In June, we opened the second round of Live Well Wakefield Small Grants in 2022, following a positive round earlier in the year where around £114,000 was awarded to organisations for some amazing projects and activities across Wakefield District.

The fund welcomed applications from voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations for a vast range of projects, and we're thrilled to announce that £75,000 has been awarded to local organisations for some brilliant projects.

VCSE organisations of all sizes have the local knowledge, skills and drive to address many of the issues faced by our communities. Many people may visit their GP or other medical professionals looking for some solutions, and a social prescription could be an important part of that. So as part of this fund, we were looking for groups and activities that would accept referrals for individuals signposted from their GP and build capacity and strength within communities.

Here's what organisations have got to say about their projects funded by Round 12 of Live Well Wakefield Small Grants:

Yorkshire Air Ambulance: Building Bridges Creative Skills Workshops

The Building Bridges Creative Skills workshops provide free creative skills activities to diverse community groups at your local centre to enjoy and have lots of fun. Activities are suitable to anyone over the age of 18, all capabilities, divergent backgrounds, and beliefs.

Workshops last 2 hours, held weekly over a 6-week block. Activities include making small wooden tubs, coasters, decorations, and bracelets out of wooden clothes pegs and gardening planters out of wooden pallets.

Members of your community will have the opportunity to:

• Learn new activities
• Build confidence
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Make friends
• Increase your skills
• Have fun

As part of the programme, there is a great opportunity for any members who would like to develop even more skills to become a volunteer ambassador for the community group, whilst being supported by a Yorkshire Air Ambulance volunteer to organise activities and events during the programme.

Contact details are: info@yaa.org.uk or 01422 237900.

Dreamtime Creative

Dream Time Creative, Bring Me to Life, and Bless Community Services will be working together as a partnership to delivery three 5 week sessions to women in the Wakefield District in 2022/2023.

These sessions will be delivered with the expertise of a qualified Menohealth trained lead practitioner and tutor, Sue Copeland in Wakefield City Centre, Upton (Hemsworth) and Pontefract (Castleford). Dates and venues to be confirmed.

Over the five weeks, women will look at "What does the menopause mean for ME as a woman?"

Women will cover different MenoHealth topics each week with takeaway resources and group discussions.

The myths, the facts, the science, self-help, ways to manage symptoms, tools to empower them to take control of their own health and wellbeing more effectively.

Women attending will improve their overall and general health with holistic knowledge that we hope will have a knock-on effect for their families and friends.

Oasis Christian Centre

Community Choir – this is an inclusive choir for all abilities, ages, genders, religions (or none) or ethnicities. Meeting weekly, it is a great opportunity to meet new people, build up confidence, learn a new skill & work together for a collective goal. The benefits of communal singing for mental & physical wellbeing are well recorded. Contact Oasis Christian Centre (on facebook) for further information or call us on 07591 527942.

Recipe Club – based at Oasis Church. This is a cooking & baking club for people over 50 years, who would like to meet new people and learn some new recipes. Meeting weekly, this group will be about sharing recipes and giving new ones a go in a relaxed & friendly environment. This group is open to all genders, religions (or none) or ethnicities. Contact Oasis Christian Centre (on facebook) for further information or call us on 07591 527942.

Sounds of Broadway

Sounds of Broadway is a group that meets weekly to sing for fun. The plan is to increase the average attendance at singing sessions by advertising through local social prescribers, and by singing at outside venues, to the extent that the group can become self-sustaining.

The project will be to promote the group, focusing on the fact that singing together with others can reduce social isolation and loneliness, and be of benefit to physical, emotional and mental health. Most or all group members report benefits to general wellbeing in these areas through the social interactions and activities that take place.

The intention is to offer fun singing sessions at nursing/care homes, where residents can take part in or just listen to well-known songs (This can be especially welcome at Christmas time). In addition, we will work with St. George’s Community Centre, Lupset, which has sponsored the group for many years, aiming to perform at events held there. Thus, the benefit from the group will reach others as follows:

• 4 sessions (per year) in care homes: 15-20 attendees at each: 60-80 people benefit from joining in/experiencing fun singing.
• Events (e.g. fetes) at which the group performs: 50 attendees: 50 people benefit per event.

In addition, the above will act as outreach, and may recruit new members for the group. Current attendance averages at 9 per session, out of a membership of 15. If the average attendance can be doubled (or more), the project will benefit approximately a dozen (or more) new members, while improving the overall benefit to existing members, because a larger group increases confidence when singing.

Reporting the success (or otherwise) of the project will be done as follows:

• Record ongoing group attendance.
• Ask individuals for feedback, including any measured changes in physical health.
• Produce a feedback form for completion bimonthly which will monitor an individual’s progress.

Wakefield Hospice: Living Well with Dementia

Live Well with Dementia Training Programme for Carers

The Dementia Care Team want to extend their support and guidance to carers in the community that cannot afford to access the Dementia Day Care service by holding an eight week programme to promote positive approaches to living well with dementia and most importantly supporting the carers with adjustments in coping with changes, improving well-being and quality of life for the person with dementia and the carer.

The programme is designed to focus on how to care for a person with dementia. Carers often go from being a wife, husband, son or daughter to a full-time carer, without any training or support.

This course will cover all aspects of being a carer for someone living with dementia including:

• How to support someone with dementia to wash/meet hygiene needs
• Mouth care
• How to support someone with dementia to dress
• Eating/ texture of diet, drinking
• Skincare/pressure area care
• Assisting someone to move from a chair, car or bed/mobility
• Continence
• Safety/Herbert protocol/trackers
• Planning for the future/contingency planning etc.

The programme will also be supported with the use of information guides on the different topics so the carer can build up a toolkit for them to have as the dementia progresses.

The eight week programme will run twice, with one held at Wakefield Hospice and the other in a Wakefield city centre location for carers who haven’t their own transport.

Each programme will be offered to 10 carers, as this will make the group not too large and will encourage attendees to talk opening with one another and to share experiences, concerns, peer support and solutions from lived experiences.

The sessions will be 2 hours in length and carers are encouraged to bring the person they care for with them, as our specially trained nurse and volunteers will care for them in a room adjacent to where the training is taking place.

Portobello Community Forum: Big Picture Living – Health & Wellbeing Project

Four weekly fun physical activity classes and two wellbeing courses for people living with a wide range of health conditions, September 2022 – March 2023.

The project

Offering a combination of fun physical activity classes and a novel 12-week wellbeing course for people living with a wide range of health conditions.

All classes held at Portobello Community Centre, Portobello, Wakefield, WF2 7JJ

Weekly timetable (Sept 2022 – March 2023)

• Wed 1.30-2.30pm: Move to Music & Pilates-style class
• Thur 9.30-10.30am: 12-week wellbeing course*
• Thur 1.30-2.30pm: Chair-based exercise class
• Thur 6.30-7.30pm: Move to Music & Pilates-style class
• Fri 6.00-7.00pm: Circuit class for strength and fitness
• Fri 7.00-8.00pm: 12-week wellbeing course*

* People can join up to & including Week 2, after which participants will be added to Waiting List for the next course.

And the cost

Thanks to generous funding from Nova Wakefield, the classes are FREE to attend!

Each participant can choose ONE activity class and ONE wellbeing course each week. Subsequent activity classes attended will be at a cost of £3/class.

There is also the option to take part in health & wellbeing research in collaboration with University of Huddersfield (Ethics approved)

Download this PowerPoint here for details of who can be referred and how to refer.

Blossom: Self Defence Training

• 5 x full day training courses
• 100 delegates
• Cover Wakefield district
• Between August – October – every 2 weeks
• Fully funded booked via our website
• Accept referrals via enquiries@blossom-uk.co.uk
  
• Our training provides:
• Confidence
• Strength
• Courage
• Resilience
• Empowerment
• 100% of delegates stated they feel more confident post the training
• 100% stated they would recommend the training to a friend or family member

We see our courses as the initial step towards building confidence, motivation, strength, morale and physical courage. Through our scenario-based training we will follow an escalation model, which will provide mitigating actions against non-verbal, verbal and finally physical assault.

Post any formal training our delegates will be welcomed into our Blossom community where they will be connected, included and supported on their continual development journey.

Our community provides an empathetic understanding where we can express ourselves and share our experiences with no fear of judgement. We run weekly advanced classes so delegates can continue to enhance their skills and strengths. However we also run a number of community led campaigns, ranging from charity events to hands on community support.

Luv2meetU

Overall, Luv2meetU aim to reduce isolation and ensure members are socially connected, active, learn new skills and feel part of their local Wakefield communities.

They will deliver a programme of 104 events over a 26 week period, including three in-person events per week and online events.