new skills of cooking healthy meals from scratch on a budget, which would not only have a great impact on their physical and mental health but also their social and emotional wellbeing.
04/11/2020 £5,040 FROME CIC Frome CIC has been set up to expand on the work already done by HCM. It is a social prescribing and community development service based in 10 GP practice across Mendip to provide community support service and to help signpost those to groups that need the support they require. The project aims to provide digital awareness and access for those in the community that are not digitally connected and therefore are missing out on the benefits of digital access. The grant funding will be used to pay for a Digital Connector one day per week. The Digital Connector will be available at the Frome Medical Practice to provide signposting advice, where to get free wi-fi, where to find use of digital devices (e.g.computers), advice on SIM cards, pay-as-you-go tariffs, courses on How To Guides, on everything from how to set up an email account, how to use a mouse or key pad to how to use a search engine, etc. The social impact on digital exclusion is huge. The Good Things Foundation state that digital exclusion has an impact on poorer health outcomes, lower life expectancy, increased isolation, less access to jobs and education and challenges in accessing welfare benefits.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £253,253 SALFORD RED DEVILS FOUNDATION Salford Red Devils Foundation (SRDF) are a community foundation that have been delivering innovative development based projects for a variety of partners, of varying sizes and backgrounds, for more than 15 years. SRDF will provide support to highly vulnerable individuals to participate in a range of appropriate exercises, helping service users develop both the mental and physical capacity and capability to allow them to confidently and safely access the community they live in, alongside helping them lead mentally and physically well lifestyles. The grant funding will contribute to staffing costs and venue hire and transport costs allowing SRDF to provide free barrier free access to service users. The most vulnerable members of the Salford community who have faced increased levels of isolation, hardship and inequality due to the Covid-19 crisis, in particular those who have had to shield and have become isolated and are struggling to readjust to the new norm will receive support to help them once again engage with healthy lifestyle activities.
04/11/2020 £2,540 £48,522 HELP COUNSELLING SERVICES We are massively oversubscribed and we need to bring our waiting list back down from 12 weeks to 6 weeks. We currently have 40 waiting for counselling, 52 in counselling, and 9 in group counselling. Additionally, we are now receiving requests from outside of Wiltshire, from Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset, this is unprecedented. To meet this need we need 5 more volunteer counsellors to provide an additional 16 to 20 sessions a week.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £8,790,435 ROWCROFT HOSPICE In April 2019, funding was secured for Rowcroft Hospice Music Therapist, David Holmes, to offer music therapy for 1 day per week for 12 months at Torbay Hospital, as part of an attachment to the hospital Palliative Care Team (PCT). The current funding concluded at the end of March 2020 and so we are seeking your support to be able to continue. The primary aim is to reach people who are struggling to cope with the changes and emotions as the end of their life approaches. People often discover the opportunity to connect with their own creativity in the form of song writing, instrument learning, singing and playful exploration of a new medium.
04/11/2020 £4,231 £95,928 PHOENIX ENTERPRISES (SWINDON) LTS 1. Phoenix Enterprises is a charity and social enterprise that provides a stepping stone for adults with mental health problems and learning disabilities to achieve sustainable mainstream employment. 2. We have successfully completed a programme of well being and healthy eating workshops, and we are looking for help in the order of £4,731.10 to fund a breakfast club for 11 months to maintain the momentum of this programme. 3. Monthly costs; Spreads, Milk, Fruit & Juice, Cereals, Beverages £137.30. Hot food ingredients £56.50 Cleaning & Sundries £36.30 Cooking & prep supervision £200 4. It will ensure that our service users improve their health and life style and prepare them for a good start to the day, sustainable employment, less dependence on benefits and the avoidance of poverty
04/11/2020 £5,000 £2,250,591 YMCA TEESDALE, PART OF YMCA NORTH TYNESIDE YMCA Teesdale, part of YMCA North Tyneside is a youth and community organisation delivering work in some of the most disadvantages communities in Teesdale through informal youth work and community development work. The proejct we are applying for will be delivering a senior lunch club and activities to our older people in Cockfield where the social isolation and multiple deprivation is very high. The funding will be used towards the cost of equipment costs, staff costs and contribution towards venue costs. The most significant difference that the project will make will be to reduce the social isolation experienced by older people in the community, and as a result of the activities delivered at the senior lunch club, we will also improve the older people's mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
04/11/2020 £4,400 £2,694,483 LGBT FOUNDATION LGBT Foundation believes in a fair & equal society where all LGBT people can achieve their full potential. This grant will enable them to run monthly events and workshops for lesbian and bisexual women. This support will improve mental health and wellbeing, skills, and reducing isolation, for lesbian and bisexual women.
04/11/2020 £3,896 MINDFUL PEAK PERFORMANCE CIC Mindful Peak Performance delivers innovative courses which fuse non contact boxing with mindfulness to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of disadvantaged young people. We will deliver two six-session courses for young carers in Hackney and Waltham Forest, involving non-contact boxing and mindfulness training specifically devised to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. Grant funding will be used for direct delivery of the courses, paying instructors experienced in delivering non contact boxing and mindfulness interventions to young people, and project management costs focused on ensuring maximum participant attendance and full monitoring and evaluation. The most significant difference will be in the physical and mental health of young carers, specifically in their ability to manage stress and anxiety and in their capacity and motivation to look after their own physical fitness.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £229,786 SPORT IN MIND Sport in Mind delivers sport and physical activity programmes in a supportive environment to help improve both the mental and physical health and wellbeing of adults suffering mental illness (with a core focus on those with serious conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia). “Home to community” is a new Thames Valley based recovery-focused mental health and physical activity programme, utilising desensitisation to support people whose mental illness has been exacerbated by Covid-19 (causing leaving home to become an insurmountable challenge), to become active at home and support transition into community provision. The grant will be used to pay for: Get Active Packs (sports equipment - skipping rope, balls, rackets), Activity booklet, Activity DVD, person centre plan, Community Sports/Physical Activity sessions - cost of instructors and printed resources/photos/videos about the venue/coach/session and transport information (including Government Covid-19 guidelines) to help desensitise people to any fears that may exist about engaging in the session. The most significant difference this project will make is to improve mental and physical health by creating active habits, combat social isolation and help 250 adults with severe mental health issues to transition back into community services after months of isolation due to the pandemic.
04/11/2020 £4,356 £26,531,501 MAKING SPACE Open Door is a new mental health crisis service in Stockport which includes drop-in and a 24 hour helpline. This project will help to develop a group of volunteer Peer Supporters to help people during their recovery from mental illness. The grant would be used to recruit and train volunteer Peer Supporters, facilitate volunteer meetings and trips out. The project will create a support group of people who have experienced mental health conditions to support others and help them to lead safe and happy lives.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £10,604,487 HOSPISCARE Hospiscare is a local hospice charity operating across Exeter, Mid and East Devon. We are seeking funding to develop our bereavement support centre, meeting the need brought by Covid-19. A grant from the Assura Community Fund will allow us to manage this regional immediate response centre, triaging incoming referrals and enquiries from across Devon and directing our community towards in-house or external essential bereavement resources. By providing this essential support for those who have experienced loss in isolation, we are ensuring that people are able to maintain access to emotional lifelines during a time of unprecedented change and unrest.
04/11/2020 £4,980 £25,253 THE ACTIVE LIFE FOUNDATION We deliver holistic health interventions to improve individuals quality of life. 'Active Mamas' will work with low income single mothers in areas of high disadvantage, delivering a wide range of outcomes, a timetable of appropriate physical activities (mother and baby) co-designed by the participants, signposted through GP's, Health care professional as well as on a self referral basis. The funding will be used to pay for three physical activities sessions a week that will be on the participants door step, outdoor sessions throughout the summer, with indoor activities the rest of the year; the timetable, co-designed by the participants initially looks to include 'Mums on the Run', 'Walk & Talk', 'BuggyBlitz' and Post Natal 'Pilates', venue hire, marketing, small equipment will be included in the funding. This project will improve the mental health of participants via physical activity; aspirations via goal setting and increased self-esteem; it will improve physical wellbeing through participants becoming active; it will improve participants social networks through creating a sense of belonging and utilising physical assets in the community improving participants perception of the area they live; it will increase interpersonal skills through building relationships; it will reduce isolation and loneliness through increased social relationships.
04/11/2020 £4,700 £197,445 VICTORIA'S PROMISE Victoria's Promise- supporting and empowering young women, and their families, through cancer and beyond. VP affinity delivers online and live wellbeing workshops for young women with cancer. The grant funding will pay for guest speakers at VP affinity on subjects such as wellbeing, nutrition and yoga classes. Having listened to so many young women going through cancer treatment, or have gone through treatment and feel abandoned, that one of the greatest challenges they face is the feelings of fear and isolation- VP affinity helps reduce that feeling of isolation and gives them a chance to connect with other women, of a similar age, and have an undestanding of what they are going through.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £324,901 DISABILITY INFORMATION BUREAU The epidemic of disabled people who are hidden from view and struggle with their finances is a growing issue requiring intensive support. It is also one that can have detrimental effects on mental health and wellbeing as the welfare system can be a stressful and complex area to navigate. Learning from DIB's work has highlighted that many of those who come to them seeking support often present with symptoms of depression and anxiety due to their financial situation. This can impact significantly on their ability to access services and understand their entitlements, with the fallout from Covid-19 only serving to escalate these issues. During lockdown many vulberable peole have found themselves unable to utilise the technology many of us take for granted, leaving them effectively cut off from society and heightening levels of stress and anxiety. A successful grant application will allow them to continue providing weekly Welfare Rights delivery, and we will enrich our existing provision by embedding personal development, volunteering and digital training opportunities throughout to enhance positive outcomes for mental health and wellbeing.
04/11/2020 £5,000 ST GEORGE'S CHURCH From September, St George’s will be hosting a Monday Lunch and Friday Breakfast club each week. The project is primarily aimed at people experiencing food poverty or have found themselves isolated due to Covid 19. It will provide a free breakfast and lunch to the poorest, most vulnerable and socially isolated residents, living within the parish boundaries and is part of a wider package of support offered to individuals and families who have been severely impacted through Covid 19, either financially, emotionally or socially through the ‘Helping Hands’ parish project. In this project, participants will be able to access both physical (food, fuel, meals, financial help, uniforms etc.) and emotional support (crisis counselling, wellbeing courses, community coaching). Likewise, those who have been affected through isolation will be able to re-engage with the community in safe, relaxed and confidential environment.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £5,957,267 ST CLARE HOSPICE St Clare Hospice is a charity providing specialist palliative care to people affected by a life-limiting illness in West Essex and the borders of East Hertfordshire. We are applying for funding to extend the reach of our bereavement cafes, to meet the increasing demand, post Covid-19. The funding will pay for volunteer counsellor training and staffing costs, which will enable us to open new cafes in new community settings, offering support to over 500 people. The project will give many more bereaved people the support and the tools they need to better cope with their grief and the trauma of their loss, which typically result in feelings of guilt, anger, despair, isolation and helplessness and can lead to long term deterioration in mental health.
04/11/2020 £5,186 £97,245 MYTIME At MYTime, we provide young carers with the support, friendship and opportunities that every child deserves. Through our Memory-Making Programme, we organise fun and enriching activity days for young carers of ages 5-18. A grant of £5000 from Assura would fund 5 activity days, each catering for 20 young carers, and so could benefit up to 100 young carers. These events provide young carers with rare opportunities for relaxation, leisure and social connection and thus play a vital role in helping young carers to maintain good mental health.
04/11/2020 £3,712 TRANSFORM LIVES COMPANY TLC deliver employment and wellbeing support for help people facing multiple barriers to live secure, happy and fullfilled lives. GiveGet and Keep Going will help 30 people believe in the possibility of a better future. They will choose from a menu of options creating their own timetable to make more positive, healthy life choices, being better able to deal with setbacks and more ready to consider or enter employment or training. This funding will contribute to staff time, room hire and craft/items for hugs in the post to encourage people to participate in our sessions for example chocolate to join in a chocolate mindfulness session or basis ingredients for a healthy eating session. We will help people to feel less socially isolated.
04/11/2020 £4,860 £164,727 C4WS HOMELESS PROJECT C4WS supports people who are homeless with accessing accommodation, employment and healthcare with the aim of being able to exit homelessness and begin the process of rebuilding their lives. Mentoring and Befriending provides a crucial support for someone exiting homelessness and moving into their own accommodation to manage the transition to independent living, reduce isolation, improve wellbeing, access services and support them with feeling able to live the life they want. The funding will pay for the Welfare Manager to manage the project which includes matching 20 guests with mentors and supporting them through the six month placement; funding expenses costs for mentors meeting with their mentees (e.g. refreshments, travel); and assisting with any emergency or crisis needs that arise in this period. When someone leaves the shelter to move into their new home, this is something to celebrate. But it is not the end of their homelessness journey and it is vital we continue to support them through this period of transition to prevent them returning to homelessness. Mentoring and Befriending provides an invaluable bridge of support that reduces isolation, offers continuity of contact, provides much needed socialisation opportunities and also is practically directed towards regaining independence.
04/11/2020 £4,869 £70,863 TLC ST LUKE'S TLC St Luke's is a mental health charity in Ardwick, Manchester offering Drop-in sessions to clients living with long term enduring mental health The project will deliver 3 months open door Drop-in services to include activities, refreshments; a safe place for people to access with or without referral. The grant funding will be used to pay for staff costs, rental, funds and trips for a period of 3 months. Clients have been mainly in their homes for the last 6 months and want and need to attend TLC to see friendly faces, to gain support from staff, their peers and our volunteers; the project will become an essential part of the weekly calendar of marginalised people, preventing social isolation and building confidence and resilience, targeting an increasing number of people in the community.
04/11/2020 £3,690 £503,586 THE RECOVERY TREE CHARITY The Olive Tree Cafe is one of 3 projects run by The Recovery Tree Charity the aim of which is to preserve and protect the good mental health of people by providing positive, work-related opportunities in a cafe open to the public, in order to take them a step nearer to the world of work. We offer each person a clear and structured induction programme over the initial weeks/months of their time with us and, when appropriate, this is followed with opportunities to participate in a variety of certificated training courses that are recognized and valued in the industry. The grant funding will cover the costs of preparation and delivery of two Level 2 Cookery Skills courses which are offered to volunteers who have spent some time in working as part of the team, started to gain in confidence, knowledge and understanding of the day-to-day activities necessary for the efficient running of the cafe. Developed by our Manager and registered at Level 2 with the Open College Network, the course contributes to development of confidence, pride and self-esteem of participants.
04/11/2020 £4,990 £2,913,785 SUFFOLK MIND Suffolk Mind ‘Get up and Grow – Ipswich’ provides support to people with mental health problems through a weekly group based on an allotment. With volunteers and a trained mental health facilitator we will deliver weekly 3 hour group sessions for a year on the allotment, open to anyone with a mental health problem, from anxiety or depression right through to enduring mental health problems such as bipolar or schizophrenia. The grant will part fund the salary of the facilitator, volunteer travel expenses, tools and equipment for the plot, seeds and compost for one growing season. The project will support people to improve their mental wellbeing through reducing isolation, being part of a community, increasing their physical exercise outside, having meaning and purpose through attending the group and taking care of the allotment and gaining a sense of achievement.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £2,030,706 INVOLVE KENT This Bereavement Project will utilise peer volunteer befrienders to engage the most isolated, vulnerable older people who are bereaved, who lack confidence or physical mobility to just turn up at a support group or activity. The grant would pay a contribution towards the Cancer Support Coordinator who will recruit, train and supervise peer volunteers who facilitate support groups (phone or video call support according to Covid restrictions); Coordinator also takes on the more complex cases. The project will monitor wellbeing measures and will record a majority of improvements in mental wellbeing eg reduced loneliness, reduced anxiety and increased happiness.
04/11/2020 £4,300 £15,539 EVERTON AND ANFIELD TOGETHER The charity exists to support the disadvantaged in the Liverpool Everton and Anfield areas. It operates a Food Bank and a Food Pantry (Christ Church Walton Breck and Holy Trinity Church), a Free Debt Advice Service and 'Scouse in the House', providing hot food for those in need of a meal. This application is fund a Debt Counsellor role. The service already helps many local residents but demand expected to increase as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £427,526 HOME-START IN SUFFOLK Home-Start in Suffolk provides weekly support visits from trained and experienced volunteers to families, at home or wherever they feel most comfortable, to provide advice and support. Whilst we provide this across the county, (including areas within close proximity of your branches), the demand for the service outstrips the capacity we have to deliver, additional funding would allow us to increase our provision of volunteer led family support, in the areas of most demand (Lowestoft and Ipswich-IP1,2,3) ensuring that we can provide support conducive with a de-escalation of statutory intervention and/or early preventative interventions. The grant would be used to part fund a volunteer recruitment and training coordinator to increase trained volunteers and ensure that our accredited training is delivered in line with our high standards. The difference that our support to families makes is significant; we break cycles of adversity, reduce the likelihood of children passing on their negative experiences to their children and improve the health and wellbeing,a recent full service evaluation found that as result of support from Home-Start Suffolk, families had a 73% reduction in isolation, a 67% improvement in parental self esteem, 73% improvement in developing routines. We expect a continuation of these outcomes.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £2,321,803 THE AMBER FOUNDATION The Amber Foundation houses and supports troubled young people empowering them to leave their pasts behind them and move on to bright independent futures. This project, an integral part of our development programme, is a series of workshops and accredited training units to help them identify what has previously stood between them and employment, further education or training and a sustainable home of their own. The grant will pay for staff time to deliver this project alongside materials needed to deliver the sessions. Broadly the benefits to Amber residents from this project are threefold; residents gain important qualifications, they are supported to identify how they can positively move forward with their lives plus boosting their confidence by giving them a real sense of achievement.
04/11/2020 £4,600 £87,608 TRANSFORMATION FOR VETERANS This project will enable T4V, including older veteran volunteers, to engage with local healthcare providers and other organisations to identify and support older armed forces veterans and their families to engage with T4V's services and support them during Covid19 to help reduce feelings of fear and isolation, improve wellbeing and reconnect them with others in the community. The grant will pay for staff time to liaise with local healthcare providers to identify those in need and to manage volunteer veterans, who will speak with them on the phone, invite them to socially distanced activities, e.g. meet for gentle walks, tea/coffee and drop off activities such as puzzle books, arts and crafts for them to do if shielding at home. Also enabling light errands such as collecting shopping/prescriptions and checking in on them to gauge how they are coping and what they need. The most significant difference the project will make is providing regular connection and communication for older isolated veterans/family members enabling activities, improving wellbeing, reducing isolation and improving mental health and depression providing a sense of belonging and being connected.
04/11/2020 £4,826 £1,970,850 WIRRAL YOUTH ZONE Wirral Youth Zone provides young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with a disability) with somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to. As a result of the barriers disabled children and young people face, they may also experience other disadvantages such as poverty, isolation, reduced access to leisure and friendship, illness and restricted opportunities. Grant funding will be used to pay the wages of an inclusion worker whose role will be to enable to the smooth transition of disabled young people into our universal sessions.
04/11/2020 £3,740 RELEASE INTO VICTORY Since the onset of the covid-19 virus pandemic, Lancashire survivors of CSA are finding it increasingly difficult to access support from the local third sector and NHS services. This project will offer 1:1 emotional support, and specialist training for our volunteers to extend peer support capacity, allowing more experienced volunteers to take on a one to one role.
04/11/2020 £3,549 £645,199 DINGLEY'S PROMISE (LEGAL NAME: DINGLEY FAMILY & SPECIALIST EARLY YEARS CENTRES) Dingley's Promise aims to give children under 5 with SEND the best start in life by providing specialist learning through play and family support from its 3 centres in Berkshire. We seek funding for a 12-month Healthy Eating project to be delivered in all 3 centres (and remotely if required). All our children have eating difficulties - refusing to eat, selective eating, snatching food, eating inedible and potentially dangerous items, refusing to come to the table, regurgitation, vomiting or spitting out food during eating. They are a significant barrier to their long-term development, independence and wellbeing. Concern over their children’s food issues is one of the biggest worries for our parents and one that they regularly raise with our staff. The grant will enable us to buy some additional food-related resources and fund the staff costs of delivering a 12 month Healthy Eating programme of activities in all 3 centres. Impact: We anticipate seeing developmental progress and a reduction of eating/feeding issues in 100% of participating children, including children more willing to sit at the table and participate in meal times, exploring a wider range of foods, eating a wider range of foods, drinking more and more frequently.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £2,735,429 REDTHREAD YOUTH LTD Redthread Youth is a youth work charity. We support and empower young people to thrive as they navigate the challenging transition to adulthood. We specialise in helping young people face the following challenges: involvement in serious violence, mental health problems, risk of offending, unstable lifestyle, gang affiliation, abuse and exploitation. We would like to request £5,000 towards our Youth Violence Intervention Programme (YVIP) at Homerton Hospital. The grant will be used to pay for project costs. The programme supports disadvantaged young people who have been victims of serious youth violence break from cycles of violence, (re)enter education, training and employment and reach their potential.
04/11/2020 £4,520 £344,518 ACTIVLIVES 1. ActivLives provides a weekly programme of around 30 different activities for older people, including adapted sports sessions, Better Balance exercise classes, health walks, lunch clubs, singing groups and specialist Dementia and Carers hubs (due to Covid-19 none of these are currently taking place). 2. This project will deliver the Better Balance, falls prevention exercise classes in Ipswich and East Suffolk. 3. The grant funding will be used to pay for additional costs of venue hire and freelance instructors fees in running duplicate sessions, plus extra sets of equipment and to support attendees with their transport costs, for those no longer able to use public transport. 4. The most significant difference that the project will make is to act as a catalyst for both existing and new members, to give them the opportunity to get out of their homes and take part in specific falls prevention exercises, which will not only improve their physical health, but also their mental well being.
04/11/2020 £4,084 £156,840 SUNBEAMS PLAY Sunbeams Play provides support to those affected by autism and related conditions including the child or young person, siblings, parents and carers to understand their diagnosis and find strategies to cope and lower anxiety and inappropriate behaviour. The project will provide support and advice to those struggling emotionally due to anxiety, depression and fear, through 1-1 and when allowed group sessions. Funding will provide the well-being advisers wages for 6 hours per week and resources needed to ensure parents and carers are fully supported and given the best opportunity to access support. The recent Covid 19 experience and subsequent lock-down has been difficult for all but for families and parents trying to support children and young people with autism and related conditions to understand the changes it has placed considerable pressure on their own emotional stability.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £139,489 TEAMS AND BENSHAM COMMUNITY CARE Teams and Bensham Community Care provides social groups, hot lunches and activities to vulnerable older people in Gateshead. Our project aims to rebuild social and support networks for our existing and new beneficiaries after being socially isolated and at risk of significant emotional distress for many months during the Covid-19 crisis. Funding will help our charity with our minibus transport costs as we work in new, accessible ways to keep everyone safe who attends our centre. This will ensure that we can help the most vulnerable older people in our community by regain, and then maintain, confidence, self-esteem, resilience, hope, inclusion and a sense of belonging.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £85,183 WAVE ADVENTURE WAVE Adventure offer those experiencing significant disadvantage the chance to take part in healthy adventurous activities. The Peak Connections project will get those experiencing long term mental health issues involved in activities which will improve their physical and mental well being. The beneficiaries will not only take part but will help to shape the project and have opportunities to develop leadership skills through taking on responsibilities at all stages of the programme. The grant will be used to pay for sessional staff wages, volunteer expenses and training and small items of equipment. The project will strengthen participants mental health and in some cases, not only change but save lives through reducing isolation, depresssion and anxiety.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £6,503,566 HARROGATE DISTRICT HOSPICE CARE (SAINT MICHAEL'S HOSPICE) Saint Michael's Hospice provides tailored palliative care and support for adults living with a terminal illness. Our service includes bereavement support for both adults and children, preparing a person for the death of a loved one and supporting them through grief after the death. We support any type of bereavement, not just those linked to the hospice. We do this through offering free one to one bereavement support sessions by a trained worker for as long as the person needs us and Walk and Talk delivers these sessions whilst walking in an outdoor environment. The grant funding will pay for the continuation of the service following a pilot phase (started in 2019) which will include staff salaries, volunteer costs and promotion of the service. Our bereavement service has a huge positive impact on those struggling with their mental health, providing a safe and confidential space to understand, express and cope with their grief. Walk and Talk gives people increased choice over how they would like to receive our support, with the added benefit of being outdoors.
04/11/2020 £4,796 £44,500 TOO GOOD TO WASTE (ELLESMERE PORT) Flynn’s Port in Storm runs a Crisis Café which is a safe, supportive, and therapeutic place for anyone struggling and not coping with life. It means people do not have to be alone, struggling with upsetting thoughts or worry. Flynn’s Mental Health Pathway Service offers immediate support to people in crisis or in distress, but also follow up with a range of interventions to help individuals to develop ways to cope with difficulties in their life and find ways that help to prevent a crisis. We will support people who have had a sudden crisis such as a shock, bereavement, relationship issue, etc. we will offer confidential expert advice and guidance, support and referrals to local services if needed. Counselling and therapeutic services as well as a much-needed cup of tea or coffee will also be provided in the café. A grant will support the cost of art therapy sessions. The goal of art therapy is to utilize the creative process to help people explore self-expression and, in doing so, find new ways to gain personal insight and develop new coping skills.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £942,650 VISYON Visyon is a mental health charity supporting children, young people and their families in Cheshire. Their Open Access - Space to Talk early intervention project significantly reduces waiting times for mental health support. Visyon is anticipating a significant increase in demand for services , as schools return and families move forward into this new post lockdown normal. Funding from Assura would help them continue to be there for young people and their families during this pandemic. A young person or family member who calls Visyon will receive initial support over the phone and a face to face (or via zoom) appointment within ten days, without this service they would face long waiting times for support, leaving young people at risk of long term mental issues, drug abuse, self harm or even suicide as they reach crisis point.
04/11/2020 £4,492 £79,596 HART hArt offers creative therapeutic and recreational activities to support mental health, well-being and wider social issues in people of all ages and abilities. hArt will deliver 12 weeks of 2 hour sessions of Arts on Prescription programme comprising of creative therapeutic activities, facilitated by an Art Psychotherapist and supported by a volunteer. The funding would support Project Management & Evaluation, Art Facilitators fee, volunteers expenses, venue hire, materials, resources and office costs, refreshments, publicity, travel costs. Participants will benefit from increased access to arts activities and through engaging within a like-minded group to become more self-reliant, confident, better able to understand and manage their own mental and emotional health and benefit from a reduced sense of loneliness and isolation.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £7,759,421 ST NICHOLAS HOSPICE CARE St Nicholas Hospice Care provides help and support to people living with dying, caring, death and bereavement in West Suffolk and Thetford. Hospice Neighbours is a project which links patients with end of life conditions with volunteers from the local community who help in practical ways (cutting grass, collecting shopping or prescriptions, ironing etc) or simply by providing companionship. We are looking for funding to help pay for the staff costs of the small team which co-ordinates the scheme. Covid-19 has meant that many people with serious illnesses are confined to home and Hospice Neighbours help to reduce isolation, build community links and reduce interventions from healthcare professions (GPs, trips to A & E etc).
04/11/2020 £3,670 £828,022 SHARKS COMMUNITY TRUST Sharks Community Trust is the charitable arm of Sale Sharks and our mission is to use sport as a catalyst to improve the lives of all those living in the North West. ‘Head Start’ will be delivered in the Sale Moor and Sale West areas of Greater Manchester, the project has two main elements, engage and educate. Engage focuses on physical activity and educate focuses on mental well-being. The project is aimed at increasing confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. The grant will be used to fund specialist staff delivery and resource costs. There is a need for this project as almost 25% of Trafford’s population are inactive (complete less than 30 minutes of physical activity each week) along with 12 out of the 15 areas of the country with the highest levels of depression, found in the North West. This project tackles both these social issues within these communities in an innovative way, which has been developed with community input. The project will work closely with our existing partnerships with GP practices, housing trust organisations and Trafford Council to successfully sign post residents to the project, this will also be strengthened by a marketing strategy to support recruitment.
04/11/2020 £5,002 £91,774 ALDER TRUST Firgrove offers free support and information for those facing an unintended pregnancy as well as pre and post abortion, miscarriage and baby loss counselling. We need support to finance more counsellors for evening sessions to be accessible to more people. We will spend the money on two additional part-time counsellors, 4 hours each per week at 9.25 per hour which is £3848 plus supervision and training for 12 months is £1,154. The difference this will make is to be able to offer 250 additional sessions over 12 months, including some that are suitable for clients whose work schedules mean they are unable to come to the Centre during usual opening times as this is something that we currently cannot offer.
04/11/2020 £4,932 £487,096 BREAKTHROUGH UK Breakthrough UK is a disabled people's organisation removing social, economic and environmental barriers disadvantaging disabled people. The Pathways Project will deliver independent living and pre-employability group training courses. A grant will strengthen the capacity by contributing towards project management salaries to ensure an efficient, effective high quality co-design and delivery. This will address disabled people's needs across Greater Manchester in a holistic way, motivating, supporting and empowering individuals to gain choice and control of their health and wellbeing.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £643,498 STICK 'N' STEP Stick 'n' Step provides Conductive Education (CE) to children and young people with cerebral palsy to teach them key life skills like walking, talking self-feeding, dressing/undressing, using toilet independently etc, and to improve their communication and social skills. The project will deliver classroom based CE sessions at our Runcorn centre to disabled children aged from 1 to 13 with the aim of improving their mobility, confidence and independence. The grant will contribute towards the salary costs (5 months) of one of our conductors working directly with the children. As a result of improved mental health and well-being, and the confidence to follow their dreams, the most significant difference will be to reduce vulnerable children's dependency on other people and allow them to lead a full, dignified and independent life.
04/11/2020 £4,980 £81,588 TALKFIRST TalkFIRST works with families experiencing socio-economic disadvantage to live with less conflict, better emotional support, and communication, so improving mental health and general wellbeing for all ages. The project will deliver mediation for adults and children to help them understand each other’s issues, resolve conflict, and reach agreement around what steps they will take to achieve a happier family life for everyone. The funding will pay for mediation training and expenses for 6 volunteers to support the increase in cases we have seen as a result of the Covid crisis and lockdown, which has pushed many struggling families into crisis. The grant will mean around 48 families will be able to access the service; around 72 adults and 96 children/young people will benefit from addressing conflict and associated problems, to improve relationships and enjoy a more settled family life with less stress and anxiety.
04/11/2020 £3,634 £2,503,361 ACTION FOR KIDS CHARITABLE TRUST Action For Kids provides training, support and activities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to improve skills, increase confidence, raise their aspirations and the expectations of their communities. This project delivers accessible sporting, arts, digital and social activities The grant will be used to fund support workers, transport and book some activities, venues and instructors. Our service users are regularly excluded through poor access and low confidence. Sadly, the pandemic has exacerbated this. Closure of schools & colleges and removal of activities, care and support networks, and respite due to COVID-19 has been catastrophic. Loneliness, isolation and anxiety are prevalent. The Lancet lists those with learning disabilities in the most vulnerable groups to experience profound mental health issues during and post pandemic. In response to this we have been providing personal support and regular online activities to alleviate stress and improve wellbeing. We have very recently reintroduced face to face contact with disabled young people who would like to attend our activities programme, many of whom have been in strict isolation for months. The programme has a big emphasis on opportunities that encourage inclusion, getting active and socialising in a safe and fun way.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £701,794 CARING CONNECTIONS CARING CONNECTIONS - CARE PROVIDER AND OFFER BEREAVEMENT COUNSELLING The project will provide free bereavement counselling, currently by phone but hoping to return to face to face therapy in the near future, for individuals across Merseyside that have been bereaved by suicide and those most recently affected by bereavement due to Covid19. Grant funding will pay for the sessional salary costs of two bereavement counsellors. The most significant difference the funding will make is to improve the mental health and emotional well-being of a diverse set of clients by helping them overcome the difficulties they face and supporting them in achieving their potential through coping strategies, to take control of their emotions and reduce stress and anxiety, thus reducing the need for medication and medical interventions.
04/11/2020 £5,000 INCREDIBLE EDIBLE KNOWSLEY CIC Incredible Edible Knowsley grows food with the community for the community and the food is free for everyone. A grant will provide a further resource to expand their work, and will be used to employ a project coordinator who will work specifically on site at Court Hey Park for the project moving forward. The difference they want to make to people’s lives in Knowsley are to reduce food poverty; reduce isolation/loneliness – by bringing people together in a project that benefits the community; improve health & wellbeing; improve the environment – by growing food in public places across Knowsley and beyond; and to educate and develop skills.
04/11/2020 £5,000 FUTURE ROOTS Future Roots uses farming and the countryside to support young people who are at risk of exclusion from school due to social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs and other challenges. We are applying to deliver therapeutic support to young people who have been bereaved due to coronavirus and other reasons. The grant would pay for additional staff time to run the project. The most significant difference the project will make will be to provide an outlet for young people to explore their emotions, reducing non-productive coping strategies and increasing both social and personal functioning so that they can re-engage with their learning.
04/11/2020 £2,978 £12,754,986 ST ANN'S HOSPICE St Ann's Hospice recently re-modelled their patient day therapy service, it is now called the Being You Centre (BYC), focussing on what’s important to patients and being themselves. They believe that an illness shouldn’t define anybody – they look past that and see a person, not just a patient or a diagnosis. Their ethos is to always treat people as the individuals that they are. Further to continuing Being You Centre service development, research indicates that patients can benefit from music based interventions. Benefits include; improve confidence, self-esteem, motivation, reduce depression – listening to music increases the amount of dopamine produced in the brain, reduce pain, anxiety management, relieve stress, positive impact on pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, may aid memory recall. Music itself is healing, and appeals to all cultures. People have a deep connection to music, the elements of music: rhythm, melody, tempo etc, are echoed in our physiology, functioning and being. St Ann's has a music therapist working with patients in the BYC and on inpatient units, and even virtually currently; a grant will provide musical instruments and equipment to conduct effective and constructive musical sessions and also to record sessions for families and memory boxes.
04/11/2020 £3,919 £153,479 MOTHERWELL CHESHIRE CIO Motherwell is is a Womens and Girls charity that prides itself on Community and bringing like minded women and girls together. It is applying to continue to deliver its Social Prescribing Wellbeing Programme, currently all online. The programme is aimed at women and girls that are experiencing anxiiety/depression, low self esteem and most have multiple inequalities in their life, such as unemployment, living in areas of deprivation, history of Adverse Childhood Experiences. The Wellbeing programme includes activities that have proven impact on mental health, such as reading, singing and when possible walking. They have recently added wellbeing workshops to the programme as requested by women who wanted strategies to help support their mental heath. The project helps to improve the mental health of the women who attend. Over the last year based on WEMWBS (Warwick and Edinburgh Mental Health and Wellbeing scores) they have improved attendees score on average by 4. 95% have reported that they have made new friendships. 91% have reported they now feel less lonely.
04/11/2020 £4,900 SUPPORTING WELLBEING AND NURTURING STRENGTH CIC Supporting Well-Being and Nurturing Strength are a community interest company who strive to improve mental health across the community of Cheshire East by endeavoring to offer free or low cost counselling and support groups facilitated by trained professionals. The project will deliver free counselling via online/phone/face to face sessions to those members of the community who struggle to engage with statutory services, due to access or financial issues, long waiting lists, complicated referral processes. The grant will pay for staff and operational costs to deliver the counselling. People being able to access counselling without the stress of a lengthy waiting list, quickly and remotely in the security of their own home and without cost means that major barriers are being removed, that they are receiving support when they need it the most, enabling maximum effectiveness for therapy and improved mental health.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £67,491 FOREST FARM PEACE GARDEN FFPG provides therapeutic nature-based activities, workshops and events at our large garden for vulnerable people with defined needs and the local community. This project will deliver twice-weekly ecotherapy garden sessions for people with low to moderate mental health needs, referred through statutory and voluntary mental health services and social prescribing. The grant will fund new site development projects that will be planned, designed and delivered by volunteers, for example re-design and renovation of a wildlife pond area, creation of accessible raised beds, wildlife enhancement and arts projects. The project will positively impact on mental health, including: improving mood, confidence and motivation; reducing anxiety; reducing social isolation; increasing the ability to cope with difficulties; developing skills and learning; fostering a sense of belonging; providing opportunities to make a positive contribution; and supporting access to further opportunities in the community.
04/11/2020 £5,000 SPRING INTO ACTION CIC 1. Spring into Action provides opportunities for people with learning disabilities to live great lives. 2. The project aims to reduce isolation and improve skills for people with learning disabilities to make and keep friends by bringing together people to support them in making and maintaining friendships 3. Funding will be spent on Training course development and delivery, admin support, printing of resource packs plus postage to send out for online courses, marketing, travel costs and project management costs 4. The most significant impact this project will have is people will be more connected, less isolated and have improved skills and friendships; it will increase levels of independence, confidence and self-esteem, and reduce isolation.
04/11/2020 £2,760 £2,306,274 SUFFOLK FAMILY CARERS Three programmes will take place, one in each of - Ipswich, Lowestoft and Haverhill. These programmes will enable family carers to receive information support and guidance to help them reconnect with each other, their community and services following the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the pandemic period carers have become more isolated and services are changing, these programmes will help family carers get back into their communities and enable them to feel confident to enhance their wellbeing and access support. Following the programmes we hope that the family carers who have attended will remain in touch to continue their peer support
04/11/2020 £5,000 £6,253,000 THE WILDLIFE TRUST FOR LANCASHIRE, MANCHESTER AND NORTH MERSEYSIDE Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Myplace team will build on a previous project by the Carbon Landscape Team (“Woodland wellbeing” which was aimed at over 50s) and take a wellbeing service to Warrington, especially Latchford and young people via three local schools. The grant funding will be used to pay for staff time for in person meets, zoom sessions and materials to pilot a potential larger project with Assura PLC. Latchford faces many challenges and this project will allow intergeneration members of the community to come together to connect with the ecotherapy and wellbeing aspects of nature.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £555,501 WALTON LEA PARTNERSHIP Walton Lea Partnership provides social interaction and supported work experience to develop the skills of Learning Disabled (LD) adults through the provision of learning programmes in horticulture, heritage and the environment, and by participation in woodworking, craft, bicycle refurbishment and furniture upcycling workshops. This project will deliver a series of 10 week courses to develop skills which can increase employability, and opportunities for further education and volunteering for supported learners which will help improve their mental health and wellbeing. The funding will be used as a contribution to the shortfall in the annual salary of the Tutor (December 2020 to November 2021) who designs and delivers the 10 week courses. As well as developing practical skills, the most significant difference the project will make is to reduce isolation to improve communication, social skills and aspirations of LD adults, which then has a positive impact on their confidence, mental health and self-esteem.
04/11/2020 £2,800 £124,757 HAVERHILL COMMUNITY TRUST ‘Adult SignPost’ is an established early intervention, wellbeing project for 16-24-year-olds that is based in Haverhill and delivered by the Youth Skills Department. This award-winning project provides young people with a safe space to take part in fun taster activities - meeting other young people and interacting with adults who listen and understand; this enables them to: • Identify and talk openly about their emotions within a secure safe setting, • Build their confidence and self-esteem through insightful activities, work-sheets and demonstrations, • Engage in activities that they may not have otherwise have access to - developing new hobbies and interests, • Grow new friendships and build a positive support network of similar young people - reducing social isolation, • Progress young people, who do feel ready, onto further, positive pathways.
04/11/2020 £4,918 £11,099,910 ST GEMMA'S HOSPICE Whilst our Day Hospice remains closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic we continue to support our terminally ill patients who are living in their own homes. We plan to provide on and offline activities to prevent loneliness and social isolation and improve physical and mental wellbeing over the winter months. This includes exercise classes to help people keep active indoors, creative activity packs to provide immersive enjoyable pass times to prevent boredom and telephone calls to provide reassurance and company. It is vital that we reach, engage with and support our vulnerable patients at a time when Coronavirus is increasing anxiety and posing a significant risk to the health of those with weakened immune systems, leaving many feeling housebound and alone. With our enhanced support patients can positively face the winter with increased resilience.
04/11/2020 £5,754 THE ABILITY COOPERATIVE LIMITED The Ability Cooperative supports the learning and development of adults with learning disability, physical disabilities and poor mental health and build self-confidence, self-worth and self-esteem. 'Grow, Cook, Eat, Sleep, Repeat' will deliver a weekly hands-on 'from earth to table' project that will see service users growing produce, preparing food, eating together, sharing, feeling better and ultimately sleeping better – producing positive cycles of behaviour. The grant funding will pay for equipment (seeds, pots, trowels, soil), ingredients and the cost of a project officer (for 6 hours) each week. The most significant difference to service users will be in regaining their confidence and independence, reducing their isolation and improving their mental health, as this project will bring them to work together (socially distanced) in the growing of produce, the preparation of meals, eating together and once again sharing with one another to address the issues that affect them in their daily lives, gain peer support and holistic support from staff and volunteers.
04/11/2020 £4,758 £136,302 ASPERGER'S CHILDREN AND CARERS TOGETHER Asperger’s Children and Carers Together (ACCT) delivers group activity sessions that help autistic children and young people in Sheffield to improve their social communication, build positive relationships and better understand and manage their Autism. This 12-month Take ACCTion volunteer development project will develop our existing volunteering, providing additional support to our existing team of volunteers, expanding the types of volunteering opportunity we have available as our activities expand, and improve the skills development support we offer to volunteers, especially to autistic people interested in ACCT volunteering. The funding will pay for additional hours for our Deputy Coordinator time to develop, manage and support the volunteer team (4 hours per week at £14.75/hour for 12 months = £3,068), travel expenses for volunteers (£300), DBS checks (£390 per year) and training for volunteers (£1,000). This project will greatly expand the benefits ACCT support provides, with volunteers able to engage autistic children and young people in activities, helping them improve their social communication and interaction and other life skills, improving ACCT’s capacity to deliver more sessions and support more children and improving the progression routes for autistic young people to build skills and employability through volunteering.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £399,693 YOUNGER PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA (BERKSHIRE) CIO Younger People with Dementia provides support activities and services for people under the age of 65 who have been diagnosed with Young Onset Dementia (YOD) and their families and carers to enable them to live better with their diagnosis. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to abandon our working week face-to-face activities and revert to an online set of activities using the internet including regular live video workshops, regular telephone contact, pre-recorded content and themed activity boxes to maintain contact with our vulnerable service users. As the lockdown relaxes we are starting up one-to-one garden visits and walks where safe to do so. This is the ongoing work that we would like you to fund. The grant funding will help us to pay for our delivery of services. This includes: covering a proportion of specialist staff, activity and transport costs. As a result of the pandemic we have an estimated deficit of £135,000 as we are unable to raise funds through public challenges and corporate support. The most significant difference this will make is to maintain a service and community for people with no other provision available to them, while mitigating the detrimental effect of isolation on mental health.
04/11/2020 £4,737 £113,575 TEEN ACTION Teen Action provides free training and support for disadvantaged YP in line with our four main areas: transitions, emotional health, skills development and recreation. The project we are applying for is called Innate Health, a certified program on developing mental and emotional health, tailored to include post COVID related emotional health. The grant funding will be used for the Innate Health and IHEART tutors' salary, participants' end of program AQA certification, and volunteer training. Through Innate Health we will be giving disadvantaged YP the tools to deal with their emotional being and mental health, giving people who are in difficult circumstances, have complex needs or harmful patterns of behaviour the tools they need to help themselves (including post - COVID).
04/11/2020 £5,000 £2,254,294 WINSTON'S WISH Winston's Wish is a charity that provides emotional support and advice to bereaved children and their families. Growing Hope is a project for primary school children, that have been bereaved of a parent or sibling, to take part in a number of therapeutic gardening sessions across a 12 month period. The grant will help pay for: gardening equipment, publicity materials, some staff costs to run the project and online digital resources for schools taking part in the scheme. The project will bring bereaved children together to enjoy the benefits of gardening, in doing so breaking down barriers of isolation that is often felt by children that have experienced grief, in realising they are not alone and having the opportunity to talk about their grief in a relaxing outdoor environment their mental health and future prospects will be improved.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £3,917,661 CHILD BEAREVEMENT UK Child Bereavement UK supports families and the professionals who care for them, when a child dies at any age and when children/young people up to the age of 25 are bereaved. Their Cheshire service provides direct bereavement support (either face to face or virtually) and group support for children, young people, families and adults and support, guidance and training for local professionals especially those working in frontline medical services and the education sector. Funding will be used to contribute to the salary costs of one of their Bereavement Support Practitioners allowing them to continue to provide tailored support for bereaved families affected by COVID-19 and other causes and information and training to professionals. High quality support for families helps them work through their grief, reduce anxiety, fear and protect their mental health and wellbeing. For professionals receiving bereavement guidance and training helps address questions and alleviate worries and concerns, now and through the challenging times ahead.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £42,124 ACTS FAST Acts Fast provides emotional support, practical resources and counselling for non-abusive family members of children who have disclosed sexual abuse. Our Therapeutic Manager will assist our CEO to provide essential support, resources and community connections for our clients (currently 83). The funding will be used to contribute towards the wages of our Therapeutic Manager. This means Acts Fast will have greater capacity to help family members facing the devastation that happens when a child discloses sexual abuse.
04/11/2020 £4,952 £298,986 MADE IN HACKNEY Made In Hackney helps people lead healthier, happier, more environmentally sustainable lives by helping them to grow, cook and eat more plants – to improve not only their own health, but that of the planet too. “Cooking for Life” will provide vital affordable, healthy food education and cookery skills training to 120 people from low income backgrounds and groups vulnerable to ill health. The funds will be used to pay for trained cookery teacher, ingredients and project coordinator time for 12 classes over 12 months; 30 volunteers will be trained to support the classes. Beneficiaries will be inspired to eat more healthily within their budgets, increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables and decrease their consumption of processed food and sugars; they will report an overall improved sense of health and wellbeing and will be support in the long-term through opportunities to join more classes, feedback sessions, volunteer, via newsletters and healthy recipe books.
04/11/2020 £4,720 £162,678 CHILDREN HEARD AND SEEN Children Heard and Seen is an Oxfordshire based charity established in 2014 to support children and families impacted by parental imprisonment. This project wiil allow them to support families in the south Liverpool area. The project will enable face to face individual interventions and group sessions and and support. Once face to face group work is offered locally referrals can be made by professionals and the families themselves. Children with a parent in prison are more likely to experience poverty, poor housing, social inclusion, poor physical health, 65% of boys with a convicted parent go on to offend themselves, Children Heard and Seen's overarching aim is to reduce intergenerational and parent re-offending.
04/11/2020 £3,358 £3,359,668 DARLINGTON & DISTRICT HOSPICE MOVEMENT (COMMONLY KNOWN AS ST TERESA'S HOSPICE) St Teresa’s Hospice is an independent charity which supports the people of South Durham and North Yorkshire through a range of holistic day, home, inpatient, complementary therapy, and patient and family support services. We are applying for funding to strengthen the capability of our Patient and Family Support Team to deliver well-being activities for anyone whose life is affected by a life-limiting illness, whether this is the patient themselves or their carers or family. The funding will contribute towards staffing costs and equipment to enable specialist counselling and social work support to continue remotely. The most significant difference this will make will be to enable individuals and families to live as best they can with illness, caring responsibilities and grief.
04/11/2020 £5,000 £161,028 FOOTSTEPS 2000 LTD Footsteps 2000 Ltd offer support and advice to families affected by a loved one’s substance misuse. the grant will fund support worker hours for an adult support worker, this would cover 1-1 sessions on a weekly basis supporting those affected by a partner, son or daughter abusing substances. This project will make a difference to people wellbeing not only affected by a loved one’s substance misuses but also COVID-19. It will decrease anxiety and depression in clients and support those suffering from isolation. There are 1 in 4 families across Warrington affected by a loved one’s substance misuse, the support will allow Footsteps to continue to offer a whole family approach.
04/11/2020 £5,000 MEN UP NORTH The aim of Men Up North is to provide men, particularly those from a BAME background, with a safe space to have open and honest conversations about mental health & masculinity within a supportive network. We want to raise awareness of the impact of CV19 on the BAME community, increasing their connection to food by growing food at home and know how to cook and eat healthily. The funding will be used to pay for sessional workers to lead the sessions, materials for the growing & rental of the project location. We hope to help BAME men be more open to their mental health, reduce loneliness & help reduce the risk of dying from CV19 by increasing their immunity through consuming nutrient rich microgreens on a regular basis which they grow at home & yields every ~14 days.
04/11/2020 £4,992 GREATER MANCHESTER DOULAS COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY Greater Manchester Doulas CIC protect and enhance the mental wellbeing of local new mums during and after pregnancy to reduce instances of birth trauma. The project will deliver 1:1 emotional and practical support to pregnant and new mums with vulnerabilities that leave them unable to pay. It will provide, for free, highly trained doulas to women in need, either at risk of or suffering the effects of birth trauma. The service will reduce instances of PTSD and other perinatal mental health complications following childbirth, reducing strain on individuals, families, communities, and the NHS.
23/10/2020 £21,922 £611,823 KOALA NORTH WEST (FORMERLY HOME-START WIRRAL) We provide families with tailored support that improves wellbeing, reduces isolation and supports both children and care-givers to thrive. We will build on our current experience (of providing volunteer led support to families) and our staff led support using VIG (Video Interaction Guidance). VIG is a supportive programme of parent counselling that uses video to help parents become more attuned and responsive to their child’s communications, both verbal and non-verbal. We will design and deliver a new targeted volunteer support offer for parents affected by poor mental health and who are pregnant or have a child aged 0-2 years, to embed families learning from VIG and support them to build social connections. We will also form a new partnership with Ellesmere Port based organisation Milestone Mums who will provide support for mums in a group setting, and/or on outings to bring mum's together. They will also provide input to our volunteer training. Grant will pay for salaries, volunteer costs and activities/resources for mums/mums-to-be. Our project will improve the way a parent with mental health problems interacts with and cares for their baby, and develops a secure attachment; and encourage and support them to build social connections in their community.
20/10/2020 £5,000 £201,927 CHAPTER (WEST CHESHIRE) LTD Chapter is a mental health charity providing 1-2-1 wellbeing support and community activities across Cheshire. Newnham Greenspace Community Project will provide meaningful community activities linked directly to mental health support, in the heart of the Ellesmere Port residential area. The grant funding will pay for the salary of a Project Manager for the first 12 months of operation. This project will improve the mental and emotional health of people of all ages, by offering meaningful activity in an open space, reducing isolation and providing new skills, building their resilience and helping them move forward positively with their lives.
29/09/2020 £4,987 £738,465 WOMAN'S TRUST Woman’s Trust provides free specialist DA, therapeutic support to women across Greater London to help them overcome the debilitating mental and emotional impacts of domestic abuse. A contribution of £4,986 would provide a total of 99 counselling sessions divided between approximately 9 women from the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The grant would pay for an employed counsellor’s: salary, equipment (phone & dongle), travel, supervision, CPD training as well as publicity and associated management, admin, evaluation and core staff/overhead costs of the project. In 1-to-1 person-centred counselling, we aim to make a positive difference to women’s mental health, isolation, self-esteem, autonomy and ability to function; the long-lasting impact of these changes are that women become less vulnerable to repeat abuse, more able to safeguard and support their children, begin to reconnect with family & friends and also increase their chances of achieving their potential in education or work.
28/09/2020 £9,950 £78,834 THE OLD SCHOOL The Old School Project is a multi-use creative community space based in Fairfield and Howley, one of the most deprived Wards in Warrington. We provide people with a platform to change and grow through creative learning and meaningful connections. The Old School Engagement Officer will be the pivotal link to enable our participants, stakeholders and wider community assets to feel supported and connected in our venue post Covid-19. This grant would be used to pay for a part-time position of 20 hours per week as well as equipment for online access and some administrative duties. In specific response to Covid-19, this role will be key to supporting older people integrate back into our building, services and community settings.
15/09/2020 £3,056 £40,867 BUS STOP CLUB Bus Stop Club, Ferndown - a grass roots befriending charity for those in crisis living in East Dorset and beyond. M.O.A.T. will offer a programme of individual coaching sessions to those experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress, which may have increased due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The grant will be put towards the core costs of this new project. Coaching in anxiety management and trauma recovery will enable clients to manage their levels of anxiety better and improve their overall health and well being as a result. Sessions can be for 6 weeks, or for 12 weeks if trauma recovery is also required. We anticipate most clients, but not all, will sign up for both part 1 and part 2, We have, therefore, calculated our numbers on the 12 week option.
15/09/2020 £5,000 SANDBACH TOWN COUNCIL Sandbach Town Council are leading a partnership made up of: Sandbach Town Council; Middlewich Town Council; Haslington Volunteer Support and Alsager Community Support Centre who have coordinated the volunteer response to supporting the most vulnerable in the Sandbach, Middlewich, Alsager, Scholar Green & Haslington (SMASH) Care Community area in Cheshire East. We want to further develop the innovative partnership model of community support adopted by in the SMASH area in response to the outbreak of Covid–19. A mix of VCFSE and Town Councils have worked together supporting the mobilisation of 4 Volunteer Coordination Points (VCPs) organising those people wishing to volunteer and matching them with those residents most likely to benefit from additional support. Cheshire Easts People Helping People scheme has overseen the system whereby people wanting to volunteer and vulnerable residents have been triaged to each of the 4 VCPs. Each VCP has provided volunteer support to match vulnerable residents so they have access to a foodbank/emergency food; wellbeing calls; shopping/prescription collection; other neighbourly activity and signposting to other local community services. Over 500 vulnerable residents have been supported through the Volunteer Coordination in the past twelve weeks, two thirds on a regular basis. The 4 organisations who have coordinated support are now returning to business as usual. Despite this, going forward we expect an increased pressure and stress on individuals, families and communities due to: loss of income; increases in the already high levels of loneliness; and social isolation and a reduction in people’s physical and mental wellbeing. There is a need not only for the VCPs to offer their existing support service but to evolve to support their communities in new ways. The resource will enable the four organisations to work together on a Care Community footprint to continue to manage the coordination/upskilling of volunteers and supporting the vulnerable. We want VCPs to continue to develop this community partnership model that responds to new challenges and creates a sustainable community support system for the future. By working directly with the people most likely to need support within a person-centred community-based framework, this project will make a significant difference to the lives of those people by: • Continue to provide direct neighbourly tasks that practically make such a difference to their lives • Improving awareness/access to support and services on issues such as employment and health • Tackling social isolation, through links with befriending and other community support • Increasing access to services that support improved physical and mental wellbeing. • Ensuring future service design and delivery is based on the lived experience of people who have been supported The project will develop our partnership model and thinking and put in place strong and trusting relationships between the VCPs, community partner organisations and the rest of the Health and Social Care system on which future long term service delivery models can be based. This will enable us to embed a local wealth building approach and making our system more resilient and sustainable in the long term.
08/09/2020 £14,950 £220,567 CHAWREC (CHESHIRE, HALTON, WARRINGTON RACE AND EQUALITY CENTRE) Cheshire, Halton & Warrington Race & Equality Centre is a local charity that promotes justice and equality, providing support to BAME communities, including the most vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers and refugees through a wide ranging programme of activities and services. We know through our work during lockdown and beyond that many of the communities we work with are still struggling financially and emotionally with the impact of Covid 19 and are particularly concerned being more at risk of the virus; we want to be in a position to respond to these needs through the coming months by developing new services and activities that will help them through this difficult time. Firstly, we would like to address some immediate needs around essential items for refugees and asylum seekers, secondly we would like to invest in equipment to help futureproof and protect the organisation in the case of a further lockdown and lastly it will fund increased activities that address mental health and isolation that people have faced during lockdown. The grant will make a difference by ensuring there is a place for the most isolated and vulnerable BAME communities that will provide the support they need to come through this pandemic safe and healthy.
08/09/2020 £9,000 £1,395,218 CHESHIRE COMMUNITY ACTION This is joint bid between Cheshire Community Action (CCA) and Cheshire West Voluntary Action (CWVA), the only 2 infrastructure organisations in west Cheshire. Both organisations have an extensive membership made up of charities, social enterprises, community groups, faith groups and community buildings respectively. Together we provide a range of funded support to enable the membership to deliver a thriving third sector across West Cheshire. The project will support our member organisations as they recover, rebuild and/or re-purpose their activities as a consequence of COVID-19. The project's focus is to increase confidence, knowledge and skills around the challenges organisations are facing as a result of COVID-19 to enable them to continuing delivering the essential services. The grant funding will be used for staff costs, for those who are currently employed but paid from reserves, and to increase capacity as other staff are part-time, funding would allow us to temporarily increase staff time. National data tells us that the third sector have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, 84% anticipate a reduction in their funding (Institute of Fundraising), and locally we know that 94% of our members have had a significant impact our organisation's capacity to deliver their regular services (Impact of COVID-19 upon west Cheshire voluntary sector survey April 20). This project will increase the knowledge, skills and confidence of community organisations and community buildings so that they can resume their key focus of delivering their essential services across the communities of west Cheshire. It will also enable some organisations to resume their income generation activities, which is essential for those that manage community buildings.
08/09/2020 £10,000 £640,820 WISHING WELL PROJECT The Wishing Well - Our mission is to improve public health and wellbeing. The project will deliver a range of community health and wellbeing activities such as arts classes, music sessions (choir/dance), low level physical activity sessions aiming to re-engage our community who have experienced lockdown. The funding will pay for qualified tutors and facilitators to deliver sessions as well as cover general expenses for delivering the activities such as materials and utilities. We have continued our conversations with many vulnerable people during lockdown through our phone befriending service - one of the most common things we have heard is "I can't wait to get back to the Wishing Well" we know how much people have missed social interaction, fun and laughter with their friends - this funding will allow us to deliver sessions to bring this back to people. This funding is not to provide financial stability, however, it will allow us to secure vital services that are needed now more than ever in our local community.
08/09/2020 £12,874 £560,002 NEURO THERAPY CENTRE 1. The Neuro Therapy Centre supports people who are vulnerable due to their long term, degenerative neurological condition for whom there is little statutory support in the region. We also support their Carers to care and maintain own physical health and mental wellbeing. 2. By taking into account social distancing and PPE requirements, the project will ensure the re-introduction of safe access to group physiotherapy, fitness & exercise, and Oxygen Therapy for individuals with neurological conditions on site at our premises in Saltney. This support will initially be by invitation only and will target the ongoing needs of those individuals who are most isolated and vulnerable, and who may not have engaged virtually due to physical, financial and/or IT and other barriers, in order to ensure their health and wellbeing needs are being met. 3. Grant funding will be used to contribute towards the cost of social distancing measures, PPE, IT and other operational requirements to ensure safe access to face-to-face services on-site in Saltney, in compliance with Government Guidance, as well as the NTC’s own Reopening Policy and Visitor Guidelines. 4. The focus of our project is the improved inclusion of ‘high’ and ‘moderate’ risk individuals with a long term, degenerative neurological condition, at a time when many are more vulnerable to infection and at risk of exclusion and isolation due to COVID-19, and we believe our preventative philosophy and transformational response to the pandemic closely aligns with the CCF COVID-19 Response Grants programme - Longer Term Emergency Phase focus of supporting organisations to adapt to the crisis. By taking this preventative approach, we want to reintroduce face-to-face exercise opportunities and other support required to enable them to manage their symptoms, limit further physical and mental deterioration due to their condition, and help them recover from the negative effects of the pandemic, whilst also ensuring they are safe and protected. This project will support improved health and wellbeing, and address the needs of the most isolated of our community many of whom will not have been out of their homes since lock-down started. 5. The impact of the pandemic has been significant on our income, which has reduced because of cancelled fundraising events, reduced subsidised contributions from members towards on-site face to face classes which have all ceased, and reduced revenue from our Community Café. Significant support has however been secured from the Steve Morgan Foundation to offset lost income for the period April to September 20, and other funding has been secured for the Emergency Phase 1 of the 'Virtual Centre' so our funding request does NOT include a support for financial stability.
08/09/2020 £10,000 £430,531 CVS CHESHIRE EAST CVS Cheshire East is a membership organisation for charitable, not for profit organisations or voluntary groups focusing on enabling them to grow and develop to their very best potential. Our support enables them to deliver effective and sustainable services, which in turn supports the needs of all of our communities. We want to build and expand our existing network structure and use these to form the basis of a Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Collective. This will draw together the expertise and knowledge from across the sector and use this to effect positive change for our communities. The project will ensure the delivery of 8 subject specific networks which combined will create the VCS Collective. We also want to develop an online Ecosystem creating a community where the network members can work together virtually and is able to provide a local and strategic response to volunteering. The funding will support the costs of the staff time to deliver the existing networks, to develop the new supporting networks and the VCS Collective. It will also fund training for the sector to be able to use the new online Ecosystem which will create a community space for the VCS Collective to talk and share learning and experiences. The outcomes of the work will be to: • Gather learning and experiences to develop a future response process. This will make the sector more resilient in supporting vulnerable people and respond better together. • Improve BAME communities’ access to VCS services by working collectively we can fill gaps in knowledge and support VCS organisations to adapt their services to help BAME communities overcome any barriers they face to accessing services. By focusing on developing a strategic response to emergencies and improving access for individuals from BAME communities we expect the organisations that will engage with this project will be those that are supporting those that are most vulnerable and disproportionality affected by COVID-19.
08/09/2020 £14,698 £418,552 ST PAUL'S CENTRE St Pauls Centre, provides donated furniture for community re-use, a Foodbank called St Pauls Pantry and a small scheme for Adult with Additional Needs. The grant will enable us to continue to provide food through St Pauls Pantry for increasing numbers of households experiencing food poverty, financial disadvantage through the Pandemic. The grant will contribute to the staffing and running costs of the Pantry. The grant will enable us to support more households to receive the food support they need for as long as they need it, thus relieving the well documented strain and financial pressures families are under.
08/09/2020 £29,939 £874,514 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE (FORMERLY CREWE WOMEN'S AID) Specialist work with families who have been affected by domestic abuse during COVID-19 Work with the parents, both victim and perpetrator Therapeutic work with children in the family The aim of Engage is to work with the whole family to support the family to have healthier relationships either together or separately
08/09/2020 £11,994 £1,344,148 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Warrington Youth Club (WYC) offer a wide variety of quality projects, engaging over 2,500 children and young people across the Borough. This funding would enable us to effectively support vulnerable young people as we emerge from the pandemic, ensuring that those in need of intensive mental health support can receive professional counselling immediately and for free. The funding will contribute towards the salary of WYC’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator and will enable us to purchase a programme of counselling sessions with an accredited psychotherapist. This project will provide vital emotional wellbeing support to young people and families experiencing a crisis in their mental health, at a time when services are extremely difficult to access due to Covid-19 restrictions, long waiting lists, and financial hardship.
08/09/2020 £6,805 £75,749 FALLEN ANGELS DANCE THEATRE NORTH WEST Fallen Angels Dance Theatre (FADT) is an inclusive dance theatre company, supporting people in recovery from poor mental health (including addictions) to achieve greater confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing through movement and creativity. Our project builds on the recent success of our online participation programme ('Together While Apart') which successfully engaged many vulnerable and isolated people (including those with significant physical/mental health conditions) in online dance movement workshops. As our 'live' weekly workshops restart at Storyhouse Theatre Chester (in late August 2020), we are requesting support to continue offering additional weekly online sessions, to enable those who are 'shielding'/otherwise vulnerable to continue accessing participation and social inclusion opportunities from their homes. Our beneficiaries generally live in areas of high social and economic deprivation (most within the 10% most deprived areas nationally) and are overcoming significant challenges in their lives - including mental ill-health and/or a history of addiction. This includes Armed Forces veterans, ex-offenders and people overcoming significant trauma and abuse - (e.g domestic violence, bereavement etc). All have mental health challenges, ranging from anxiety/depression to post-traumatic stress and agoraphobia. Many new members who have become engaged through our online sessions are generally socially isolated due to poor mental health, or having to move away from previous friendship groups as part of addiction recovery. Many have significant physical health issues also. Our aim is that by continuing to offer online and live opportunities over the coming months, we can work with vulnerable individuals on a case-by-case basis, building their confidence to progress to accessing our live sessions at their own pace. Our 'Supporting Angel' volunteers will further support people's inclusion by offering 'buddy' support (i.e someone to travel to/attend sessions with), and between session contact to help build people's confidence.
08/09/2020 £15,000 £1,344,148 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Warrington Youth Club is a charity which supports children and young people by providing them with a combination of universal and targeted programmes, to increase their confidence and self-esteem. The universal offer includes our Youth Club, Holiday Club, Outreach Programme and young people’s Gym. The targeted programmes are designed to support those children and young people who need a higher level of support to achieve a more focused outcome to support their physical, emotional or behavioural development. Our targeted programmes include our Mentoring Programme which offers over 100 vulnerable children and young people the support of a volunteer adult mentor each year. As the country moves out of the lock down and life in the post Covid world re opens, one of the key institutions to restart is education, from infants and primary schools through secondary schools and colleges of further education. Many children and young people have been detrimentally impacted as a result of the pandemic and the closure of schools and colleges. The reintegration to education from September onwards is likely to be a challenging process for many children and young people. To offer support to those affected most we are aiming to provide 300 children and young people with access to a virtual mentor who will be able to support them through the process of reengaging with their education. We are seeking grant funding to pay the salary cost of two mentor coordinators who will be responsible for the training and support over 400 volunteer mentors. The coordinators will also be responsible for liaising with the schools and colleges to identify those children and young people who will benefit from the programme and match them with a virtual mentor. Whilst the pandemic has shaken the whole world and businesses from local shops to multi-national corporations have crumbled with the reduction in income as a result of the lock down. Children and young people have been the most damaged by the situation. Firstly, their lives have been changed very quickly with the closure of schools, creating isolation for many whose support network of peers and teachers was withdrawn. Many children and young people have lived in hostile environments over the past six months with reported incidents of domestic abuse and violence escalating rapidly. The impact for many families will be felt throughout the next academic year as unemployment levels increase following the closure of the Job Retention Scheme, resulting in many more families entering extreme poverty as parents lose their jobs. The Re-launch programme will provide children and young people with a supportive adult who will listen and guide the child as they relaunch into their education. Whilst the support will be initially focused on academic support and mentors will be able to listen to children and young people read, provide help with academic work that the children and young people are struggling to complete. We anticipate that the mentoring sessions will provide space for children to share their feelings and emotions in a safe manner.
07/09/2020 £8,252 £2,304,742 CHESHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST Our Wild With Nature programme works with disadvantaged and vulnerable groups to connect them with nature to improve health and wellbeing as well as the local environment by providing structured active conservation volunteering opportunities. This funding will provide two 6 week Wild With Nature programmes for up to 15 participants. We will specifically work with disadvantaged and vulnerable people affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. The project will improve the mental and physical wellbeing of participants making them happier more confident and more prepared to transition onto further opportunities such as employment, volunteering or additional physical activity.
07/09/2020 £15,330 HEALTHBOX CIC Healthbox CIC exists with the aim to provide health and wellbeing services to all aspects of the community. This project will be a multi-disciplinary approach to improve the mental health of elderly (65+) residents of Knutsford including counselling, befriending, physical activity and digital training. Funding will be used to pay for counsellors, befrienders, tablets, tea towels, advertising, co-ordinators, social prescribing software, refreshments and digital buddies. This project will improve multiple aspects of mental health including depression, anxiety and feelings of isolation. The offer will comprise - a triage screening process to establish need - remote 1-2-1 counselling for higher level cases, - accompanied weekly one to one walks - a digital buddy service delivered by Age UK staff and volunteers - signposting and referrals to relevant local activities and specialist support.
07/09/2020 £9,996 LONGFORD NEIGHBOURHOODS SERVICE CENTRE, THE ROY HUMPHREY'S CENTRE The aim of the project is to tackle loneliness and social isolation , by identifying and engaging with people aged over 50 years old in the Longfd and Orford Area. To develop projects and activities and connect with people to improve wellbeing, and give them oppurtunities to socialise in safe spaces. The funding will be used to extend the original funding for a project worker, 16 hours a week for one year to continue managing the project. We would like rolling funding if this is possible. The centre is an important asset to the community and would contribute to the sustainability of this vital resource. It is especially important to continue use this through the covid 19 pandemic that we are currently experiencing. The centre has been la lifeline for many isolated and lonely people during the pandemic, By adapting to make sure the community are supported by supporting. Food, wellbeing and support needs. To date the project has recruited six volunteers young and old to help with activities and services. We have ran new groups that included arts and crafts, afternoon tea events, wellbeing events and re-introduced community surgeries with police , councillors and developed community partnership work.
07/09/2020 £3,026 AGIDA (1) Agida provides workshops, courses, consultations, musical performances and educational resources to help participants understand/discuss topical issues whilst developing new skills in order to break down barriers and empower communities.(2) The project aims to deliver drumming workshops, helping to address and overcome issues such as social isolation, stress build up, and lack of positive/entertaining experiences from the pandemic lockdown. (3) The grant fund will be used to pay for: drumming facilitator fee, room hire, refreshments, drum hire, volunteer out-of-pocket expenses, travel/transportation of equipment. Drumming has been proven to facilitate recovery with the benefits including: a sense of purpose, social affirmation and interaction, engagement/re-engagement in life and communities, fulfilment and accomplishment. The enhanced well-being from drumming gives a sense of belonging, relation, energy, productivity, learning, positive mood, human-feelings, escapism and emotional expression. (Creech et al. 2013 & Perkins et al. Psych Well-Being (2016) 6:11)
03/09/2020 £4,407 £107,213 PLATFORM FOR LIFE Platform for Life offers counselling and play therapy to low income families in Blacon and Lache (and additionally Kingsway- picked up during this crisis), who are struggling with poor mental health. This project will increase our counselling capacity to ensure we can meet the anticipated growth in demand for mental health care from families in these 3 communities. This grant will fund 3 additional sessional slots per week for six months (69 sessions). This project will enable vulnerable families to access counselling for poor mental health in one or more family members, helping them process unresolved long-term traumas and shorter term challenges resulting from the Covid-19 crisis. Our aim is to bring about real healing and a return to better mental health and with it the chance to enjoy an improved quality of life.
03/09/2020 £5,000 £159,842 CHESHIRE CONNECT Cheshire Connect links business skills donors with charities that need their skills tobecome both sustainable and to offer their services and impact to greater numbers of Cheshire and Warrington communities.We want to use our relationships with business skill donors to support a middleleadership development programme and also a peer support programme acrossCheshire and Warrington. The funding secured will pay for staff costs to lead theprogrammes and also to support the more targeted skills matches that would come fromlistening to what the individuals in the sector need in relation to Covid responses.These programmes are significant as they develop quality leadership and resilienceamong leaders but also give charity leaders a support network and foster partnershipworking. We have been running these experimentally during Covid and have found thatfor the first time ever in the sector, we are finding that the programmes are building areal trust among the attendees which fosters more partnership working andcollaborations around projects that the communities need.
03/09/2020 £5,000 £874,514 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE (FORMERLY CREWE WOMEN'S AID) We have set up a monthly pilot domestic abuse clinic in Congleton with the support of the Police and My Cheshire Without Abuse. We are seeking funding to increase the monthly clinic to enable three additional monthly clinics - Peer Support Group with Advice Clinic, a Domestic Abuse Recovery Group and a Emotional Wellbeing Group. The Town Council would book the space and Cheshire Without Abuse would supply the trained specialists and practitioners to run the sessions. On the advice of Police and Cheshire Without Abuse this would not be in the Town Hall, but in a community hub called the Old Saw Mill. We believe this is needed as 200 - 250 families a year in Congleton have presented for support to Cheshire Without Abuse between 2017-2019. In a sample between July - Sept 2019 there were 100 referrals from 62 families. During the COVID-19 pandemic calls to abuse helplines has sky rocketed and the expectation that the demand will have increased. Further financial hardship could make the situation worse in abusive households. It is vital that these services are provided close to a survivor’s home as the peer group including other local survivors can play a key role in helping them recover from the trauma and get their lives back. At present, Congleton victims must travel (often with children, on public transport) to Macclesfield or Crewe for this type of face-to-face support. This is unacceptable and in practice it means that many Congleton victims do not get the support they need - hence the need for the clinics in Congleton,
03/09/2020 £3,618 GREAT BOUGHTON PARISH COUNCIL - VICARS CROSS COMMUNITY CENTRE Vicars Cross Community Centre is a community hub in the heart of Vicars Cross that delivers a range of services for local residents. The current project proposes to bridge the gap for those who have been shielding for the past four months and are now in a position to re engage in the community but may be extremely hesitant for a wide range of reasons. The grant funding would be used to provide a wrap around service for the most disadvantaged in our community to be able to reengage them in social activities to support their health and well being. The project hopes to engage a minimum of 20 'hard to reach' individuals and as a result of the project it is envisaged that over 85% will report an increase in confidence to re-engage in universal services, with over 40% accessing specific services the community centre runs after the project ends. We would also like to apply for the financial stability element of the funding because we have had a significant loss of income due to Covid-19 and being unable to earn hire income for over 4 months.
03/09/2020 £4,999 £3,473,454 THE READER Cheshire is at the heart of The Reader’s Northwest Shared Reading movement and a flagship area for our work in mental health and recovery. Since 2017, working with health, voluntary and community services, we’ve been embedding a Shared Reading programme in line with the local strategy to improve outcomes for those most at risk of social isolation by improving wellbeing and empowering people to be more active members of their communities. We need your support now to roll out a new, mixed-model for Shared Reading that we’ve co-developed with partners and volunteers in the wake of the epidemic. Your help will enable us to respond to the rising and changing needs of local people and services we work with – ensuring long-term, life-changing support for our existing members, volunteers and partners, and new audiences.
03/09/2020 £3,160 £622,311 BIPOLAR UK 1. Bipolar UK is dedicated to supporting individuals with the devastating condition Bipolar Disorder through a programme of integrated peer support services involving groups, online forum and telephone and email check-in . 2. Our project will help more local people in the county facing unprecedented pressures and anxieties wrought by coronavirus crisis to peer support each other and share and pursue daily management plans to live better with the condition daily; this group are among the most marginalised and vulnerable members of society, being as they are 20 times predisposed to suicide ideation and typically on low or no income. 3. We would be grateful if the foundation might consider a £4348 grant towards our 2 Cheshire Bipolar Video Peer Support Groups to conduct 12 monthly 2 hour meetings via the Zoom platform utilising necessary equipment. This grant to run the project for a year will also cover safeguarding, volunteer and training costs (please see budget below for for more detail). 4. Providing an instantly amenable space to talk about their condition, the project will make a life-saving difference for attendees’ through promoting best self-management (and advice around coronavirus) to stay well and avoid catastrophic ideation and action. Emergency Bipolar Video Peer Support Group to connect isolated, vulnerable countywide attendees of face2face group forced to close at due to COVID.
27/08/2020 £4,900 £67,702,385 KING'S CHURCH WARRINGTON King's Table is the food aid service provided by King's Church Warrington. Our aim is to provide free food and a point of connection and safe space for those who are in need and/or isolated to be supported. The grant funding will be used to transition our service to a food bank service where people collect the food they need either from our community centre or a pop up food bank in their local community, where free tea and toast and an opportunity for connection with volunteers and others in the community will be provided. We are aiming that no one in the areas the project serves should have to go hungry or be completely lonely and isolated.
27/08/2020 £4,900 £345,188 MACCLESFIELD MUSEUMS (THE SILK HERITAGE TRUST) Macclesfield Museums offer a wide-ranging programme of creative activities that are targeted at meeting the needs and well-being of local communities by engaging with local history and heritage and are delivered by experienced and friendly professionals. Our in-person art classes (Have a Dabble) normally have 30 participants per week, but have had to stop completely during lock-down, and this project will test how we can restart these activities by delivering to its members remotely whilst also increasing its reach to a wider vulnerable population. Grant funding will allow us to expand our HAD offer by 85%; to test the effectiveness and impact of more reaching vulnerable older people by producing 'art classes in a bag' that can be delivered remotely, online for those who have access and through the distribution of print materials to those who don't. Many Have a Dabble members tell us that the weekly meetings give purpose to their week and the process of creating artwork helps them with their mental wellbeing - this has been missing for them during lockdown and we want to test how we can deliver this remotely, and to evaluate how effective this is in increasing a sense of connection and value, which will go on to inform how we deliver our services to older people in the long-term.
27/08/2020 £4,983 £555,501 WALTON LEA PARTNERSHIP The Walton Lea Partnership provides supported work experience to Learning Disabled (LD) adults by providing horticulture, woodworking, craft, bicycle and furniture upcycling workshops which provide opportunities to learn practical and key life skills for improving confidence and self-esteem, and offer access to accredited learning. We are applying for a contribution to salaries of two support workers who will work directly with LD adults to improve their communication and social skills, and teach a range of practical skills to enable the supported learners to achieve specific goals and objectives in their Individual Development. The salary contributions are for the Horticulture Project Lead post and the Arts and Crafts Lead post for 6 months (October 2020 to March 2021) which will enable us to The learning disabled adults will gain new new skills which will improve their self-esteem, mental health and confidence, and enable them to understand that their opinion is important and that they can play a valuable role in society.
27/08/2020 £4,570 £169,487 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME This project will run for 6 months from September 2020 - March 2021 to support parent carers in Cheshire( including Crewe, Nantwich, Alsager, Sanbach and Northwich) to form a support network: to support local carers through this difficult time by offering contact, help, advice and support to support carers to start meeting each other to reduce social isolation and improve physical health and mental well-bieng The project will support carers to build confidence and begin to return to 'the new normal'. Social distancing will be observed, but social interaction will be a very important part of the service, everyone being able to meet safely and have a chat, share experiences, talk about lock down and the current situation. Buddies staff will support carers to meet in open spaces and public places eg small group walk at Owly Woods, weaverham, small group lunch at Rookery Wood, coffee in Queens Park, Crewe. During the sessions Buddies staff will also be able to offer help and support to parent carers filling in forms including DLA, PIP, family Fund, EHIPS etc. Staff also have links to the local food banks and will be able to make referrals for families in need. The funding would be used to fund 1 support group each week alternating between Crewe and northwich. staff and volunteers, fuel for the mini bus, refreshments and photo books CCBS will run support groups twice a month in Crewe and Northwich, Carers will be able to dip in and out of sessions and attend when they can.
27/08/2020 £3,500 NORTHWICH CRICKET CLUB To add, replace and upgrade existing fixtures and fittings that are either at end of life or in need of maintenance to ensure that all health, safety and hygiene requirements continue to be met; having regard also to requirements in light of the current covid 19 pandemic
27/08/2020 £3,708 £213,566 BIRD CHARITY (CENTRE FOR BRAIN INJURY REHABILITATION & DEVELOPMENT) The Centre for Brain Injury Rehabilitation & Development (“BIRD”) aims to improve the lives of children with learning difficulties and neurological conditions and their families, regardless of severity of condition through the physical and educational therapies that we offer. The project we are applying for will deliver online seminars to provide much needed relief, respite and proven & specific coping strategies to Cheshire parents of children with conditions including autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and severe learning difficulties who we know from continuous feedback have been under enormous and increasing pressure through the Covid-19 crisis. The grant funding will pay for specialist Speech & Language Therapists to deliver seven live and interactive online sessions which make up one course to at least 40 Cheshire parents of children with autism and other neurological conditions via “Gotomeeting Pro” technology, along with the requisite video & slide presentation material, and support workbooks – aimed at providing specific advice to enable parents to cope better and so to radically improve their mental health and whole family wellbeing. We aim to run 4 courses which each consist of 7 sessions for parents aiming to support 10 parents on each course , a total of 40 parents.
27/08/2020 £2,500 £1,053,072 CHESHIRE AND WARRINGTON CARERS TRUST Cheshire and Warrington Carers Trust provides information, advice and support for unpaid carers across Cheshire including benefits advice, emotional support, advocacy, opportunities to take a break from caring, training to support them in their caring role and financial support (in the form of small grants). The Carers Creative Wellbeing Project will reduce social isolation by providing a safe online space for carers to connect with their peers and find valuable 'me time' for therapeutic creative activities which will improve or maintain their wellbeing. The majority of the grant funding will pay for time for our Arts Engagement Officer to develop therapeutic art sessions, to build relationships with carers and encourage them to attend sessions, to develop promotional materials for carers and for other professionals who work with carers (to encourage new referrals) and to pay for direct costs such as arts materials and for external specialist arts providers to deliver sessions e.g. Cheshire Dance. The significant difference the grant will make is that it will maintain or improve carers' wellbeing, supporting vulnerable carers (and those they look after) who are at increasing risk of stress and isolation in response to the additional pressures of self isolating and caring during Covid-19,helping them to feel connected with each other and part of something bigger in their community.
27/08/2020 £5,000 £88,606,000 HFT CHESHIRE & MERSEYSIDE Over the past few months the individuals we support in supported living have faced huge changes to their daily routines and their support networks. Many of them have been supported to engage with their friends and family via digital technology through tablets, which we were able to purchase with funding from Cheshire Community foundation. Whilst this project has been a huge success, individuals are still missing face to face communication with their friends and family. Unfortunately as the outside world begins to open up as restrictions ease, many of the people we support are continuing to shield, due to health conditions, and in some cases due to fear of catching covid-19. Where possible we are supporting individuals to meet others socially distanced outside, however as we move into autumn and winter this will become increasingly difficult due to the weather/ shorter days. We would like to create a safe space for the people we support to meet with their family and friends outside at the houses where they live, in line with government guidance. At present they are able to meet in gardens, though at present this is very weather dependent. We are seeking funding to build 11 outdoor wooden gazebos to provide a safe, sheltered outside space for the people we support to meet their friends and family.
27/08/2020 £4,530 £201,927 CHAPTER (WEST CHESHIRE) LTD Chapter is a local mental health charity experiencing a doubling in demand for its services since lockdown started. We are seeking funding to put in place resources that will enable us to sustain the level of work outputs we are experiencing (keeping our staff safe, mentally well and connected to each other) whilst trialling new ways of delivering our support services that meets current social restrictions and keeps our service-users safe and reassured. The grant will be used to set up a pod room (similar to a counselling room) , provide us with apps and subscriptions to reduce high workloads and make us more financially sustainable, and provide staff with equipment that enables them to work from home as a more permanent option. The impact of this project will mean that we can sustain supporting double the number of people that we normally support; each year we normally work with 140 people - we believe these adaptations will help us support approximately 280-300 people per annum.
24/08/2020 £35,000 BOUGHTON HEATH ACADEMY We need help and assistance in installing a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) as currently our outdoor space is not conducive to offering meaningful or safe active opportunities for our children.
24/08/2020 £35,000 MILL VIEW PRIMARY SCHOOL Our outdoor learning area is outdated and limited in the level of challenge, opportunity and appeal it offers. Ground surface is uneven, muddy and prone to becoming waterlogged further inhibiting play. It is difficult for children and staff with mobility issues to enter the area due to the design of the space. The area is in need of redevelopment so we can provide the best possible provision across all areas of the curriculum while also meeting the needs of the children in our care. Limit
13/08/2020 £3,014 £253,170 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH 1. We are Holy Trinity Church Hurdsfield (HTH) and, since the onset of Covid-19 we have been working with Cheshire East to support the ‘People Helping People’ initiative, established at the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, to channel community-based support to meet the needs of residents who find themselves isolated without family, friends or a support network. 2. ‘People Helping People’ connects those who are most vulnerable and in need of support (ranging from signposting to local and national services, access to essential food and medical supplies, access to priority online supermarket slots to a regular friendly phone call to lift their spirits) with volunteers who can meet those needs. 3. Since April 2020, HTH has been providing free of charge, one day a week of our office administrator’s time to work as an Area Coordinator for the 'People Helping People'. Now that our church is opening up, our administrator needs to return to his substantive role (he works 4 days a week) and this funding will provide one extra day a week’s funding to enable him to continue this Area Coordinator role and allow us to look towards developing a long term sustainable means of caring for the most vulnerable affected by Covid-19 in our communities. 4. ‘People Helping People’ is all about helping the most vulnerable in our communities; the ones who may not have family, friends or neighbours to help them; by connecting them with a volunteer who commits to helping them on an ongoing basis (rather than just providing one off support, they commit to weekly shopping, phone calls, trips to the pharmacy etc…) so ensuring that their needs are met over the long term of the Covid-19 crisis. 5. Not applicable.
13/08/2020 £4,523 £643,498 STICK 'N' STEP Stick ‘n’ Step provides conductive education (CE) to children and young people with cerebral palsy to improve their mobility, confidence and independence, enabling them to reach their full potential. We are applying for a contribution towards the salary for of one of our conductors who plans and delivers CE sessions directly to the children The project will cover the shortfall in salary costs of the conductor for 6 months September 2020 to February 2021 which will enable us to have a positive impact on the lives of the disabled children we support The difference this will make will result in an improvement in the mobility, self-confidence, self-belief and aspirations of the children and young people we support which will help provide them with the best chances of leading a full, dignified and independent life.
12/08/2020 £3,000 £334,294 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Just Drop In is established for the Benefit the young people of Macclesfield and surrounding areas providing a welcoming and comfortable centre hosted by volunteers from the community, providing assistance and information relating to their needs, expert advice and access to information related to education, employment, training, housing, health, benefits and leisure matters. The project will continue a project originally funded in 2016 to provide a qualified and experienced young person’s Counsellor to Tytherington High School for 10 hours a week to support young people attending the school. The grant will pay for the salary costs of the Coordinator, plus a small amount of resources.
03/08/2020 £15,000 £43,222 JUMP CHILDREN'S CHARITY JUMP Children's Charity provide a unique memory making service to children with life limiting and terminal illnesses, by arranging complementary professional photography and videography to capture special moments that are presented in bespoke memory books and films. This funding will be used to support the memory making activities and the Steve Morgan Foundation funding will be targetted at development of the family support service. SMF has provided £13,966 a year for three years, against which CCF is tproviding an additional £5k per annum, making a total of £18,966 per annum, total grant £56,898. SMF grant to be made in monthly instalments with initial six month review/annual monitoring CCF grant to be paid in one instalment per year with two annual interim reports and a final end of grant report
29/07/2020 £9,123 £530,105 PASSION FOR LEARNING Passion for Learning's work is about supporting and inspiring vulnerable children aged 5-11 to learn, achieve and become literate in order to fulfil their true potential as adults. The project for which we are applying for funding will make life-changing differences to 30 vulnerable young people in Knutsford primary schools by providing them with skilled Passion for Learning volunteers and access to the unique opportunities we provide for our beneficiaries e.g. the Careers Palace and Arts Festival. The grant funding will be used to recruit, train, DBS check and supply the tailored resources and ongoing support for 10 volunteers to work with 30 children for a full year. The most significant difference this will make to the children participating is in developing their confidence, their engagement with learning and their future ambitions, all of which are crucial factors in unlocking their potential for fulfilled lives as adults.
29/07/2020 £7,915 £9,128 KNUTSFORD G.R.O.W. (GARDEN REGENERATION OVER WARD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION) GROW provides volunteering opportunities within one of the most deprived areas of Knutsford. The project delivers gardening services to individuals who are unable to tend their own gardens in addition to delivering the therapeutic benefits to the individual volunteers many of whom have mental health issues or learning disabilities. This funding will be used to cover the ongoing operational deficit including paying for the services of a service coordinator plus the replacement of essential tools. Without this support the charity will be unable to continue delivering this vital service which has the double benefits of providing volunteering opportunities and a community service to local residents.
29/07/2020 £13,868 £334,294 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD Just Drop-In has a proven track record in providing professional counselling services to local young people. Our current offer includes children from Knutsford and surrounding areas but they are required to travel to our Macclesfield base for face to face counselling and this presents significant barriers, particularly for children and young people who face disadvantage. Our proposal is to increase our provision and to bring the counselling service to them providing a free counselling service in the heart of their community from the Welcome Centre. The majority of the funding will be used to recruit and pay for qualified counsellors to deliver weekly counselling sessions for young people aged 12-25 on a Thursday evening. Funding would pay for 6 young people a week to access counselling provision. Counselling can have a significant and life changing impact on the lives of young people and we expect to see improved emotional health in over 80% of those who take part. Improved emotional health can provide a firm foundation for other areas of social improvement such as educational attainment and employability. Work will be delivered by phone and online in the early stages of the project, but will transition to face to face delivery from August onwards, based on the current business recovery model.
29/07/2020 £9,765 £430,531 CVS CHESHIRE EAST CVS Cheshire East runs the volunteering hub for Cheshire East, we are passionate about volunteering and the benefits it brings to organisations and to volunteers. It can be difficult for people aged between 14-18 to find meaningful volunteering opportunities and so we would like to help organisations make changes, and to excite young people about volunteering. The funding would be used to to fund staff time working with both young people and organisations, and a marketing campaign designed by young people themselves. Volunteering gives young people the opportunity to gain meaningful experience will help to build their confidence and learn new skills that they can then build on to reach their full potential. The project will; - Create a youth steering group to help plan and deliver aspects of the project - Work with organisations to develop ideas about ways to involve young people and to ensure they have appropriate procedures - Create resources to support youth volunteering - Recruit and match 40 young people to volunteer opportunities - Provide support for organisations and training and mentoring for young people to ensure successful placements
29/07/2020 £17,779 £874,514 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE (FORMERLY CREWE WOMEN'S AID) The Knutsford Community Hub will provide specialist domestic abuse support in the community This vital work will ensure that anybody in Knutsford who is affected by domestic abuse can access direct help and support directly in their local community. The Hub will offer a weekly Peer Support drop-in, advice clinics and one to one support and mentoring around the complex issues facing those affected by domestic abuse.
07/07/2020 £2,500 £19,689 FRIENDS OF PUSS BANK The Friends of Puss Bank support the community (children, teachers and families) connected to Puss Bank Primary School by raising money for materials and experiences which complement and enhance the standard school offer. Children's mental well being is a top priority of the school and research has been undertaken into what can be done to nurture this, alongside a consultation with families and the children at school. Money secured through this project would be used to purchase the materials needed to have a 'Mental Health First Aid Kit' in each classroom. Access to these materials will be of benefit to all the children within the school improving their mood, ensuring calmer classroom environments where deeper learning can take place.
06/07/2020 £3,241 £43,222 JUMP CHILDREN'S CHARITY CCF application JUMP childrens charity provide professional photography services for families who have children with life limitng health conditions, to enable them to capture unique memories. This project will help us safely adapt our memory making service to support children and their families during the Covid-19 pandemic and will enable us to work remotely to research, plan and deliver a support service for now and for the future shaped by the needs of our beneficiaries. The grant funding will be used to pay for our Charity coordinator to work remotely for 12 hours per week, for a period of 6 months to develop our Navigation Station. We will expand the key partnerships with other providers to ensure that our service will be in an informed position to provide current and credible information to help families. We will also aim to host virtual events for the children. We are speaking to children and families and find out what their current needs are during this crisis and what support they believe could be helpful. We will start our Navigation Station Programme, in order to bring together resources and information that can help to alleviate the increased isolation that these families will be experiencing. SMF application We have spent many hours talking to families on the phone and we are aware of how isolated and challenged they are feeling without access to their normal supportive network of families, friends and of course professionals. We are planning on-line Activity Events and we wish to issue Event Boxes prior to each session to enhance the experience of the children and their families. Boxes will include themed activity items and healthy snacks that we would normally provide at our usual Memory Making Events and could also include information on services and support from other charities What will you use the emergency funding for to help your community in hardship as a result of Covid-19? We will purchase suitable items for the Event Boxes that we are are unable to secure through donations that will include the packaging and postage pay for postage . We believe that these isolated and children will have an enhanced experience whilst attending our on-liine zoom Memory Event with additional items and treats. We know from speaking to these families that they are starved of contact with their usual supportive networks and we hope to retore some of that
06/07/2020 £3,740 £26,531,501 MAKING SPACE Making Space provides the Warrington Day Service which is a safe and welcoming community space supporting local people living with a range of mental health conditions, whether mild to moderate, complex, challenging or long-term. We have now had to close the centre temporarily during the Covid-19 pandemic and we are looking at ways to support our service users during the next three to six months until we are able to reopen our centre..We are applying for funding to help us deliver a virtual support service for people with mental health conditions in Warrington during this period. This will help vulnerable people with mental health conditions who are at risk of relapse during this period. We have had a grant from the Foundation which enabled us to support people during the initial period of 'lockdown', now we need to continue and expand this support for the period ahead.
06/07/2020 £5,508 £7,061 OAKHANGER PROJECT Oakhanger Project provides inclusive Activity and Outdoor Adventure programmes and courses. for children and families. Activities are fully inclusive and aim to improve health and personal and social awareness. They including Nature trails, team building games, Environmental studies and Canoe and Kayak courses and trips. Children share activities with other children and their families to develop and social skills such as confidence, teamwork, safe practice, communication, leadership, self and team awareness, and skills and qualifications in a variety of outdoor skills. Funding will support work with volunteers to explore safe ways of extending work with children and families in the outdoors as soon as legislation allows. A pilot scheme with volunteers started at the beginning of June with a view to starting restricted weekly family activities in the outdoors on Wednesday 24th June 2020 Volunteers receive additional training online and at Brereton in safe distancing, risk awareness and risk management. We offer a unique project which supports children and families including families at risk in the community to access the outdoors for personal and social leisure and learning
06/07/2020 £50,000 £334,294 JUST DROP-IN YOUTH INFO AND ADVICE LTD The G8way is a partnership of three local organisations and the project has three main elements, which aim to strengthen young people’s resilience, giving them the building blocks, coping strategies and confidence to manage present or future mental health and wellbeing challenges. Element 1: Staff and Volunteer Development. Ensuring staff and volunteers who currently work at Cre8, Just Drop-In and Wilmslow Youth have the training, knowledge and skills to assist with the wellbeing needs of the young people who currently access their services. To include training addressing needs arising from the pandemic, based on digital platforms until face to face training is practical. Element 2: Digital Help – to develop into Parental Help. Work with parents; the project will deliver Mental Health Aware / MHFA training to groups of parents, equipping them to support their children’s mental health needs. Element 3: Providing free 1-1 counselling, using a Brief Solution Therapy Model – a model which will provide tailored support for young people who need it. Building on the learning from Year One and Two, the proposal takes account of the current pandemic and also the future sustainability and legacy of the project. 
06/07/2020 £49,861 £381,191 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Pure Insight 1628 works alongside young people age 16 - 28 who have left or are about to leave statutory care in Cheshire East. Insight in Mind is designed to equip care leavers and those supporting them to learn helpful self-care skills that promote emotional wellbeing and tackle some of the difficulties care leavers face in accessing existing services by developing fast track systems and seeking solutions that may be outside the current offer. The funding will pay for a specialist psychological Wellbeing Worker who will work alongside individuals to identify what will be helpful, provide some lower level interventions, teach self-care skills to staff, volunteers and young people and identify alternative provision where necessary and the support to access this. The project will provide flexible, tailored mental health support for young care leavers (most of whom who have unresolved trauma), addressing immediate periods of crisis whilst also tackling low level mental health needs before they escalate.
06/07/2020 £50,000 £874,514 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE (FORMERLY CREWE WOMEN'S AID) The grant funding is needed to pay for a specialist worker with expertise in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the development of dedicated ASD resources around domestic abuse and relationships, and the costs of group work. We want to work with children and young people to better meet the needs of those with ASD by delivering adapted programmes and one to work to offer tailored support around recovery from experiencing familial domestic abuse, healthy relationships, communication, teen relationship abuse and behaviour change where the child/young person is acting out. The project will continue all the existing streams of work, honed and balanced over the first two years; 1. Specially tailored one to one sessions for children and young people 2. Peer support groups for those moving on from one to one support 3. Group-work with parents and their children 4. Training volunteers 5. Developing resources for children, young people and parents
06/07/2020 £3,546 £68,000 ELLESMERE PORT AND NESTON COMMUNITY TRANSPORT What will your project do to support vulnerable people affected by covid-19 (including an outline as to why your project is needed and how the project will be monitored) We are a unique and valued non-profit making provider of minibus and car travel, offering our services to community groups and individuals able and disabled within Ellesmere Port and Neston and the surrounding area, providing essential transport to met local people’s needs. We provide a range of high quality, reliable and safe vehicles to hire at an affordable cost. Our Community Car Scheme provides volunteer drivers who transport vulnerable people who cannot access conventional transport to go where they want to go. We are unable to provide our minibus to groups due to requirements for social distancing which in effect means no more than four people can be carried on a 16 seater. In the current C-19 crisis we are focussing on medication delivery from local pharmacies where residents are isolated. Although local pharmacies have their own delivery service for normal times this is not sufficient to serve the current need. We are also continuing to offer supported shopping with drivers doing this on behalf of clients. Transport to C-19 testing sites are also provided. We are unable to charge for any of these services at present (previously had charged a small mileage rate) We normally provide parent funded school transport where there is no local service and parents are unable to transport their children to/from school. Currently being unable to provide this service means that we have no source of income. Our current finances are in an unhealthy state which means that we cannot continue for much longer without support. We applied for emergency funding from Cheshire West and Chester Council to tide us over April to June and were awarded £7000
30/06/2020 £2,500 £293,364 CREWE AND NANTWICH GYMNASTICS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES CENTRE Previously funded by SMF this application requests , due to a significant uptake in the virtual sessions the funding would go to 1 support the existing virtual activities - possibly continuing after reopening as some parents will still be concerned about their children mixing with others 2. Purchase of signage sanitising stations deep cleaning and organistional preparations 3, Training the team of coaches in new ways of working risk assessments and in their responsibility to clients and themselves
25/06/2020 £2,500 £828,022 SHARKS COMMUNITY TRUST Sharks Community Trust is seeking funding to try to replace some of the income that has been lost during this period to try to maintain our key mental health programmes which are much needed during these times. The Trust estimates that it has lost approximately £220,000 during the past three months since all our activities ceased in mid March. It also expects to lose a similar amount over the next three months as activities will be slow to resume due to continuing social distancing measures. This ongoing loss means that we cannot afford staff costs to maintain mental health programmes.
25/06/2020 £4,209 £607,868 DIAL HOUSE In recent years we have been implementing our plan to develop as a social enterprise whereby we generate more of our own revenue from 'chargeable' services. Our shopmobility service (hiring/selling mobility equipment) and community cafe (food/snacks/catering) were at the heart of these plans but have closed due to COVID-19, resulting in a huge reduction in income. We have re-purposed our staff, initially to undertake Safe & Well checks - which are now becoming regular Check in and Chat telephone or video calls for some of the more vulnerable and isolated disabled and older people we are in contact with.
25/06/2020 £10,800 £640,820 WISHING WELL PROJECT The Wishing Well is considered a reputable leading community health and wellbeing provider in south Cheshire. During the coronavirus pandemic, our response has been to reach out and support the most vulnerable residents within our communities. On a daily basis we now directly reach between 300- 350 older people who are self-isolating due the government advice and guidelines. For these people, we provide one or a combination of the following services: • Freshly prepared on the day meal delivery service using local produce arriving to the door warm and ready to eat. • Shopping for basic and/or emergency items. • Medical pick ups including walking aids, prescriptions and information leaflets. • Telephone befriending service. We’d like to sustain this service for the duration of the coronavirus crisis and indeed the aftermath of the situation where anxiety within our communities will be particularly high. There is also the risk of a re-emergence of the virus as well as the lasting impact on public health and wellbeing. To do this, we are going to require the funding to continue reaching our organisation whilst typical income streams remain closed or affected by the pandemic.
25/06/2020 £4,820 £768,571 THE PROUD TRUST LGBT+ young people are already a bullied/excluded group battling isolation/hate crime/domestic abuse/mental health challenges daily. Sadly, due to the coronavirus lockdown, many living in homophobic/biphobic/transphobic families, or who live independently with limited incomes, are now in a state of crisis. The Proud Trust delivers Phoenix LGBT+ youth groups in Northwich, Winsford, Ellesmere Port, and Chester; to support young LGBT+ people, who are affected by the effects of COVID-19. Funds are required to continue to run these groups (virtually at first) at a time when we have experienced a significant loss of fundraising revenue (as described above) due to COVID-19.
24/06/2020 £29,400 £107,213 PLATFORM FOR LIFE The project will provide free to client, locally delivered, easy to access counselling/play therapy to families- parents, children and young people struggling with poverty and poor mental health in two areas of Chester- Lache and Blacon. Both areas fall within the bottom 15% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation and families struggle to access state services. The focus is on strengthening family relationships and creating more stable and nurturing environments for children. Platform for Life aims to break the cycle of poor mental health being passed down from one generation to the next.
22/06/2020 £25,857 £530,105 PASSION FOR LEARNING To maintain this service for 13 weeks, which is the period during which we believe families will be in greatest need of our support until schools reopen, we estimate the total cost to be £76,714. This is based on servicing 165 deliveries per week, which would enable us to reach 2145 families. The supporting spreadsheet provides the breakdown of costings, based on a resource pack budgeted at £28. As we have done to date, we will continue to procure resources free of charge from Giving World and other businesses prepared to offer support, e.g. magazine publishers, to obtain maximum value for the amount invested in the project. Following a discussion with Caroline DaCunha from the Westminster Foundation, we’ve submitted an application to the CWAC Covid-19 Community Response fund for £25,000 to part fund this project. We expect to hear the outcome of this application within 7 days (by 19th June). Subject to their decision, there is a potential project shortfall of £51,000, which we would be very grateful for the Steve Morgan Foundation’s support in addressing.
22/06/2020 £7,200 £874,514 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE (FORMERLY CREWE WOMEN'S AID) We offer support to families and individuals affected by domestic abuse. Support includes safe, emergency accommodation; intensive therapeutic interventions to support the recovery of victims and their children and therapeutic behaviour change work for men, women and children who cause harm to others. We offer practical support via our community store, food banks and baby banks as well as peer support groups 5 week to support mental health Measures being taken to maintain services during the current crisis: We have: - closed our centres to the public, closed our communal six bed refuge & stopped all groups face to face. - Increased the hours of key staff to provide a response from 7am-11pm seven days per week. - Prioritised our most vulnerable people, those in refuge and families/people with complex needs for direct work. - equipped staff to work with clients by zoom or telephone where possible. - increased our practical help with food/toiletries/baby items e.g. nappies. - increased the number of contacts for clients with mental health issues. - increased the number of staff on 24/7 helpline Please tell us why you need the money We have experienced an increase of almost 20% referrals from Cheshire Police in the last 10 days. We have increased the hours of part time staff to manage this demand - we have three staff who are off work due to being symptomatic. We also have three staff who cannot work due to childcare issues. We have 20% of the team unavailable with a 20% increase in demand. We have closed our six bed refuge and can only have one family in each two unit property which will cost us £12,000 per month
22/06/2020 £2,500 £181,806 SPACE We are a small Cheshire based charity that provides a fun, safe and accessible environment in which children with disabilities and additional needs can play and learn. We also provide support and resources for parents and carers. Our group operates out of our own play-centre that provides a fully fitted and padded sensory room, a versatile activity room, a changing place (with hoist), a parent’s room, a chill out area and a fully accessible, 2 storey play frame, a soft play area and a parent’s cafe. Measures being taken to maintain services during the current crisis: Unfortunately, we have had to close the centre during this period. In order to continue to support the families we have put in place a help line that parents and carers can use to contact us with the issues they are facing. The staff are advising and sign posting as appropriate. We have also set up 2 weekly parent-carer support groups on an online platform to help relieve the social isolation experienced, and 4 interactive online play sessions including a sing & sign, story time and music group for parents/carers to access with their children. why we need the money: Due to the current crisis our biggest worry is the rent on the centre. We pay £20,000 a year for the centre and were relying on income from activity fees, party hire, room hire and catering income to help to run the centre and all this has now been bought to a halt and we are concerned about the future.
18/06/2020 £9,550 £387,044 CHAPS (CHESHIRE AUTISM PRACTICAL SUPPORT LTD) Cheshire Autism Practical Support Ltd (ChAPS) provides a wide-ranging variety of clubs, activities and support for people with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) of all ages and their families. This project is to suppor the running costs of Chester Parent Support Groups, Chester Fun4all Family sessions, Chester Kidz Club, Chester Youth Club, Animal Therapy - Freedom Equine, Bridge Trafford, Chester Canine Therapy/Training.
18/06/2020 £30,000 CHRISTLETON PRIMARY SCHOOL Christleton Primary School is a local government maintained 'state' primary school offering education to children between 4and 11 years of age. The project will install play equipment in one area of the school grounds and outdoor exercise equipment in another, with new all-weather surfaces installed in both areas.
18/06/2020 £26,191 ORMISTON BOLINGBROKE ACADEMY Ormiston Bolingbroke is a secondary school for ages 11-18 with approximately 1,100 students. It serves a very disadvantaged area: 57.5% of pupils have been eligible for Free School Meals (pupil premium students) at any time during the past 6 years, compared to a national average of only 27.7%. The project will replace 37 Apple Mac computers with new iMac computers and associated server, software and peripheral equipment. This kit will support vital curriculum learning and after school enrichment activities in music and the arts.
18/06/2020 £7,438 £93,186 SOURCE YOUTHWORK (KNOWN AS WILMSLOW YOUTH) Wilmslow Youth provides free mental health support for young people aged 11-18 and their parents though various 1-to-1 therapies, groups, workshops, resources and activities. The project will provide computer equipment which will significantly increase the capacity of 'Scope' sessions. These are early intervention group support sessions for young people’s mental health, started this provision due to the serious strain on local CAMHS and GP services. Every week Wilmslow Youth work with specialist facilitators to run workshops exploring different themes around emotional health; helping young people to better understand things like anxiety, stress, social skills, and resilience. This reduces the pressure on local services.
18/06/2020 £7,047 £956,149 SAVE THE FAMILY Save the Family is a local charity based in Chester that supports homeless families with complex needs. The project will provide the IT equipment to enable our families to improve their connections with the outside world whilst isolated during Covid-19. This funding is to purchase 6 desktop PCs and associated software/hardware that will be used in existing spaces, adapted for the purpose of a resident IT hub. The lock down and the closure of schools has brought the digital divide to the forefront of our families who do not have their own internet access or usable computer devices and are being left behind but this project will ensure that our families, who are struggling with increased social isolation, will be able to engage with the outside world thereby increasing their well-being and sense of belonging.
18/06/2020 £3,320 AUTISM DOGS CIC Further To the success of the Remote Training Service we would like to apply for another grant to keep the service going for a further 8 weeks, We plan to deliver a further 160 hours of remote training and therapeutic support via video at a cost of £15 per hour starting week commencing 22nd of June (2 weeks from today). Each session will be delivered from our Head office in Congleton using our current staff that all live locally. Each client will have a weekly 1 hour session that will cover a range of new subjects that are all relevant to maintaining the health and skill level of their dogs and help improve the mental health of our venerable disabled handlers. We want to use some of the sessions to encourage some outdoor activity (less than 20% of our handlers have been able to leave their home lockdown!!). They are: 1. Canine communication – how to understand and Manage barking 2. Grounding techniques to aid sensory regulation 3. Outdoor sensory game play 4. Preparing for public access 5. Including your Assistance Dog in home education (1) 6. Including your Assistance Dog in home education (2) 7. Self harm interventions – advanced skills 8. Exercise with your outdoor
18/06/2020 £3,150 SUPPORTING WELLBEING AND NURTURING STRENGTH CIC SWaNS CIC - Supporting Wellbeing and Nurturing Strength CIC delivers counselling and emotional education to the community of Cheshire East. We are applying for funding to immediately start delivering free emotional support via group sessions and group support work to any member of our community who is in need of emotional support during the current Covid 19 crisis - all delivered remotely following government guidance and in accordance with appropriate protocols. The funding will pay for the facilitators' hours rates and all costs associated with organising, delivering and managing sessions online using best practice video conferencing. This pandemic is causing significant uncertainty, added stress, anxiety, all compounded by social isolation; by supporting these emotional and mental health needs now, we can address them before they escalate any further, become more embedded and promote positive mental health and emotional self management skills beyond the pandemic.
18/06/2020 £4,423 £9,055,000 NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH OF GOD - NATIONAL OFFICE 1 - The Lighthouse Centre provide regular weekly, hot cooked food, and food parcels; clothes; shower facilities; emotional support; advice; sign posting and counselling for the homeless and those suffering with addictions and mental health disorders, causing social isolation. 2 – The project will deliver - Regular twice weekly hot food and food parcels, during Covid-19 crisis with support for those living on the edge of society, sometimes ex-offenders with complex, chaotic lives and suffering severe mental health disorders and often with alcohol and drug addictions. 3 – The grant will pay for - Food provisions, toiletries, shower and laundry supplies, plus overnight emergency accommodation. 4 - The individuals accessing the current support will not engage with other agencies under normal circumstances; furthermore, the Covid-19 situation affects their ability to salvage or scavenge for food from restaurant waste and food offered by the goodwill of passing people in the streets, parks, rail stations, bus stations and other usually populated public spaces causing their health to further deteriorate; they are becoming suicidal and some have already taken their own lives, therefore this work will help save lives.
18/06/2020 £5,000 £345,243 THE JOSHUA TREE The Joshua Tree supports families affected by childhood cancers, both during and after treatment has completed. The aim of this project would be to support mental well-being during COVID 19 and beyond to our families by connecting children and young people through our online sessions and giving them the opportunity to be able to increase their social interactions with their own friends that they may not be able to do so easily without the right technology at home, and as a source of distraction to help during more challenging times eg. hospital admissions, administering medications etc. The grant funding will be used to provide a library of iPads. The most significant difference the project will make is that it will enable the families that we support to connect with us virtually and remain in close contact with us as and when they need to during such uncertain and vulnerable times for the children who's immunity is compromised.
17/06/2020 £3,840 £169,487 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME CCBS is continuing to support families through social media, texting, phoning and emails. We are working remotely as much as possible but are concerned that We want to continue to support these families and are aware some may need help with food, fuel vouchers, prescriptions or just a chat. We are uploading activities to social media to support parents and give them ideas.
16/06/2020 £5,775 £236,164,000 MACCLESFIELD LIVE AT HOME SCHEME 1. Macclesfield Live at Home is supporting older people 60+ shielding or self- isolating due to the effects/risks on Covid -19, to ensure that their health and well-being is maintained and minimise the effects of loneliness and isolation. 2. We will deliver a range of services to support older people to stay safely in isolation at home by providing shopping/emergency parcels; digital/telephone befriending; prescription delivery; support to attend needed medical appointments, information and well-being services – all supported by volunteers – new and old. 3. This grant will pay for staff time and expenses; volunteer recruitment and expenses; newsletter and well-being activity packs; cost of taxis to deliver medication; PPE and postal costs. 4. We will support older people 60+ in self-isolation and shielding – to be informed; fed where needed; increased access to medication and appointments; increased resilience and well-being; reduce social isolation and loneliness.
07/06/2020 £3,375 £14,739 SURVIVE (ABUSE COUNSELLING) We will offer counselling to adult survivors of abuse, predominantly childhood sexual abuse and who are also affected by loneliness and isolation during during covid-19. The project will employ 5 counsellors who will each work with 3 clients  (15 clients) over ten sessions 
07/06/2020 £9,860 £560,002 NEURO THERAPY CENTRE 1. Almost all our service users are in the Government’s high-risk category and are self-isolating for a minimum of 12 weeks, but probably longer if the advice to isolate for people in vulnerable groups does not change until a vaccine or other measures are in place. 2. In response to Covid-19 we have created a ‘Virtual Centre’ to support our members’ needs and keep them safe, fit and supported in their own homes. This new service is vital to our preventative work. Infection by Covid-19 and admission to hospital could be life-threatening to our members, so it is imperative that we support them to stay fit and well during this period of self-isolation. 3. The project involves the use of technology to provide access to virtual exercise classes, group peer support, and one-to-one emotional support and advice, to promote health and wellbeing, and reduce isolation and exclusion, with a particular focus on those who may not use computers or social media, and risk ‘slipping through the net’. 4. We also aim to widen access to this virtual support via existing networks and joint working, in particular through health partners to reduce the strain on primary and secondary healthcare.
07/06/2020 £5,652 £242,592 WARRINGTON SPEAK UP Warrington Speak Up is a charity which provides advocacy and support to help vulnerable people to be heard. This project will help us connect online with, and support, people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities in Warrington. The grant will be used to buy and distribute tablet computers, SIM cards and Head Phones so people can stay connected and be involved in activities. This will help people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities and/or autism to stay connected, active and supported during the Covid-19 crisis.
07/06/2020 £3,630 £47,368 CHESHIRE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM We would like to be available to assist NWAS when the NHS are stretched and as such would require additional funding. A callout in Frodsham, for example was initially for the HART team (Hazardous Area Response Team, a division of NWAS) to respond to but due to them being deployed on another serious incident they were not able to respond for a couple of hours, prolonging the gentlemans vulnerability and pain. NWAS have requested help from the team on numerous occasions but we have been reluctant due to the expense of ensuring we had the correct equipment and training aids to enable us to respond in the correct manner following the gold standard protocols demanded by the emergency services. If we were able to secure additional funding we would happily declare the team as an asset to the NWAS 999 contact centre, available to be used 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, without exception.
07/06/2020 £9,500 £381,191 PURE INSIGHT 1628 Pure Insight 1628, delivering bespoke support to care leavers to help them through Covid - 19 by maintaining positive mental wellbeing, staying connected to vital support and being able to take advantage of any opportunities that may be available. To ensure young people remain connected we will purchase unlimited data packages and reliable smart phones/Mi-Fi units that can be used to hot spots for other devices such as SMART TV's To stay occupied and responsible citizens through the purchase of Netflix and Bikes for those who want to get active and avoid public transport, bike rides would be supported by staff and volunteer mentors as per the one person from each household guidance To seize opportunity through the purchase of laptops for young people who do not fit any one else's criteria Our young people get left behind at times like this, they do not have supportive parents in the background to provide the things they need to get them through difficult times. We want to level the playing field and ensure our youngsters get what they need to get through the coming months and get the opportunity to thrive instead of just surviving during these difficult times.
07/06/2020 £9,883 £1,344,148 WARRINGTON YOUTH CLUB LIMITED Warrington Youth Club (WYC) offer a wide variety of quality projects, engaging over 2,500 children and young people across the Borough. We are applying for support, during the coronavirus crisis, to develop our street-based programme of Youth Work. The funding will contribute towards the staffing costs and resources related to supportive, diversionary and educational activities. This project will help to ensure that vulnerable young people are safeguarded, avoid risky behaviours, and reduce their involvement in antisocial behaviour and crime, as they return to social opportunities and engagement with their communities and peers.
07/06/2020 £4,819 INNER TRUST COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY Inner Trust CIC provides children and young people in the local community who may have disabilities with services to address mental health, wellbeing and resilience by empowering and motivating them.This project will deliver weekly online sessions aimed at reducing isolation, improving mental health and providing a focus during this time. The grant funding will be used for sessional workers and volunteer expenses. This project will give children & young people a creative outlet using words and music to share their feelings and see that they are not alone during this time and will provide them with access to services where a need is identified during the sessions. We have also applied to the Morgan Foundation for some additional equipment that we require.
01/06/2020 £4,344 £1,925,253 RE-ENGAGE 1) Re-engage alleviates loneliness and social isolation by supporting vulnerable older people in Cheshire who are aged 75+ and live alone, traditionally using regular social gatherings but now through a non-contact telephone befriending service. 2) Call Companions will deliver a Cheshire wide volunteer telefriending service, supporting at least 130 vulnerable older people across Cheshire. Call Companions will mitigate the impact of the Coranvirus Crisis on the most vulnerable members of our community, alleviating loneliness and poor mental wellbeing amongst those aged 75+. It will also offer friendship and make sure that the older person is eating and staying hydrated, that they have enough food and medicine, and are in touch with family if possible. 3) Costs Funding will be utilised for staffing costs to support volunteers, volunteer training and support costs, recruiting additional older people and volunteers into the service, plus management/running costs (including ID and reference checks). This will enable us to deliver a safe and effective service for older people across Cheshire. 4) The most significant difference the project will make -impact on lives of disadvantaged A reduction in loneliness for vulnerable older people in Cheshire who are aged 75+, self-isolating and live alone.
01/06/2020 £4,354 £132,454,082 COMMUNITY INTEGRATED CARE Community Integrated Care is a leading social care charity, that provides care and support to vulnerable adults with a range of needs in their own home, in the community and in residential care settings. The project will deliver several interventions to help alleviate the negative impact of covid-19 on the people we support and our frontline colleagues. The grant will be used to pay for the following: -Sensory/activity packs for people we support. -Welfare/care packages for staff and people we support -Personal Protective Equipment -Cleaning/decontamination products -Counselling services for staff -Converting staff training to online platforms We support some of the most vulnerable people in society, many of whom do not have the capacity to fully understand the current crisis. The uncertainty and significant changes that have occurred to these individuals’ daily lives have created heightened levels of anxiety and worry for them. It is therefore essential that we can adapt and continue providing the support they need to minimise their distress. We also want to provide the best possible support to our frontline colleagues, who are having to work in incredibly testing circumstances, risking their own health to provide this essential support.
01/06/2020 £6,060 £36,698 HEAD INJURED PEOPLE IN CHESHIRE Head Injured People in Cheshire: Head Injured People in Cheshire provides local social activities, courses and mutual support to people with acquired brain injuries, their families, friends and carers to ensure no one living in Cheshire, with an acquired brain injury, is lonely or isolated. Reaching out Whilst Staying In: Due to Covid 19 our members are more vulnerable than ever. We are therefore offering new ways of supporting our members to ensure their needs are met at this challenging time. This includes: • Weekly telephone befriending calls to all members of HIP to ensure they are all safe and well and know they are not alone. • Holding virtual coffee mornings • Signpost and refer to other support agencies to ensure their specific needs are met i.e foodbanks, benefit advice, medical advice. • Providing accurate and trustworthy information regarding Covid 19 • Providing support and information via Social Media and our Website. • Keeping the referral system open so all new members can access our service immediately. The grant funding will cover staffing cost and office rent. The project will decrease loneliness and isolation, enhance wellbeing, address basic needs, offer friendship and support and provide reassurance.
01/06/2020 £8,000 £640,820 WISHING WELL PROJECT The Wishing Well has temporarily transformed operations to ensure we can reach as many vulnerable older people as possible. We have had to suspend all services taking place within our facilities: children and family groups, day care provision, lunch clubs, cafe and bistro. We have pooled all resources to be able to reach more people in the community. We have enhanced our meal delivery service and extended this to include shopping, medication pick ups and a phone befriending service.
01/06/2020 £3,840 £398,790 LIVE! We are Live! an independent Chester based charity that provides a varied programme of fully inclusive and accessible clubs and social activities for disabled people of all ages. We are applying for funding to deliver a range of interim Covid 19 outreach services, including telephone and online support, activity packs, Facebook activities and Zoom activity groups and support. Your funding would pay the salaries of the staff that will deliver the service for 3 months (Senior Co-ordinator and a Project co-ordinator). Our outreach work will have a profoundly positive effect on the mental health of our beneficiaries during isolation - reducing anxiety, stress levels and loneliness by linking people to their peers and their familiar support framework.
01/06/2020 £9,998 £73,164 SILKLIFE FOODBANK Silklife Foodbank offers emergency food support to vulnerable people and families in Macclesfield who would otherwise go hungry. We provide 4-5 days of nutritional non-perishable food for those who are temporarily unable to provide for themselves. Referrals come from agencies such as Cheshire East Housing, Social Services, Probation, Drug and Alcohol Services and CAB. We run a weekly distribution centre and have a team of drivers that make deliveries across the town to the most vulnerable.
31/05/2020 £7,858 £186,862 RUBY'S FUND Ruby's Fund is a charity in Congleton which supports children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and their families. Ruby's Fund parent carer mental health and wellbeing project is a 6 month project providing mental health and wellbeing support to parent carers who are have mental health and anxiety associated conditions because of COVID 19, with online telephone counselling and anxiety and wellbeing workshops delivered by Zoom. The grant will be used to pay for trained counsellors and therapists to deliver these sessions with administration support to take referrals, manage bookings, promote the project and write a funders report. It is our aim through this project that we support parent carers to improve their mental health and wellbeing through counselling and workshops where they learn strategies to improve their self care techniques and resilience, with the aim of reducing the risk of the family unit going into crisis and the likelihood of them requiring support from the NHS or social care during the Covid19 pandemic.
31/05/2020 £4,891 £220,567 CHAWREC (CHESHIRE, HALTON, WARRINGTON RACE AND EQUALITY CENTRE) CHAWREC is a local charity that promotes justice and equality, providing support to the most vulnerable communities, such as asylum seekers and refugees. The Covid 19 pandemic has required us to change how we deliver our services very quickly, so staff are now working from home where possible and offering limited support via e-mail, phone, whats app and zoom; we want to expand this so all services can be delivered remotely by all staff. Currently we are not equipped with the necessary technology to continue providing remote support and we anticipate that we will need to continue to provide a mixed service for the coming year - virtual as well as physical for the most vulnerable and to comply with social distancing, so the grant will be used to properly equip our staff working from home, so they can offer our services safely and efficiently enabling the most vulnerable to continue to receive support and advice. The grant will enable us to effectively engage online with our service users, particularly refugees and asylum seekers who are most at risk of Covid 19 and are most isolated.
31/05/2020 £3,900 POWER OF ART Power of Art is a not for profit organisation that provides community artistic projects. 'Creating a Buzz!' is a project that started in October 2019 which provides anyone over the age of 55 from Northwich and Cheshire area the opportunity to learn to play a brass style musical instrument whilst meeting and interacting with a community group. The funds being applied for will give us the necessary IT capabilities to adapt, allowing for more personal contact/communication with the project members as we will conduct regular one to one tutor sessions with each individual as well as put together virtual ensemble performances. A collaboration between Age UK Cheshire, Foden's Band and Power of Art the project aims to help the aged overcome Social Isolation and Loneliness through making music together.
31/05/2020 £3,000 £138,886 HIGH LEGH PRE-SCHOOL NURSERY High Legh Pre-School Nursery has been providing a safe and nurturing learning environment for children in High Legh and the surrounding areas for almost half a century. We've been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and it's left us in a financially vulnerable position. Now the Government has announced nurseries can reopen on June 1, we require funding to ensure we can reopen in a way that keeps our children, staff and community safe. The grant funding will be used to pay for new equipment and resources that will enable us to apply new ways of working and reopen safely, establishing new Covid-safe practices. Our vision is to keep the children outdoors as much as possible and to keep them in smaller group sizes, so we need outdoors shelters, seating, learning equipment, hand washing stations and sufficient staff to make this possible. With pre-school closed, we're incredibly concerned about the effect on our children’s mental and emotional wellbeing – particularly those in receipt of the Early Years Pupil Premium for vulnerable children. For the sake of our children, it’s absolutely crucial that we can reopen and restore a little normality in their world.
26/05/2020 £3,152 £9,015,497 CLAIRE HOUSE CHILDREN'S HOSPICE Claire House Children’s Hospice provides specialist respite, palliative and end of life care to seriously ill babies, children and young people, supporting the entire family clinically, practically and emotionally. This project aims to support Claire House children, parents, siblings and extended family members with counselling and support, ensuring that their mental health and wellbeing is maintained whilst they are in isolation at home. This grant will be used to fund 1:1 and group counselling sessions via video call, a dedicated wellbeing telephone line and regular online support for families from Cheshire and Warrington. This project will help to relieve families of the heightened fear, stress and anxiety they experiencing throughout the Covid-19 crisis, strengthening their resilience, enhancing family stability and reducing feelings of loneliness.
26/05/2020 £2,970 £169,487 CENTRAL CHESHIRE BUDDY SCHEME This pilot project will run from may-July 6 weeks : support parent carers in Cheshire including Crewe, Nantwich, Alsager, Sanbach, Northwich to form a support network. support local carers through this difficult time by offering contact, help, advice and support support carers to start meeting each other to reduce social isolation and improve mental and physical health. The buddy worker will meet parent carers on a one to one basis in the local park or outdoor space with coffee and cake, to have a chat and share experiences of lock down. Social distancing will be observed but the main factor will be the social interation. Buddies staff will meet people in Northwich park, owly wood, Brereton Country park, Crewe park, Alsager park. There will be a number of buddy workers could be in different parks to ensure a number of carers are supported each day. CCBS also plan to start up small groups for disabled children taking them out on the mini bus, small groups of 6 observing social distancing ( June-July 2020) the funding would be used to fund staff and volunteers to meet parent carers. funding would also be used for fuel for the mini bus, refreshments.
26/05/2020 £9,900 £874,514 CHESHIRE WITHOUT ABUSE (FORMERLY CREWE WOMEN'S AID) My CWA (Cheshire Without Abuse) works with adult victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse and their children to support change, recovery and healthier family relationships. We are working with over 1,200 of the most vulnerable members of our community each year and the current crisis is hitting them even harder than most. This funding will pay for food and care packages, additional staff hours to increase the staff time available to the public and volunteer expenses to develop and distribute care packages, PPE and technology to allow us to deliver our recovery programmes, therapeutic groups and counselling and support to develop short films covering key issues. By supporting families in practical ways to ensure they have enough to eat, have help to manage and support their children, and have a lifeline if they are struggling either to manage their own behaviour or to be safe from their partner's behaviour we will be able to keep escalation of domestic abuse in our area to a minimum.
26/05/2020 £6,048 £171,761 FRIENDS FOR LEISURE We are Friends for Leisure, a registered charity providing fun and friendship to reduce the negative impacts of social isolation on children and young people with disabilities across Cheshire East. Because of COVID-19 we have had to cease all face-to-face activities, youth groups and volunteering buddy meet-ups; however, we have now moved provision online and 'at a distance' through the post in order to maintain as much 'normality' as we can for our vulnerable children. Grant funding from Cheshire Community Foundation will help fund our project worker salaries in the Congleton and Macclesfield areas so they can continue to support disabled children and parents/carers/siblings as well as provide a laptop for remote working and the resources required to send out activity packs to all our registered families. The most significant difference of this work is that we will minimise the negative impacts on disabled children of enforced isolation - a vulnerable group who already struggle with loneliness - and make sure they have the support they need during this difficult time.
26/05/2020 £2,549 £430,531 CVS CHESHIRE EAST CVS Cheshire East a membership organisation for charitable, not for profit organisations or voluntary groups focusing on enabling them to grow and develop to their very best potential. This project will support the development of a peer to peer support service for staff and volunteers working in the sector and the development of intelligence hub which along with sharing existing data will collect and promote the views, issues and challenges the sector has. The grant funding will support the cost of existing staff to enable them to deliver the support services to our members and the wider VCFS. The key outcome of this work would be that VCFSE organisations have the knowledge and skill