£150,000 of grants awarded to support health and wellbeing in Reading
Ten community projects will benefit through the Council's Better Care Fund
A number of community-based projects in Reading, helping residents access medical, practical and emotional support, have been awarded a Better Care Fund grant.
The ten grants, totalling £148,150, are part of Reading Borough Council's commitment to support and empower people to remain as independent and as well as possible.
The grant fund will allow a wide range of activities and initiatives to be implemented or extended, including tackling social isolation through groups, meetings and events, and improving confidence at classes including self-defence and tai chi.
It will also support people getting physically fitter, with options including walking and football groups, and improving mobility through activities such as chair yoga and adapted gym sessions.
Other initiatives include learning new skills such as cooking, hairdressing and gardening, along with the provision of essential household items and clothing.
The Alliance for Cohesion and Racial Equality will deliver a "Keeping Well" programme and practical digital-health support for residents experiencing deprivation, loneliness, low confidence, language or cultural barriers, digital exclusion and wider health inequalities.
Get Berkshire Active will deliver the "Ever Active Reading" programme, providing accessible weekly community-based physical activity and wellbeing sessions for older people and residents with long-term health conditions.
Healthwatch Reading's "Reframing Masculinity: Men Can Care" project will work with men with lived experience and community partners to identify and support hidden male carers, improve access to advice and preventative support, reduce isolation, and establish a lasting Male Carers Network.
Launchpad Reading will provide an accessible, preventative health and wellbeing service supporting adults facing social isolation, poor mental health, long-term health conditions, disability and homelessness, including access to laundry and shower facilities.
Parenting Special Children will provide helpline advice, specialist one-to-one support, monthly groups, family events and trained peer support for families of children with special needs, supporting ethnically diverse communities and mothers affected by domestic abuse in Reading's most disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Reading Gateway Church will deliver a community-based parish nursing and wellbeing programme in South Reading, for older people, unpaid carers and those with long-term conditions or disabilities, providing home visits and nursing support alongside bereavement sessions.
Sport in Mind will expand free, inclusive physical activity and wellbeing support across Reading, including weekly walking, football, yoga and tai chi sessions, targeted outreach and community events for people experiencing mental health challenges.
The Cowshed Referral Project will provide disadvantaged Reading residents with free essential clothing, hygiene products, bedding, household and maternity items through established referral pathways, supporting dignity, wellbeing, independent living and safe returns home from hospital.
Torch Help Hub will expand its "Neighbourhood Parish Nursing" service in Coley and Southcote, providing home visits and cooking sessions, particularly for people on low incomes or using local food pantries, alongside seated exercise, health education and bereavement support.
Utulivu Women's Group's "Midlife Matters" programme will deliver women's midlife health and prevention sessions, targeted community outreach activities and a community learning event, particularly engaging women from ethnically diverse communities.
Councillor Rachel Eden, Lead Councillor for Education and Public Health, said supporting people's physical and mental health "works best when the Council, our community partners and residents work together".
"Reading has brilliant community and voluntary organisations that know their communities, have built trusted relationships and understand the support people need," Cllr Eden said.
"I'm really pleased that the Council is once again investing in ten of these vital organisations. This funding will help us reach people who need support and give our partners the opportunity to build on what they already do so well," she said.
"By working together to help people stay mentally and physically well, we can support more residents to live independently and stay connected to their communities," Cllr Eden said.