Image
Earlier this year the council announced it was making two lots of health funding available for community organisations and groups.
The first was for existing and new community food projects which encourage healthy eating and improve knowledge of and access to nutritious, affordable food.
The second grant funding was for initiatives that act as social prescribing activities and services, helping to improve mental health and wellbeing and reduce social isolation and loneliness.
In total the council has awarded £53,980 to community health and wellbeing schemes. In addition to this, social prescribing projects with a nature element were match funded by Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Green Social Prescribing which contributed an additional £21,686.
Four community projects have been awarded funding and nine projects which tackle social isolation and support wellbeing in North Somerset have received grants. It is estimated that the projects will help improve the health and wellbeing of more than a thousand North Somerset residents, of all ages.
The successful projects are:
- Community food projects – these were awarded just over £19,000 in total:
- Banwell Parish Council Youth Club – Youth Cookery
- Boomsatuma Creative CIC – Boombox Cookery Club
- Pill Youth Club – Eat Well, Live Well Project
- Weston Foodbank: Self-Help Cookery Course
- Social Prescribing community projects - these were awarded just over £56,000 in total:
- Banwell Parish Council: Banwell Summer Holidays Youth Club
- F.r.I.e.n.D.s Together: Craft, tea, Coffee and Gardening
- Friends of Grove Park: Wellbeing and Community Cohesion
- North Somerset Carers: Wellbeing Activities
- Osprey Outdoors: Isolation Recovery Project
- OTR: NatureWell
- Portishead Youth Centre: Senior Citizen Support and Activity Sessions
- Theatre Orchard: Grow Feral 2.0
- Uncle Paul’s Chilli Farm: Wellbeing Days
Cllr Mike Bell, North Somerset Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member with responsibility for health, said: “I’m delighted that so many community groups are benefiting from this funding and will make a real difference to the people they’re working with.
“All of us in North Somerset have a part to play in making the area a healthier place to live, to make changes to improve our own health and wellbeing, and to help support others to do the same.
“We know the vital role community groups and organisations play in supporting people in our communities to improve their wellbeing, and this funding will help them continue this important work, ultimately helping us achieve a more open, fairer and greener North Somerset.”