NHS charities supporting community projects in Surrey Working alongside five other Surrey Heartlands NHS charities as part of the NHS Charities Together’s Community Grants Programme, and in collaboration with the Community Foundation for Surrey, we are thrilled to announce that the following projects will receive funding over the next two years, to address health and wellbeing inequalities across the region. Read more in news Projects to receive funding Momentum Children’s Charity Project: Momentum Children’s Charity Family Support WorkerProject start date: July 2021Project end date: June 2023Amount awarded: £48,635 The grant from NHS Charities Together will pay for a Momentum Children’s Charity Family Support Worker. This role will support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of families whose children are being treated for cancer or a life-challenging condition, within four Surrey Heartlands hospitals: St Peter’s in Chertsey, Royal Surrey in Guildford, East Surrey in Redhill, and Epsom Hospital. “We’re thrilled to receive this significant grant from Surrey Heartlands NHS Charities and the Community Foundation for Surrey. The families we support were already facing huge challenges in caring for their seriously ill child. Covid-19 brought many additional fears and anxieties; our Family Support Workers are needed more than ever.” - Bianca Effemey, Founder and CEO, Momentum Children’s Charity Visit website Family Voice Surrey Project: Engagement ProjectProject Start Date: July 2021Project End Date: June 2023Funding awarded £49,950 The grant will fund Family Voice Surrey’s Engagement Project, which supports carers of young people. Each coordinator uses their knowledge of the borough to inform parents of local services and support available to them, and feeds back experience of the parent carers in their borough. “While all those who work for Family Voice Surrey are parent carers, the engagement project is crucial to ensure that the evidence we give our partners is truly representative of our community. A key aspect of the project is to offer every parent carer the chance to be heard.” - Benedicte Symcox, CEO Visit website Surrey Coalition of Disabled People Project: Digital inclusion – health programmesProject start date: November 2021Project end date: October 2023Funding awarded £49,300 The grant will add value to the charity’s current project, Tech to Community Connect. This supports local residents who are digitally excluded by: Matching them with a volunteer Tech Angel – to increase their digital literacy and confidence. Issuing them with a device on long term loan. Giving opportunities to become a virtual volunteer to those who are often excluded from volunteering. The funding will add value by: Having a dedicated (part time) member of the team, focused on digital inclusion for health programmes. Increasing the provision of available devices for loan for those who have a health condition. “We are thrilled that NHS Charities Together and Surrey Heartlands NHS Charities have chosen to support the Tech to Community Connect project. Our team of volunteer Tech Angels have already given the gift of digital freedom to so many residents during the pandemic, this funding will enable us to increase our capacity to focus on more equitable access to digital health services.” - Clare Burgess, CEO Visit website Be Me Project Project: Be Me ProjectProject Start Date: September 2021Project End Date: August 2022Funding awarded: £23,268 Be Me Project runs courses to build self esteem, confidence and resilience and offer a safe space to discuss issues affecting individuals, especially the impact of the pandemic. Course facilitators are very experienced in drawing out learning from the discussion and allowing participants to work through issues that are important to them personally. The project works with schools, GP centres and community groups across Mole Valley, and it is expanding its services into neighbouring areas of Surrey. “We are so grateful to have received this funding; being able to support vulnerable young people and women who have been so affected through Covid on top of their normal struggles in life. Giving time, love and support is invaluable to see confidence and self worth grow.” - Lu Mason, CEO and Founder Visit website East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services (ESDAS) Project: Specialist Domestic Abuse, Mental Health and Therapeutic InterventionsProject start date: September 2021Project end date: August 2023Funding awarded: £50,000 The project will create a post dedicated to working with survivors whose experiences of trauma have led to significant mental ill health, as well as providing them with opportunities to access appropriate trauma informed therapeutic interventions that meet their needs. This funding will mean the organisation can increase capacity and provide safe spaces for survivors to explore their experiences and journey to recover at a pace that suits them and that recognises the impact of trauma upon them. “We have undoubtedly seen, and are increasingly concerned about, the trauma survivors and children have experienced whilst ‘locked in’ with their abuser and the longer-term impact that this will have on their emotional and physical wellbeing. This funding will help us provide life-saving services to survivors.” - Michelle Blunsom, MBE, CEO, ESDAS Visit website Emerge Advocacy Project: EmergeProject Start Date: September 2021Project End Date: August 2023Funding awarded: £50,000 Teams of specially trained staff and volunteers across Surrey Heartlands are present in hospital during the evenings to bring comfort, compassion and care to people aged 10 to 25 arriving in A&E or staying on the wards because of self-harm, suicidal ideation or emotional crisis. The team also provides follow up support as soon as young people leave hospital to provide a bridge back into daily life following their crisis. Meeting with young people for up to three months, the teams empower, equip and encourage young people to engage with mental health teams and community activities. This tailored support reduces the risk of repeat crisis and readmission, and helps to set young people on a new trajectory. “We’re delighted to deliver this complementary, non-clinical service for young people in crisis. As 75% of mental health issues begin by age 24, there is no better time to make a difference in the lives of young people across our county. Thank you for believing in our work and giving us this opportunity.” - Joy Wright, CEO Visit website Emmaus Transformation Trust (The Lighthouse) Project: Jigsaw Family Network HubProject start date: September 2021Project end date: August 2023Funding awarded: £46,590 Jigsaw, a project for families with children under five who are in financial need, is using the grant to launch its new ‘Family Hub’ next door to its Woking Lighthouse. This will provide a space for families to receive further connection and support through stay and play sessions, a cup of tea, a friendly ear, parenting sessions, and connection with other local professionals. “We are so thankful for the opportunity this funding has given us to expand our services to meet the growing needs of our local families. Our new family hub will enable us to support families by delivering groups, providing resources, and facilitating courses to promote positive interaction, healthy relationships and family wellbeing.” - Emma Heather, Jigsaw Family Network Manager Visit website Mums and Midwives Awareness Academy Project: Pregnancy PassportsProject start date: October 2021Project end date: September 2022Funding awarded: £15,634 MAMA Academy safer pregnancy resources are widely used across the UK to deliver key messages about health and wellbeing in the perinatal period to women and birthing people via their midwives. This aims to facilitate empowered pregnancy whilst also supporting maternity teams in efforts to reduce stillbirth numbers and improve outcomes.This project will enable the organisation to deliver these vital resources to every pregnant woman in the Surrey Heartlands area for a 12-month period. “We’re so excited to be able to make Pregnancy Passports available to the women and families of Surrey thanks to this generous funding. These resources have a track record nationwide of improving parents’ awareness about safer pregnancy, and we look forward to them helping to save babies’ lives in Surrey.” - Chris Binnie, Business Development Manager, MAMA Academy Visit website Oakleaf Enterprise Project: Moving ForwardsProject start date: May 2021Project end date: April 2023Funding awarded: £49,656 This funding supports two key Oakleaf staff members: Assistant Client Advisor – a part-time role supporting vulnerable individuals with mental ill-health, through Oakleaf’s range of activities in the Boroughs of Guildford and Waverley. Wellbeing Community Engagement Officer – a full-time role, initiating wellbeing and social inclusion activities for isolated individuals with mental health problems. “We are hugely grateful for this funding, for two of our most key roles supporting adults in Surrey experiencing significant (and often severe) mental ill-health. The pandemic has been a major challenge for our clients but by providing expert support, Oakleaf is able to make a genuine difference to the lives of local people.” - Clive Stone, Oakleaf’s CEO Visit website Sight for Surrey Project: Living without BarriersProject start date: September 2021Project end date: August 2023Funding awarded: £49,300 ‘Living without Barriers’ will support Sight for Surrey’s community to access a range of emotional and practical help as they go through the process of coming to terms with the fact that they now have significant sight and/or hearing loss that is going to impact on their daily lives. This work will be fully accessible; enabling clients of any age and their families/carers to promote their choice, independence and control. “We are thrilled to have been chosen as a beneficiary of the NHS Charities Together funding. This will enable us to provide more emotional and practical support to people in hospital eye clinics across the county as well as introducing Hearing Loss Advisors in the audiology clinics.” - Bob Hughes, CEO Visit website Westway Community and Wellbeing Centre Project: Westway Outreach - phase 2Project start date: September 2021Project end date: August 2023Funding awarded: £50,000 This outreach project was founded during the pandemic to support local individuals and their families to access the resources, services or support they need. Examples include: advice about finances, applying for benefits or blue badges, getting key safes fitted, finding quality used furniture or receiving emergency food or help to pay fuel bills. “Arranging ‘joined up’ support is a key feature of the work of the Westway Outreach Team. We network and utilise the wealth of talent provided by local volunteers and businesses. Working creativity with people who use our services we aim to support them to develop their own solutions. A true partnership of local people supporting local people.” - Claire Richards, Westway Manager Visit website Manage Cookie Preferences