As part of our social value commitment, we have established a partnership with the Cheshire Community Foundation. The Cheshire Community Foundation raises funds to support hundreds of amazing small charities and voluntary groups across the whole of Cheshire and Warrington. They connect people and companies who would like to make a difference with those most in need of help. Through our partnership, we sit on their Crewe fund advisory board to help decide where those funds should be allocated. We recently visited the charities that we have supported so far to check out the amazing work that they are doing.
Chance Changing Lives
Our funding supports their pilot outreach GP health clinic at the Saturday Kitchen twice a month, a podiatry session once a month and a counselling service. We were shown stories of how Chance Changing Lives demonstrated exactly what its name states by turning around the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society.
https://www.chancechanginglives.org/
Motherwell Cheshire
The grant is funding their “Believe project”, a relationship-based support model that supports mums at risk of child removal. The project provides an advocacy worker for mums when their child is placed on a child protection plan. “Having a child removed is a traumatic experience for the families involved. If these grief emotions are not recognised or acknowledged, they will persist and could lead to chronic unresolved grief and long-term psychological problems”. (Marsh & Leamon, 2019). Through this funding, 45 women will be supported, and through them, approximately 95 children will be impacted.
https://motherwellcheshirecio.com
St Pauls Centre
Funding contributes to re-establishing a purpose-built venue for a Cycle Repair Project on the Centre’s site to house equipment and have enough space for several volunteers to work on cycles. It will lead to an open outside area where cycles will be stored and worked on in the summer. The building will be warm and secure from unwanted attention and available for use as required. A part-time Project Lead is being appointed to ensure the project meets its aims, including recruiting and supporting volunteers. A supportive environment will enable volunteers to learn repair skills and be part of a sociable group. From this, they hope to witness improvements in volunteers’ mental and physical health, an increase in transferable skills and the related benefits to the environment by encouraging greater uptake in cycling amongst local people.
The Wishing Well Project
The funding is for their “Better Start” project, which will improve the lives of children and families by providing courses for parents/carers and engaging sessions for children. The parenting courses provide support, advice, and guidance to parents at any stage of the parenting journey. The courses also offer advice and guidance that will develop key skills regarding money management, cooking on a budget and ways to engage children without expensive trips out. As well as this, the parenting courses also offer hints and tips on how to search and apply for jobs and improve confidence and self-esteem. The activity sessions for children provide an opportunity for young people to play, laugh and engage in fun activities with other children. These sessions also provide a healthy snack to participants and so help to tackle hunger. Sessions run simultaneously, making them accessible for single parents and those unable to access childcare.
https://www.facebook.com/wishingwellproject/
