One of the major challenges facing the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is how to move resources from high-cost crisis care to lower cost preventative care.
Research tells us that Long Term Health Conditions account for 74p in each £1 spent by the NHS. Conditions such as diabetes, strokes, obesity which can impair the quality of our lives but can also be prevented or reduced with support at the earliest stages. Many VCSE organisations are ideally placed to offer a range of locally based activities
This page features examples from across West Yorkshire. Today's place focus is on Kirklees
Enjoy exploring and be inspired!
To get involved on social media, follow and use the #VCSEpower hashtag on Twitter during the week.
Bradford District and Craven
Bradford Food Bank
Video about us: https://
Bradford Food Bank Annaul Report 2021 (pdf)
Links to our past few newsletters: December 2021, July 2021, April 2021
The Cellar Trust
"Building Brighter Futures - Giving hope to people struggling with their mental health" information leaflet about The Cellar Trust (pdf)Training offer
You can access a range of free mental health and wellbeing training resources at a time that suits you and from the comfort of your own home. They are designed to support in areas such as: Low mood, improving sleep, suicide awareness and stress. Take a look at the resources we have to support you, register at livingwell.training
Cellar Trust Training - information leaflet (pdf)
Resources
"Mental health affects us all" series of A4 posters (pdf)
"Mental health affects us all" flyer (pdf)
"Pathways to Employment" information leaflet (pdf)
Calderdale
Carers Wellbeing Service Calderdale
Carers Wellbeing Service Calderdale provides carers 18 and over with an extensive range of resources and support, designed to give you more balance in life.
Carers Wellbeing Service Calderdale information leaflet (pdf)
If you provide practical help and/or emotional support to a friend, relative or partner due to illness, age or disability, then you are a carer.
Being a carer can be physically and emotionally demanding. If you support someone with a long term health condition or disability, we can help you to do so, without it having a negative impact on your life.
Carers often tell us that they feel isolated. We can help you to be connected to services, events and activities happening in your community. We provide evening or weekend support for working carers if needed.
We will get to know you and your situation so we can give you the most relevant and appropriate guidance and support.
Living Well Calderdale Women’s Cancer Support Network
We are a group dedicated to supporting women affected by Cancer . We received a grant from Voluntary & Community (Winter pressures fund). Many of the ladies we support have had a difficult time during the pandemic, many of them being amongst the most vulnerable and therefore spending a lot of time alone.
Case study: Journal writing workshop
The facilitator was Emma Decent, a local poet and writer.
Some of the participants were a little uneasy at first, Emmas words put them at ease- These will be gentle writing workshops using pen and paper for relaxation, self-discovery and self-support. We will use simple writing exercises to get the pen flowing playfully and creatively. Discover how a journal can be a friend, a private space in which to find and express yourself, as well as a place to play, laugh and remember.
I would like to share with you 3 examples;
‘S’ was worried because her handwriting ‘was like a childs’ she has arthritis also that she was embarrassed as her spelling was poor.Emma reassured her that the journal was hers and hers alone the writing was hers and the spelling was hers and nothing else mattered -spell it as you say it it doesn’t matter.After a very short time ‘S’ was taking a very active part in the workshop and was very happy to share some of what she had written. Her words ‘I am definitely coming to the next two!!!
‘D’ has multiple health problem but loves to socialise with the group and gives anything a go. She uses a wheelchair and has only use of one arm.
When it came to the first exercise ‘D’ opened up the coloured gel pens proved and began to write. She told Emma she had only written her name over and over -Emma assured her that that was wonderful it was the most important word she could have written it was her name. ‘D’ was so pleased to hear that. Another writing exercise included love -for things family places etc.
‘D’ did a series of tiny figures like a drop of water with stick arms and legs. She explained to me how much she loved her dad he used to draw this little figure and tell stories. The figure was called Fred, her father was a printer and Fred was a drop of ink. (See attached photo)
‘M’ suffers from schizophrenia and lives a very quiet life. She will often come to meetings where she will ask to sit away from the others ‘just to watch’ when she has had enough, she will quietly leave.
At the workshop the same thing happened she refused the journal and pens. However, after half an hour she got up and took them from the side table and began writing. Not only that she wanted to read some of her work. She stayed till the end of the session and left smiling.
By Fran Moir
Invictus Wellbeing
Case study: Paula, 16
‘It’s been perfect, I’ve had the chance to be myself and have someone listen to what I need to getout’. ‘She doesn’t ask me boring questions and I can tell my story at my own pace and get honestfeedback and input’. ‘If any young person is struggling and unsure about whether to get support,just go in with an open mind and try new things, it will be worth it’. - Paula, 02/01/22.
Paula was referred to us from West Yorkshire Police and Liaison and Diversion, Paula had beenexcluded from a school and was struggling to attend the PRU she had been registered at. Shehad many risk taking behaviours and was known to abscond from school and home and reallystruggled with trusting professionals due to previous breaks in trust from other professionals.
Paula saw one of our practitioners and struggled to open up at first, saying openly that she didn’ttrust the practitioner. After a few sessions and with our consistent non-judgmental approach, shebegan to open up about self harm and how she had self harmed previously and was doing itsuperficially recently.
The practitioner worked with the young person, understanding triggers for risk taking behaviour such as selfharm, using distraction techniques and promoting healthy coping mechanisms.
Paula stopped self harming so frequently and instead is now using henna as an alternative, as well as developing a relationship with mum where self harm can be discussed in a non-judgmental way.
Paula is now also being more trusting to professionals and after her intervention with ourpractitioner, she has gone on to engage with our other activities and projects, working with ourlink worker to get into boxing, an activity we know is highly effective for releasing tension and asa coping mechanism.
We didn’t want to just ‘dump’ Paula after her 12 weeks of sessions, but get her into meaningful and positive activity that we know will support her dealing with the stress and anxietyof everyday life. Paula has gone on to attend PRU more regularly and is able to use techniques to manage andregulate her emotions better when she is feeling stressed, angry or full of anxiety.
Find out more about Invictus Wellbeing at www.
Ver de Gris Arts
Radio broadcast: FIBRE
FIBRE is about exploring and reflecting on how art can be responsive to, and representative of our ‘over-looked’ communities. Verd de gris’ work is about using creativity to help shape group dynamic and mutual support, as well as offering opportunities for local people to engage the wider community in an open, creative conversation about issues that matter to them.
In this piece we wanted to show how the arts can be applied to both support positive mental health, and use digital / online ‘spaces’ to offer up new possibilities and new forms of communication and conversation.
Kirklees
Well Connected
Encouraging more community activity in North Kirklees to support people coming out of lockdown.
Website: https://
Case study – Serendipity Creative Writing: https://
Case study – Umbrella Yoga: https://
Thriving Kirklees Seed Funding Case Study: Family Dance (video):
Threads of Survival – national crafting & Covid commemoration project: https://
Barca-Leeds
We set up a Covid Pandemic Community Hub within three days of the request from Leeds City Council to provide food, shopping and prescriptions for people who were vulnerable and isolating at home: there is a film here of our interview on Look North.
Work Well
During the spring of 2021 we had become increasingly concerned about the negative effects of lockdown upon young people and set up a new service called Work Well which supports young people with mental health issues to regain their confidence and enter into education, training or work.
It works citywide and has seen well over 200 15 – 24 year olds.
Leeds Mind
Local Care Partnership
The presentation was on a piece of work conducted in Seacroft and Surrounding areas Local Care Partnership on Domestic Violence prevention.
Touchstone Support - Your Space
Leeds digital grants fund
A special digital grants fund, created by pooling funds from Forum Central, Leeds Community Foundation and BT, has helped third sector organisations across the city continue to deliver essential services during the coronavirus pandemic. Forum Central, worked closely with the Leeds City Digital Team, ensuring key third sector services could continue to be delivered do people who were most at risk.
Read more about the scheme at https://
Manbassadors
The Orion Consortium of Feel Good Factor, Space2 and Zest started the Manbassador Project in East Leeds by with funding from the Male Suicide Prevention Fund. More recently funding has been provided by the National Lottery emergency COVID fund and the scheme.
Visit the Manbassadors website at https://
Hey Neighbour Grants (and Covid grants) - easy access, grassroots kick-start and development financial support
From neighbourhood run allotments to lunch clubs, or community walking groups. The ‘Hey Neighbour’ project wants to promote and support new or existing neighbourhood networks, encouraging people to make connections, and help generate volunteering in communities.
The pandemic has made us more aware of the need to feel part of the wider community and the increased importance of neighbourliness on mental and physical wellbeing.
The purpose of the ‘Hey Neighbour’ grants scheme is to alleviate the impact on mental health during the recovery phase of Covid.
Visit the Hey Neighbour website at https:/
Wakefield
Yorkshire Cancer Community
Visit the Yorkshire Cancer Community website at yorkshirecancercommunity.co.uk
You Cancervive podcast - Let's Talk About Cancer
Cancer Survivors Arzoo and Rob aim to make cancer an everyday conversation and get people talking. They want to reach everyone who could potentially find themselves touched by cancer in their lifetime - and that could include you or someone you love.
Listen to the You Cancervive podcast at https://
Mindful Movers
Find the Mindful Movers on facebook at www.
Mindful Movers information poster (pdf)
Prince of Wales Hospice
Case study: The Prince of Wales Hospice Reindeer Run (pdf)
Featherstone Rovers Foundation
Visit the Featherstone Rovers Foundation website at www.featherstoneroversfoundation.org
Team up with the Featherstone Rovers Foundation alongside current and past players from the game of Rugby League to see how they deal with issues on and off the pitch and build your own mental fitness!
