Community Health & Wellbeing Project
ACT asked communities if they had an idea for a project to help tackle health and wellbeing issues in the community. ACT worked in partnership with Cumbria Community Foundation to deliver a new Health and Wellbeing Project offering advice, support, and grants to help make it happen.
It is known that people who are active and involved in communities, and who feel able to access informal and formal support, are both happier and healthier. This programme has been created to provide resources and support to local communities in Eden and part of Allerdale to create activities which improve the health and wellbeing of local people. The two year Community Health and Wellbeing Project intends to tackle health and wellbeing issues by providing grants and advice to local community-led projects with one or more of the following outcomes:
- More community-led health and wellbeing projects
- More people undertaking healthy activity
- Increased community participation and connection
- Reduced reliance on core services and traditional providers
- Increased skills and understanding for health and wellbeing and resilience
- Direct provision of outreach health services such as health checks and vaccinations
- Reduced isolation and need to travel
- Added value to existing community projects through active health-related activities
Some of the types of projects we supported
Allotments and Community Gardens: ‘Grow your own’ and community growing schemes can mean food is produced and sold locally. It can lead to a better understanding of the ‘Farm Gate to Plate’ journey and create opportunities for discussion on healthy eating and lifestyles. Once running these projects are often sustainable and self financing.
Exercise, Health check and Physiotherapy sessions: Community buildings are ideal venues for local sessions. Support with marketing and set up costs can be the difference between longer term success and short term failure. The involvement of a Health professional, initially at subsidised cost can be useful.
Community Exchanges: Regular community-led events that bring people together, provide services and information and reduce social isolation. Exchanges can be an opportunity to provide basic services and should be relatively easy to sustain and make self financing.
Volunteer expenses to support local transport solutions: Building on Volunteer Car Schemes and Rural Wheels, organising your own local car share or lifts scheme reduces isolation and aids wellbeing.
Eligible Communities
The programme supported community-led projects operating in Eden District and the Civil Parishes of; Above Derwent, Bassenthwaite, Borrowdale, Keswick, St John’s Castlerigg & Wythburn, and Underskiddaw in Allerdale District.
Support and Advice
ACT offered advice and support to plan, deliver and evaluate your project, helping you to develop activity which is sustainable in the future.
Grant Fund
Cumbria Community Foundation were managing the £300,000 fund, offering grants of usually between £500 and £10,000. For fund criteria more information please visit: www.cumbriafoundation.org
More information
The Community Health and Wellbeing Project was delivered by ACT in partnership with Cumbria Community Foundation and was funded by Cumbria County Council Adult Social Care and Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group.
