Six local charities across Berkshire West can now do even more vital work to improve the health and wellbeing of local residents after being awarded small grants to support projects with a focus on inclusion for communities within Berkshire West at risk of experiencing health inequalities.
With Reading Voluntary Action’s support, the Joint Commissioning Team at the Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Integrated Care Board, Berkshire West Place, working in partnership with Brighter Futures for Children, have provided small grants to six local charities across Berkshire which help some of the most vulnerable people in the community.
The charities – Cianna’s Smile, Greyfriars Church, Project Salama, Spotlight UK, The Black Boy Joy Club and Utulivu received around £24,000 between them in grants after BOB ICB and Brighter Futures for Children asked for bids from local charities for inequality projects with a focus on mental health.
Niki Cartwright, Interim Director of Joint Commissioning, BOB ICB said
We know that there are many wonderful local charities that work hard in their communities to support vulnerable people with challenges including mental health wellbeing. We are delighted to support them in this work with much-needed funds and look forward to seeing their plans become a reality. It will make a real different to people’s lives.
Here at BOB ICB our commissioned services support many people directly with their mental health wellbeing. But we also know that early intervention, often from within their own community, and even from their peers, is a vitally important step. That is what these groups do and that is why we are proud and pleased to support and work with them.
The funding will help these charities carry out their work in the following ways:
- Cianna’s Smile supports children and families in the Thames Valley with Sickle Cell disease which is a lifelong debilitating condition affecting ethnic minority communities. The funding will go towards activities including a children and carer’s book club, a pen pal programme, compiling and sharing wellness packages and art therapy boxes, as well as coffee mornings and lunches for parents and carers.
- Greyfriars Church at The Atrium Drop-in provides a welcoming space for refugees and asylum seekers from across Berkshire West. With between 60-100 people meeting in Reading each week, the drop-in is a source of support, focussed on emotional healing for people who have been through
trauma. Starting with friendship, a warm drink and a piece of cake, the drop-ins are visited regularly by services including Citizens Advice, RCoS befrienders and Reading Refugee Support Group which provide much needed support and signposting to mental health and emotional wellbeing services across Berkshire West. - Project Salama supports people in Wokingham from marginalised groups, for example ethnic minority communities or members of the LGBT community, whose situations are compounded by domestic abuse. They will use the funding to train members on counselling and mental health, run events to empower women and educate boys and men to deter them from abuse, and create safe
spaces for victims, linking them to services that can help them. - Spotlight UK support children across Berkshire West to improve mental wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem. They help children affected by mental health issues, loss, separation, children in care, and children affected by domestic abuse. The extra funding will go towards running free dance
classes at primary schools as an outlet to improve mental health and reduce isolation, as well as the work their Youth Worker does giving children a positive role model and someone to talk to. - The Black Boy Joy Club in Wokingham works with ethnic minority people who are also members of the LGBTQI+ community. The prejudices and misunderstandings they face can lead to higher instance of mental health issues and suicide. The extra funding means they can support more people
in the community, set up peer support networks, and reach out to the wider local community using preparing and sharing food as a catalyst to open conversations and celebrate diversity. - Utulivu works with women, children and older people to empower them and promote health and wellbeing. They plan to use this funding to support young adults who have become more isolated from their community since coming out of lockdown. They plan to use arts and music events to engage them, as well as therapeutic sessions and skills-based training. This will be offered out to young people in and around the Oxford Road area in Reading, but also open to any other young person that would like to take part.
Vicky Rhodes – Director for Early Help and Prevention at Brighter Futures for Children said
We are pleased to be involved in this excellent partnership venture. Our voluntary sector partners are the key to providing support to Reading’s children, young people and their families at the earliest opportunity.
Building our local community resilience is the right way to effectively address the inequalities and
challenges we know many of our young people experience in getting the right help at the right time.
This initiative paves the way to new and better ways of working together.