In December 2020 the partnership was successful in bidding for a £96,000 share of an NHS Charities grant which was part of a Black Country and Birmingham wide bid, totalling £646,725.
With some of the top 10% most financially deprived communities in the country being in Walsall, the grant will be used to deliver a number of projects, which aim to tackle health and wellbeing inequalities and social isolation in Walsall.
Project plans for the grant include:
- Working with the voluntary and community sector to engage with our communities, specifically with those people who are vulnerable or seldom heard, on issues such as the wider determinants of health including social isolation and the impact these have on the health and well-being outcomes for the population of Walsall
- Supporting whg with the recruitment of a small team of champions to their ‘Kindness Counts’ programme of work. The programme aims to use targeted interventions such as a co-produced activities programme, use of gaming platforms, befriending services and linking in with other community wellbeing programmes to reduce the impact of loneliness and isolation of people and communities
- Co-production training with key stakeholders to ensure co-production is embedded throughout the Walsall Together programmes of work enabling the people and communities of Walsall to be at the heart of decision making and service transformation
