Community Benefit Fund: Give Space Project for Older Adults
County: Hillingdon Borough
Funding Theme: Workshop sessions
About the project
The project provided support for the older adult community who currently access social activities through Bell Farm Christian Centre’s Dining Centre and Outreach service—due to being affected by isolation, reduced ability, or low mood as a result of the pandemic or the challenges posed by ageing.
Wellbeing workshops for 3 cohorts of older adults (8-12 participants) were organised which offered crucial mental health support. The groups greatly benefitted from more emotional support and a space that provided the opportunity to connect, in turn gaining peer support through shared experiences. Give Space utilises creative methods to engage and support mental health. This was evident in the delivery of the above workshops, using music, art, movement, play, and images. These interventions provided an accessible service to those who otherwise could not access this mental health support.
Mission
To help vulnerable adults affected by issues like isolation or mental health be in a safe environment where well-being workshops are available. It is a space that offers emotional and peer guidance and provides a chance to connect through shared experiences. The workshop also aims to tackle mental health by participating in music, art, movement, play, and images. These interventions provide an accessible service to those who otherwise may not be able to access this kind of mental health support.
Impact
100% of participants now recommend the well-being workshops to a friend. Thematically through data collected, they noticed the most prominent feedback related to ‘tackling isolation’, ‘getting out’, ‘sharing feelings’, ‘enjoying the arts’, ‘shared experience’, and ‘connecting with other people’. There was also a recommendation of having a ‘different’ space that offered the community something alternative to what is already available.
Moving forward
Give Space is planning to have a meeting to consider continuing this programme of well-being support. The Bell Farm community and the organisation continuously recognise their strong need to continue, highlighting the current service gap. Therefore, they hope to find funding opportunities to continue offering this support.
About LHC Community Benefit Fund
In each region, LHC members have the opportunity to create and distribute a Community Benefit Fund generated from the rebate they receive if they spend over a specified threshold on LHC frameworks. Further, an independent community benefit agency is also appointed to work with the members to find a local charity partner. For London and the South East, LHC works closely with the specialist community support network ‘Locality’. Now in its fourth year, the fund has invested in excess of £325,000 in 51 community projects, targeting a diverse range of needs.
For more information on Locality and their work, visit: www.locality.org.uk.
