Vision 2030 Community Grants Programme

Welcome to the Vision 2030 Community Grants Programme page where you can see details of all the successful awards made to-date. All grants are in the range of £500 – £5,000.

Vision 2030 COVID-19 Vaccination Support Grant

Shree Pashupatinath Mandir

Shree Pashupatinath Mandir (Shani Dham) is a Hindu faith Temple based in Blackheath. Shree Mandir will use the funding to raise awareness amongst their local communities to overcome common barrier which include lack of confidence in the vaccine, potential risk of taking vaccine, access barrier, socio demographic context, lack of communication from trusted provider and community leaders. Their aim is to reach all ages especially younger population between 18-50and over 65 years old of BAME communities, and hard-to reach groups to encourage immunisation decisions through shaping perceptions about immunisations, belief in vaccine efficacy, visit different community centres/place of worship to raise awareness about Covid-19 vaccinations providing information about associated risk of not having vaccine and create workshops and multilingual leaflets for people who visit these centres. These languages will include Hindi/Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Nepali.

Smethwick Youth & Community Centre

The Smethwick Youth & Community Centre (SYCC) is a multi-agency and cross sector resource centre based in the heart of Smethwick. SYCC will use the funding to support its current clients through Telephone Support-Face-to-face Support, small group Sessions and will train our staff and volunteers and equip them with a common Frequently Asked Questions framework to enable them to converse with the clients and dispel any myths about the vaccination.

African French Speaking Community Support

AFSCS is a front line voluntary organisation which principally operates in the Soho/Victoria area of Smethwick. Its beneficiaries are mainly from French speaking countries of Africa living in Sandwell. Their programme intends to raise awareness among reluctant to be vigilant and encourage their first jab. Families, couple and community leaders who have received the two doses will be invited to give their testimonies during music performances as many people will be connected to watch these live music performances. The project intends to deliver 5 concerts streamed live on their You Tube channel and Facebook page.  Using music to bring together musicians, health professionals, community leaders, people who have received the two doses, those who have been reluctant can join the sessions to hear positive stories.

SOHO Friends & Neighbours

SOHO F&N is a community led group based in Smethwick helping people to help themselves in saving money, reducing isolation, health and well-being, dealing with every day life and increasing their networks. They will use the funding to purchase a smart TV to link to a laptop to purchase a display Sandwell MBC’s and national government social media streams in regards to the subjects stated above including the process of doing the lateral flow test. This will be done in conjunction with their newly funded drop-in sessions starting in July 2021 to increase people’s awareness to take up the vaccine, defuse vaccine hesitancy and myth busting fake vaccine news.

Sandwell African Caribbean Mental Health Foundation

SACMHF is a charity which provides a range of culturally sensitive services predominantly for Black African, Caribbean, Dual heritage people based in West Bromwich will use their funding to deliver 4 community vaccination awareness sessions in partnership with 2 local Black led churches. The sessions will be delivered face to face in a local community venue. The sessions will be informative and led by a panel who are clinical staff who have experience of being part of the vaccination programme.  The awareness sessions will aim to educate people on the importance of taking the vaccine, raise awareness of the current vaccination programme, dispel myths about the vaccine, answer any questions and concerns people may have and to increase vaccine uptake.

West Bromwich BID

West Bromwich Town Business Improvement District covers over 500 businesses in West Bromwich Town. Ambassadors patrol the BID area 6 days per week and are a main point of contact for information, help and assistance.  They work in partnership with Sandwell Council and West Bromwich Police/PCSO’s to report any town centre issues including Anti-Social Behaviour. The BID will use the funding to install 120 lampost sleeves across the BID area in West Bromwich promoting the uptake of the vaccine with relevant and factual information and in several languages.

Ideal for All

Ideal for All is a user-led charity and social enterprise working to make life better for disabled, elderly and vulnerable people and their carers. They will utilise the funding to include additional practical support to promote take-up of vaccinations through engagement activity with our membership/service users which will include proactive calls, online events, information mailouts/email shots promoting the vaccine, sharing positive role-modelling stories. They will also cascade sound IAG around vaccines across their digital platforms and existing sessions ‘myth busting’ and sharing positive news stories from real people and key organisations e.g. Patron Dave Heeley, Healthy Sandwell. Alongside this they will signpost to the right information/resources at the right time e.g. Public Health and Primary Health Care when people need personalised support and mailout to existing Community Offer users in partnership with the lead organisations across 6 towns, guiding people towards practical support e.g. help with appointments/bookings.

Bangladeshi Islamic Centre

The Bangladeshi Islamic Centre (BIC) is a formally constituted, community led, independent charitable organisation, committed to the alleviation of disadvantage, inequality and deprivation through a targeted range of services to the communities of Sandwell and with a particular focus upon the Bangladeshi community. BIC will use their funding to host a pop-up clinic for vaccinations at our centre as well as holding three focus groups with different people to discuss the Covi9-19 impact and the positive effects vaccination will have. Since lock down has started, they have been helping and have supported clients that have been severely affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Friar Park Millennium Centre

Friar Park Millennium Centre provide activities for young people in Wednesbury, and also activities for others e.g. leisure facilities for retired/vulnerable people. The centre will utilise the funding to deliver informative leaflets through the doors of local residence that live in Friar Park and surrounding areas. The vaccination uptake leaflets will be distributed to residence living in the area, reaching approximately people of all ages living in the household. Leaflets and information will also be available to groups on site at the community centre nursery, dance, cheerleaders, sport group and homework club, reaching parents, grandparents and carers as well as displaying the leaflets in other local community venues such as shops.

North Smethwick Development Trust

NSDT – Brasshouse provides opportunities for local people to engage and celebrate their creativity. They will use funding to continue target support to the Black, Asian and minority ethnic members of the community to take up the vaccine who may be vaccine hesitant. Their support is mainly to support the administrative function of identifying eligible individuals within the community or as a result of people calling the centre to see if there are spare vaccines or those who have been referred either through other GP services or the 119 service.

West Bromwich African Caribbean Resource Centre

WBACRC provides services primarily for the African-Caribbean community across the Borough. They will use their funding to set up a forum of Trusted leaders from their community and give people the facts around the COVID 19 Vaccination, They will use Sandwell Public Health Covid Vaccination toolkit to give people the facts about the vaccine so that they can give positive messages to people who use theirs services and in the wider community and alongside this offer one to one telephone support to 300 people from our community to those who are identified as vaccine hesitant• They will also engage with the community via their social media platforms and YouTube channel.

OSCAR

OSCAR Sandwell is a registered charity  that was established in 1988 to promote the well being of sufferers of Sickle Cell Anaemia and Thalassaemia. OSCAR will provide ongoing information to their client base made up of the Black African and Black Caribbean community and Asian community who are affected by genetic blood disorders Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia (SC&T) disorders who have been deemed clinically vulnerable and high risk and have been long term shielding since lockdown.

SPDC

SPDC is a voluntary organisation founded in 2003by a group of parents and carers of disabled children frustrated at the lack of play, leisure and sporting opportunities available for them and their families. A key area of our work is providing information and support to parent carers. SPDC will  contact parent carers individually as well as utilising regular email communications and regular Zoom meetings to promote vaccine uptake and raise awareness of how parent carers are able to access the vaccine.

SAFS

SAFS provides a range of quality health and social care services in Sandwell and also manage the Windmill Community Centre. Alongside their welfare telephone calls SAFS will be using their funding to ensure additional calls and information can be provided to their clients to give advice and guidance around the vaccination. Alongside this SAFS will deliver translated leaflets and information as well as using social media platforms

YEMENI

The Yemeni Community Association (YCA) is a small community based organisation that seeks to represent and meet the particular needs of Yemeni and other Arabic speaking communities in Sandwell. Yemeni will co-produce a video and posters/letters material in Arabic that will help ensure that the vaccination take up in the Arabic speaking community is positive. The video will highlight the message of the importance of the vaccination programme to help protect the community from COVID and help to get the community back to some form of normality. It will also tackle the issue of some of the myths surrounding the vaccination as well as any mistrust or concerns the community has.

NACRO

NACRO work with a broad range of young people and adults across education, resettlement and rehabilitation, health and wellbeing, and housing services in Sandwell. NACRO will engage with 120 local hard to reach learners, the majority of these come from families who have expressed concerns about the vaccination program, and many are deciding not to take it based on peer misinformation. Their vaccination support activity would be delivered as part of our study programme but also offered to the families and guardians of our learners and to the local community.

SVI

SVI is managed and run by blind and visually impaired (VI) people who give information and support to anyone in Sandwell with an interest in visual impairment. Sandwell Visually Impaired will undertake an initial tracking and monitoring activity to contact all of our members by phone, or other preferred methods of contact – to see how far they are in the vaccination process. They will also produce English spoken word recordings of leaflets, Covid information and the vaccine details and side‑effects sheet that is given out following a vaccination.  They will also link in with local community and faith groups to see what need there is for alternative spoken language audio production.

HSBTS

HSBTS will produce a video in Mirpuri, Urdu& English to be shared locally on our social media, community based private chat groups, and community wide groups. They will also produce posters/letters material in Urdu & English that will support the vaccination take up in the local community and also organise a vaccine awareness competition for children online.

AFSCS

AFSCS bring together people from French speaking countries of Africa living in Sandwell. The charity provides services  accessible to the wider community regardless of people’s race, origin, religion, disability, sex or political orientation. AFSCS will deliver a vast campaign called “Be Wise about Covid-19 Vaccination”. This campaign is designed to provide the right information about the importance of receiving the Covid-19 Vaccination and increase its take up among BME groups, especially people from the French speaking community living in Sandwell and the Black country. The activity will take place online, over the telephone and through outreach consisting of drop in leaflets in English, and leaflets translated in Urdu, Punjabi and French

EWA

European’s Welfare Association is a non-for profit community interest organisation focused on supporting migrants in areas of education, welfare, art and culture.
Their main beneficiaries are newly arrived European nationals, who may be experiencing some level of social exclusion, unemployment, depravation and inequality. European Welfare Association will address the misinformation about vaccines through social media posts, advertising and producing a video clip in Polish to help give people the most accurate information to help them make an informed decision.

Ileys

Ileys Community organisation helps refugees, asylum seekers and newly arrived migrants to settle in to the community. The funding will support the development of a network of somalian professionals to steer and develop suitable messages and resources for the community. They will hold awareness and advice sessions and translate information relating to COVID-19 Vaccinations produced by PHE and the local authority.

4 Community Trust

4 Community Trust supports the advancement of children and children with special educational needs and their parents in Sandwell. The funding will provide a telephone service, social media marketing campaign about the vaccine and help support parents of children with special education needs raise concerns about the medical treatment of their children.

YMCA

YMCA are a Community-focused non for profit organisation with recreational programs & services in Sandwell. Their funding will target social media campaign’s to support the uptake of the vaccine in Sandwell.  They will also provide calls to community members to talk and offer advice. There will be pop up information stands at Wester Gateway to distribute information to the local community and an offer to support individuals in the community to access their vaccination appointment.

Brushstrokes

Brushstrokes is a unique project offering a support and advice service to the most marginalised communities living in Sandwell, primarily asylum seekers, refugees. The funding will support the newly arrived communities with information about Covid, especially those on asylum support, EU nationals, rough sleepers and the Romanian Roma community. Information will be spread by mailshots and social media and will be in community languages where necessary.

SDCA

Sandwell Deaf Community Association is a charity led by deaf people and one that delivers specialist services across Sandwell/Black Country to deaf, deafened, hard of hearing people and people with a dual sensory loss. SDCA will use the funding to ensure information about the COVID-19 Vaccine is accessible to the Sandwell Deaf Community there will be drop in support, translation of local authority information for the Sandwell Council Website and visual videos from the Local Authority and Public Health. Also there will be videos and material created for social media relating to the vaccine.

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Round 2 – Vision 2030 Community Mental Health Grants

Litterwatch

Litterwatch will use the VS2030 funding to deliver weekly gardening sessions at their allotment based in West Bromwich with support from a qualified Mental Health First Aid facilitator. The sessions will be aimed at unemployed adults who are experiencing early signs of mental ill health with a focus to tackle social isolation, connect likeminded individuals and support positive health and wellbeing in participants whilst learning new skills and participating in therapeutic activity. Participants will have the opportunity to an industry recognised horticultural qualification alongside the sessions.

Wednesbury Tennis Club

Wednesbury Tennis Club aim to improve mental health, wellbeing and fitness levels within the Wednesbury community in a fun and family orientated environment using tennis activities. With support from the Vision 2030 grant programme, the group will facilitate weekly sessions aimed at attracting local individuals to participate in sociable group fitness sessions set on a tennis court in the heart of Brunswick Park with upbeat and motivating music that is open to people of all ages and abilities. Participants have the opportunity to block book onto four cardio tennis sessions, to support and enable them to make new community connections and spend time with family and friends.

DramaAndSome CIC

DramaAndSome will use Vision 2030 funding to deliver workshops to community groups for an interactive show which requires audience participation. The Performance will enable people to function collaboratively within a supportive framework, not only the range of human feelings but the range of social situations and moral dilemmas. It will provide people the opportunity to speak and presents a variety of viewpoints and perspectives for problem-solving. It allows people to bring their own experiences to the fore and makes them feel valued. The group will work alongside members in the community to produce an interactive show containing humour, escapism and a touch of shardenfruede and will work with residents from Langley Lodge, Thimblemill, Smethwick, and Tipton Libraries. These family-friendly shows will be opened up to a wider audience late Spring.

Beat in Percussion

Beat in Percussion will utilise the funding to run regular, monthly sound bath relaxation groups at Thimblemill Library, Bearwood and Wednesbury Town Hall and will produce a DVD/Video Relaxation session resource to share with Sandwell people with the support of existing Services and Providers across the borough. This activity will compliment existing activity and adress the need for additional low level support for local residents as we recover from the pandemic. The sessions aim to provide coping mechanisms and provision to tackle loss of confidence, low mood and a decline in their overall wellbeing and mental health In Sandwell.

Sandwell Consortium

Sandwell Consortium will use their VS2030 Funding to support a project that will enable three frontline workers to complete follow-on training to become qualified face to face i-act Instructors and deliver 3 face to face i-act Positive MH&WB courses free of charge by 31st December 2022 in Sandwell (delivery venues: West Bromwich, Tipton and Smethwick) to approximately 36 frontline staff/volunteers from Sandwell. They will be supported by the I-act Positive MH&WB manual to enable local people to have access this training free of charge.

 

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Round 1 – Vision 2030 Community Mental Health Grants

Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church based in Old Hill, Rowley Regis will use their VS2030 Community Mental Health Funding to drive two initiatives at their venue “Soup and Soul” a weekly gathering for individuals to meet for lunch and support and “Trinity Treasures” a weekly group for families with young children both of which will provide a local opportunity for attendees to meet others in a COVID- secure way that can make a difference to their socialising skills providing whilst offering low level intervention activity for members of the community. Both sessions will have direct benefits to participants the project will also give volunteers opportunities of being valued and trained. For those new to volunteering this may result in growth of self-esteem and work experience.

The Kaleidoscope Plus Group

The Kaleidoscope Plus Group will use their VS2030 Community Mental Health Funding to deliver a PLUS Programme(Positive Life Using Skills) –The programme can be delivered face to face and virtually on online platforms. The programme runs across to 10 modules which address a whole host of topics to support Mental Health and Wellbeing. Alongside this KPG will also offer  a 2 day Mental Health First Aid course targeted at local independent businesses enabling staff members to understand the practical skills required to assess and assist with signs of mental health issues. They will gain confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress. To compliment the work KPG will also host a 2 hour Wellbeing session once a month for 6 months, to encourage Sandwell residents to interact, have open conversations and let us know what the community needs, enabling us to offer the relevant services to them.

Benson Community Project

Benson Community Project using their successful VS2030 Community Mental Health Funding will offer community cycling every Wednesday 4.30 to 5.30pm at Hadley Stadium in Smethwick giving those parents/adults the opportunity to meet peer to peer form relationships, engage, take part in a friendly atmosphere safe and appropriate for individual needs mental health. Open to anyone that would like to not only engage in physical activity but also to find a supportive and friendly place in their community. Listening attentively to the individual need on an individual basis with an open door policy for all to attend which Benson Community Project has been identified as a need placing positive interactions within the local community in and around the cape hill area of Smethwick bringing back better the community from the pandemic in a positive form requested by the holistic community we live in.

Life in Community

Life in Community C.I.C seeks to build on the work undertaken through their Lifeline Listening service with their successful VS2030 Community Mental Health Funding, by developing a responsive advocacy service that supports individuals and families facing challenging circumstances that involve other professional and/or statutory services. Lifeline Advocates aims to provide advocacy support to new and existing clients who experience low level/moderate mental health issues by providing additional help in liaising with schools, social services, court, housing and/or DWP. The need for this support has been driven by the responses and concerns highlightedby clients who have accessed our listening service. The support will be provided by existing volunteers, whilst recruiting new ones; who will complete mental health first aid training to ensure that all volunteers are equipped and upskilled. This training will be delivered by First Aid Response, accredited by the First Aid Industry Body (FAIB)

Dorothy Parkes

With their successful VS2030 Community Mental Health Funding, Dorothy Parkes will deliver an eight-week support programme across a 12 Month delivery period for people who are struggling with grief, bereavement, & loss. The programme will take place at Dorothy Parkes Centre in Smethwick and DP will deliver ten courses which can each accommodate 6-8 people. The programmes will be delivered at various times throughout the week, i.e., mornings/afternoons/evenings to accommodate all needs. The programme is designed to be accessible to all, regardless of community background, levels of literacy or neuro diversity.

Sandwell Hubs

Sandwell Hubs will use their VS2030 Community Mental Health Funding to drive a peer mentor led Sensory parent and baby group which will run out of Cradley Heath Community Centre initially with the intention to offer sessions across Sandwell via their Hub members. The Sensory Peer Parent group will form part of our community mental health offer across Sandwell. We will offer its use to other community groups to support Mental Health and Wellbeing across the borough. Sandwell Community Hub members manage Centre’s within the 6 towns of Sandwell and therefore offering to replicate this Sensory Peer Parent Model across the existing members will ensure that there is access across Sandwell for residents.

Cape Community Centre

Cape Community Centre will use their VS2030 Community Mental Health Funding to facilitate a Parent & Baby/Toddler weekly session to include healthy brunch open to all. The project concept is to focus on Mental health issues such as postnatal depression, encourage lone & shy guardians to socialise, interact with other parents/carers – skill sharing – reducing isolation and promoting general positive wellbeing. They will continue to empower local people to support this project having already engaged with community members with previous experience in Child care who are keen to retrain. The Centre is supporting this and will offer free courses such as Safeguarding, DBS Certificates, Child Care & First Aid Course giving them confidence, self-worth and future prospects whilst ‘giving back to the community’.

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Round 9 – Vision 2030 Main Grants Programme

Old Hill Boxing Club

Old Hill Boxing Club will use their funding to develop a new boxing training and coaching session for local young people on Sunday mornings. The sessions will take place at Cradley Heath Community Centre which has excellent transport links and car parking making it accessible for all. All sessions are led by experienced and qualified coaches and are designed around the needs of the participants, session will specifically be for young people new to boxing who want to learn the basic techniques and training methods and  led by experienced and qualified coaches and are designed around the needs of the participants, so this session will specifically be for young people new to boxing who want to learn the basic techniques and training methods which will help them learn values such as discipline and respect for each other and themselves, improve their confidence and self-esteem while getting physically fitter and enhancing their emotional wellbeing.

Bearwood Hub CIC

Bearwood CIC will utilise the funding to develop The Listening Ear project taking place at Bearwood Community Hub, the project is a mental wellbeing service pilot which has been developed and trialled by a local professional who volunteers their time.  The activity will take place Tuesday and Thursday mornings each week for four months. The activity aims to bridge the gap for those who are seeking psychological help but not receiving it, as well as being available to anyone who is just wanting to be heard, without the need or desire for psychological interventions.

Life in Community

Life in Community will use their funding to add new dimensions to their existing provision in Tipton. The funding will support the project to allow them to work alongside young people to ensure there isn’t a gap in their learning particularly during the transitional period of accessing a school place. It will also aid their work with parents/individuals accessing their existing Job Club. The accreditation centre will enable Life in Community to provide access to at least a Level 1 qualification, giving young people and adults the confidence to progress back into secondary education or college more smoothly. The sessions will be simple and informal, based upon learner need, linking their learning to the national curriculum and the government’s agenda surrounding upskilling individuals with low educational achievement to progress to a Level 2.

Shree Krishna Mandir

VISAMO provide a real opportunity to interact with other elders who are going through the same emotions as them and share coping techniques to tackle loneliness, low mood and self-esteem. To enable the group to connect with extremely vulnerable and isolated members in the community they will use the funding to install an accessible ramp to enable less mobile and disabled members access to their group and activities. This small improvement aims to encourage more of the community to attend the weekly social and fitness sessions helping to keep them physically and mentally fit via positive interactions that stimulate them helping to prevent conditions such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Fantastic Journeys

Fantastic Journeys will use the funding to facilitate a 12 week arts project for children aged 5-15 with Additional Needs and their siblings. Each session will be 1.5 hours and will take place at Bearwood Community Hub. Sessions will include; a physical warm up activity; musical games to develop percussion and singing skills; interactive storytelling to generate ideas for the performance; a range of dance activities to develop dance skills; a warm down with gentle music.  The children will be supported to develop and make decisions about what they want to learn and how to develop their performance skills.

Friends of Goldicroft Park

Friends of Goldicroft Park with support from partners are working hard to make the park located in a residential area in Wednesbury a place where the community feel safe to play informally or participate in sports such as football, walk their dogs and be generally be a meeting point for more social activities that build a stronger more connected community. With support from their Vision 2030 Micro Grant their project will bring a new lease of life to the park with football equipment, bird and bat boxes to create a shared space that encourages nature and people to coincide together. The group will work wit local school to build and install the boxes whilst teaching participants about the natural environment to encourage them to appreciate local parks. Alongside this the group will develop a 12 months’ timetable of community activities such as fun days, community sports events, planting and maintaining shrubs and trees, community picnics and exercise or walking groups. All activities seek to encourage residents regardless of their age to use our park in ways that help them to be physically active and supports their wellbeing.

Vibes of Shine

Vibe n Shine is a youth club in the Cradley Heath area, incorporating music and cooking as the focus to engage with the young people . Vibes N Shine will utulise their Vision 2030 Micro Grant to provide an opportunity for both existing members and local residents to join an outing with long term aspirations to involve them in the youth provision or toddler group and community focused activity. The activity will enhance and support community spirit and connect local residents particularly those who may be experiencing loneliness and isolation which has heightened through the COVID19 Pandemic

Friends of Thimblemill

Singh Sabha

CBO

TimeStepDance

KRUNCH

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Round 8 – Vision 2030 Main Grants Programme

Cradley Heath Community Link

Cradley Heath CL will utilise the funding to support a youth repair cycle scheme based in Cradley Heath, to encourage young people (12-18 years of age) involved with painting, repairing and maintaining bikes with support from qualified and experienced bike mechanics. The young people will learn values such as working as a team, respect for others as well as boosting their self-esteem and confidence as they learn and apply new practical skills through working with each other on the bikes. Sessions would take place at least once a week on early evenings and weekends initially at Haden Hill House and Park and would involve the young people working on bikes with experienced and qualified bike mechanics from Cycle UK’s Dr Bike scheme.

Dorothy Parkes

New Beginnings

4Community Trust

Lion Farm Action Centre

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Round 7 – Vision 2030 Main Grants Programme

Changing our Lives 

Using their Vision 2030 Main Grants fund Changing our Lives will community connect with Sandwell residents with learning disabilities and/or autism via video conferencing with friends, family and wider social circle. Following successful facilitated community connecting via face-to-face contact during the COVID19 lockdown they started using digital technology to community connect individuals.  To support the project Changing our Lives will purchase Tablets and WiFi dongles to enable vulnerable community members to access virtual activity. They will run a series of events where Sandwell residents can get together, organise their own events and connect with existing friends with the opportunity to make new friends. They will work with each individual and family to set up the device to ensure the project is accessible.

Multistory

Following their recent successful Seeing in Isolation, encouraged members of Sandwell Visually Impaired to join the BLAST! Creative Network. While visually impaired people are now core to the network, their ambition is that D/deaf and neurodivergent people will also benefit from it. They will use their Vision 2030 Main Grants Funding from SCVO to make their programme fully accessible over the next two years. The grant enables them to enlist a BSL interpreter for sessions, offer a paid role to a member to edit session transcriptions and organise 4 accessible in-person events.

Old Cross Bowling Club

Old Cross Bowling Club based in Oldbury will utilise their Vision 2030 Main Grants funding to attract more local members to join and connect with Crown Green Bowls to sustain the continued existence of the Club, founded in 1908 and operated continuously for over 100 years. They currently have several members over 80 who play every week and who come together to socialise, improve their health and wellbeing as well as meeting likeminded people in the community. The game of Bowls is a low impact exercise which can improve fitness, coordination and confidence, It is played for the challenge and competition which provides personal enjoyment alongside being active. It also provides the pleasure of spending time outdoors and for social interaction, which we know from conversations with our members, is more important than ever given the restrictions during the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Sandwell Advocacy

Sandwell Advocacy will use their Vision 2030 Main Grants funding to drive their Sandwell Together, Telephone Befriending Service to continue their service through the Winter months to support the most vulnerable and isolated residents in the borough. The befriending service will continue to stay in contact with existing members and also reach out to new residents in need of support, advice and conversation. The funding will allow the service to continue until March 2022 to support the ongoing concerns around the pandemic, and to continue to offer a lifeline to Sandwell residents.

The Gap Centre

The Gap Centre will utilise their successful Vision 2030 Main Grants funding to grow and drive their existing support group over the coming months and years, and start more interested focused sessions on additional days. The recent pandemic has highlighted that many people in the community are feeling isolated and individuals are voicing their concerns highlighting a decline on their overall mental health and wellbeing. This has seen an increase in the numbers of attendees to the group and an increase in the online membership too. The group meet on a weekly basis, every Sunday 4.30pm -6pm at the charity’s venue in Hargate Lane , West Bromwich.

Cradley Heath Creative

Cradley Health Creative will use their successful Vision 2030 Micro Grant Funding to deliver a one off Art Festival event at the Hollybush Arts venue in Cradley Heath. The community focused event will host free workshops, exhibitions and performances for the public to enjoy. The event will invite the local community to join the event and enjoy the activities and exhibitions on display.

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Round 6 – Vision 2030 Main Grants Programme

BUDS

BUDS (Better Understanding of Dementia for Sandwell) aims to improve the quality of life of people experiencing Dementia and their families and carers in Sandwell. They will use the funding to continue developing the Telephone Befriending Service initially set up at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. The service is open to people living with dementia and their carers living in Sandwell. New and existing participants will receive a weekly phone call for up to an hour to chat and seek advice and information. The phone call will also serves as respite for the carer as we encourage them to go into a different room with a cup of tea whilst a conversation takes place with the person with dementia with the aim to tackle isolation and loneliness.

Bangladeshi Islamic Centre

The Bangladeshi Islamic Centre (BIC) is a community led, independent charitable organisation, committed to the alleviation of disadvantage, inequality and deprivation through a targeted range of services to the communities of Sandwell and with a particular focus upon the Bangladeshi community. BIC will use their funding to deliver activities to boost the loss of much needed socialisation, confidence, learning and development during the Pandemic of Young People and children. They will deliver education support sessions in Maths and English, recreational activities in a safe environment such as pool, table tennis and PlayStation games offering young people the opportunity to build new social circles, increase their confidence to engage with local opportunities and reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.

SOHO Albion

Soho Albion FC brings young people and their families from Soho Ward together with West Bromwich Albion FC to create pathways of opportunity in football, develop resilience in life & build a deeper sense of local community. They will use the funding to undertake a coaching project aimed at the youth and young adults in the community. This coaching project will allow the youth/young adults to participate in football related activities led by qualified coaches. These activities will encompass teamwork, individual skills, and adaptation of interpersonal skills from the youth/young adults, development of these skills will allow them to take it into the real world and make a difference. The coaching project will be held at Hadley Stadium, Smethwick.

Stanley Youth Group

Stanley’s youth club opened in Rowley Regis 4 years ago, they meet on Tuesday evenings in  Knowle Church, Dudley Road. Using the funding the group will engage with previous members and reach out further into the community. Additional funding would enable the group to relaunch the club with a range of activities and experiences, to support mental health and wellbeing. This will aim to impact positively on loneliness/social isolation, build social connections and promote and support healthy living.

Sandwell Steelers

The Sandwell Steelers, are a non-profit, American Football organisation based in Sandwell founded in 2013. Using the funding they will continue this pathway for young people and to create a Youth team of 18 minimum signed-up and kitted-up for the coming 2021 and 2022 seasons. They recognise the pandemic has had a detrimental impact on young people’s mental health and wellbeing with the lack of contact with their peers and limited contact with services and access to activities and their activity will offer the opportunity for young people to come together to connect with others as a team and get involved in the physical activity of American Football.

Sporting Your Futures

Sporting Your Futures is a community interest company (formally registered in 2018) that breaks barriers, navigates change and strives for a better future for children and young people from Birmingham, Sandwell and Dudley.  They will use the funding to deliver youth activities to young people in Cradley Heath, using the Community hub and Bearmore Park. They will use the power of sport to allow young people to get out express themselves in an open safe space. After consulting with a young people steering group some of the activities they will facilitate are boxing, table tennis, table football, tennis, cricket, rounder’s and dodgeball.

The Albion Foundation

The Albion Foundation wish utilise the SCVO small grants to build on delivery to encourage new participants to become a part of the Hawthorns Hub project. The project aims to reduce social isolation and build self-confidence with its participants by harnessing the power of the football clubs brand and facilities. The project targets adults whom can self-refer or be referred from other agencies. Currently, the participant’s demographics include a fair split with male and females, with majority over the age of 50 (however not exclusive to). The Hawthorns Hub has been connecting people together since the beginning of 2019. This has fortunately been continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic via online interactions whereby ‘Albion Memories’ and Hawthorns Hub have joined forces to elevate connectivity through such troubling times, particularly for many of our participants whom have been shielding and / or have lost significant confidence with leaving their homes. The Hawthorns Hub will deliver 36 weeks, 252 hours of face to face content for our participants, from August 2021 to May 2022. This will include; x2 90mins sessions per week online and x1 240mins per week at The Hawthorns Stadium, home to West Bromwich Albion Football Club.

Black Country Food Bank

BCFB currently provides food and toiletry parcels for those in need which provides a breathing space in a time of crisis. Their aim is to breathe life into the food parcel by using the ambient goods to create healthy and nutritious options in a way that enables and equips people with life skills and provides a healthy meal to individuals in need in Rowley Regis. Using the funding BCFB will be offering a bag of food together with a recipe card that when combined creates a delicious healthy meal. The recipe care will include a QR Code linking to a video recording of the recipe being cooked step-by-step. They will co-produce these recipes working with local residents and parents, a local chef from the Black Country, volunteers, schools and other stakeholders. The initiative focuses on creating family-friendly healthy nutritional options which reflect the cultural diversity of our local communities.

Smethwick Youth & Community Centre

The Smethwick Youth & Community Centre (SYCC) is a multi-agency and cross sector resource centre based in the heart of Smethwick. Using the funding SYCC will reintroduce football activities for young people across Smethwick held at West Smethwick Park and Harry Mitchell Leisure centre. Their football sessions will be carried out on a weekly basis for a 2 hour duration with 2 sessions per week for a period of 6 months. Alongside this they will facilitate a Youth Club by opening up their youth area, equipped with games consoles, table tennis, pool and foosball. This youth club activity will take place at SYCC.

Sandwell Asian Development Association

Sandwell Asian Development Association help stop young people from engaging in crime and antisocial behaviour. Using the funding SADA will facilitate a Boxing Programme for young people aged between 14-18 years of
age. This will include 2 training sessions per week facilitating non contact boxing sessions, this will include circuit training, conditioning training, bagwork, padwork and general boxing training.  The sessions will take place on a Monday and Wednesday, the sessions will take place at alpine gymnasium, Unit F Sams Lane industrial estate, Sams Lane, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 7EG.

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Round 5 – Vision 2030 Grant Programme

Lady of Lourdes

The group offers food to refugees and local people in need. Many of thei clients have a limited command of English and assistance is offered regarding doctors, schools, nursery accommodation and legal advice. They have provided ESL lessons, , helped with access to benefits and planned routes, by foot or bus to required offices. The funding will enable Lady of Lourdes to purchase equipment to allow them to improve and continue the support they offer. It will widen the scope of advice offered and allow printed information to be given to clients and enable better records to be kept of attendees.

Wednesbury Rugby Club

The Rugby club  will deliver an activity group for local children 18 months to under 6 years old, based on rugby and rugby’s Core Values – Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship, that delivers enjoyable, inclusive sessions in a safe and welcoming environment. It will give families a sense of belonging, they will take pride in their development, they will become instruments ensuring equality. The project will provide the healthy start from a young age in a safe environment where respect for all is demonstrated in continuing positive examples. Young leaders and parents will gain and enhance their people skills and grow their leadership skills which will be a transferable skill in any job or opportunity.

Beat it Percussion

Beat It Percussion delivers interactive music-making sessions in the Sandwell community, with a focus on supporting people living with mental health support needs. Their Vision 2030 funded project will deliver adapted versions of their interventions through Zoom video conferencing offering a variety of sessions including sound relaxation sessions remotely. The sessions offer to support people’s mental health through enabling deep relaxation, and respite from everyday anxieties and often an easing of physical symptoms relating to anxiety like muscle pain and tension. The sessions will include a peer support chat facility to encourage a sense of inclusion and community.

SWEDA

Skills Work and Enterprise Development Agency (SWEDA) offer advice, guidance, training and mentoring to unemployed clients over the age of 16 looking to access further training or education, employment or self-employment opportunities. SWEDA will use the funding to support Sandwell clients who are currently digitally excluded by providing digital equipment and training giving them access to digital/online content and opportunities for further training. The project will bridge the digital divide for these clients by creating a loan scheme of tablets, laptops and internet dongles as well as the support and training to improve digital skills and awareness. As well as tackling the digital divide, the project will also actively engage as many clients as possible via online coffee mornings and bite size activities to reduce isolation during the current pandemic.

Sandwell Third Aged Arts

STAA is a charity providing access to the arts to improve people’s health and well-being. We’ve been delivering positive arts experiences to enrich peoples’ lives since 1996. We work with people from all walks of life. They specialise in supporting carers, older people with mental health needs and people with dementia. They will use the funding to produce and distribute art activity packs containing craft materials and instruction sheets to households across Sandwell to encourage and uptake in creative, fun and stress-relieving activities.
The project will take place across the borough of Sandwell. Their client group include unpaid carers, people who have been bereaved, older people, people with mental health needs including dementia, frail elders and people with disabilities or health problems who are shielding and people on low incomes. 

Time Step Dance

Time Step Dance, a performing arts school in Sandwell will use the funding to facilitate a music and singing group  based in Tipton where children learn the basics of music and perform together in a mini orchestra/band. This would be similar to the old-style school music lessons  to inspire the children to achieve by making the sessions fun and provide a safe, welcoming space for youngsters where they can relax as we recover from the pandemic.

WMA Community Fitness

WMA is a all inclusive Community Centre based in Tipton focusing on boosting the physical, mental, and social health of everyone in the local area. They will use their funding to support SEND children in Tipton and many families were struggling to find support and activities that they would feel comfortable attending. In April they will facilitate SEN sensory play time at the centre which will give SEN children a welcoming environment where they can enjoy socialising, meeting new friends and learning how to do simple skills such as balancing, learning gross and fine motor skills as well as being a space where they can relax and enjoy sensory stimulation to the level they require

Brushstrokes

Brushstrokes is a unique project offering a support and advice service to the most marginalised communities living in Sandwell, primarily asylum seekers, refugees. They will use the funding to tackle isolation and loneliness through offering holistic support, befriending and reassurance on the phone, on the doorstep, online and in emergencies face to face. They will identify issues that put them at risk of crisis, providing the support to deal with these whilst helping people to understand government guidelines and stay safe and well. As part of this project, there will also be an offer of support for people to build their IT and language skills to help them connect with services and the wider community online.

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Round 4 – Vision 2030 Grant Programme

Warley Woods Community Trust

WWCT will use the funding to work in partnership with Bearwood CC  to find ways to help neighbours across Bearwood connect, to help people organise street level activities if they want, and essentially also to find those isolated people who aren’t on social media and able to participate online.

Dartmouth Cricket Club

Dartmouth Cricket Club will be running a weekly programme of cricket themed sessions and activities for youngsters that will allow them to learn and grow in to the game at a location that they can call ‘home’. The scheme will allow youngsters, their families and the wider community to connect with other people, be physically active, learn new skills and pay attention to the present moment.

The Dorothy Parkes Centre

The centre will be delivering six floristry courses for members of the Smethwick and wider community. The courses will be delivered in the Covid-19 secure hall at the Dorothy Parkes Centre and will take place during daytime and evenings. A trained facilitator will deliver six courses which will consist of four, one hour sessions, and will take four weeks each to complete. The therapeutic effects promote relaxation and evidence suggests it can also have a positive impact on medical conditions such as high blood pressure and boosting the immune systems. Floristry is an expensive skill to train in and isn’t provided by many facilities, making it inaccessible to local communities. Sessions are delivered with the aim of improving social skills and giving students something to look forward to.

FORM180

A series of six 1-hour group workshops online using the Zoom (Video-Conferencing platform) with focus groups of young people who have been identified as underachieving in their education and/or who are battling with mental health difficulties. Sessions will involve icebreakers, character/personal development games/activities interactive, educational discussions and true stories from mentors who have agreed to share their experiences to empower and inspire young people to fulfil their potential. The programme will be ran in alignment with their brand new project ‘COME ON THEN!!!’ Campaign which is a martial approach to tackling mental health difficulties by applying the principles of self-defence to psychological warfare. The campaign is designed to empower and prepare the nation’s minds for the forthcoming months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Bangladeshi Women’s Association

Peace Garden Project aims to create new space to connect communities by providing outdoor activities at an allotment site giving residents some much needed breathing space in the fresh air. Due to the lockdown and the social distancing measurers, activities traditionally held across community centres are now restricted and in many cases closed thus causing increased isolation of people and communities. The Peace Garden proposes to be an ideal solution and a platform for Tipton residents to fill this void. It will provide an opportunity for residents to get involved and develop a sense of community as well as getting residents involved in soft exercises; learn to eat healthily, help the environment; keep active; and develop intergeneration connections.

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Round 3 – Vision 2030 Grant Programme

New Baby Network

New Baby Network is a support group to support pregnant woman in Sandwell through the transition into parenthood. The funding will support a facilitated fourth trimester digital support group, to provide parent centred, evidence based information to empower families. Starting with a physical perinatal planner with accompanying antenatal sessions to complete, followed by a postnatal topic based, facilitated support group with opportunities to learn and build a social network. This will be a volunteer led structured support group, to help parents make the right decisions for them and their children by providing them with relevant and accurate information to  help them feel less isolated and more connected with other people in their community.

SPDC

Sandwell Parents for Disabled children is a voluntary organisation and was founded in 2003 by parents and carers of disabled children and provides holistic services for families with disabled children across Sandwell. The funding will be used to provide opportunities for disabled children and their families in Sandwell to participate in fun and exciting activities and challenges. Activity packs will be distributed based on individual needs and will include crafts, sensory activities and physical challenges. SPDC will also offer digital support including videos and online communication for young people to stay connected.

St Albans

St Albans provide access to inclusive and supportive services to the local Community. The funding will allow St Albans to continue to reach those in the community isolated and in need of extra support due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will ensure staff are available to support people with activity packs and resources to stay connected and have access to digital platforms.

SDCA

Sandwell Deaf Community Association is a charity led by deaf people and one that delivers specialist services across Sandwell/Black Country to deaf, deafened, hard of hearing people and people with a dual sensory loss. The funding will support them to continue provision on a remote basis and enable them to purchase extra IT equipment. This will provide the very isolated deaf community with the opportunity to join online BSL chat sessions to help combat the loneliness currently being experienced.

Tipton Litterwatch

Tipton Litter Watch was formed by local residents in 1997 to campaign against litter and put pressure on the local authority to take action to tackle it. The group has evolved over time moving from a campaigning organisation to one that takes direct action to reduce litter. The funding will support a project to support the litter hotspots across the borough – Adopt a Street will see residents work together to take pride in their neighborhoods to prevent litter and fly tipping. PPE and litter picking kits will be available.

Sandwell Advocacy

Sandwell Advocacy provides independent advocacy across the borough, promoting rights, voice and empowerment. The funding will allow Sandwell Advocacy to develop their current services to enable people to engage digitally which will provide a more accessible and friendly face to face encounter and reduce digital exclusion faced by those who don’t have an internet connection or the means to access it. The main aim of the service will be to maintain a level of contact with those who require it and provide emotional support and address issues people face as a result of becoming socially isolated such as loneliness, anxiety, depression, fear by allowing people to talk about their feelings thereby reducing the impact of isolation and loneliness.

Kings Community Church

Kings Community Church is located in Oldbury which facilitates a youth group. The funding will equip Kings Community Church with the resources to give young people in the community access to activity packs, challenges and hampers, journals and self sooth boxes. Supporting the local youths to navigate their way through the lifting of lockdown with further support on Zoom and Social media platforms.

Multicare

Multicare, Sandwell provide home based respite care for families who care at home for people with severe learning disabilities. The funding will enable Multicare to deliver services remotely ensuring there are no delays to the services they offer. This will include ensuring staff have the technology and equipment needed to work efficiently and safely.

Centrepoint

The Support Centre, based in and delivering services to the community of West Bromwich, operates four days a week from the Church premises. The funding will support them to resume services with increased capacity and to purchase equipment to support in creating a safe environment for our staff and our clients, enabling them to access essential services to meet the anticipated demand for our services as a result of the long period of closure and impact of the pandemic upon individuals in the community.

West Smethwick Enterprise

West Smethwick Enterprise is a charity based in Smethwick, Sandwell and was established in 1984 to serve the local community who work with people from all backgrounds facing a range of
disadvantages. The funding will support the organisation to access to technology to enable staff to meet the full needs of the families within the community allowing them access to the internet, phones and meeting resources (zoom) and printing facilities to provide home learning and resources.

Cape Community Day Centre

Day care services for the elderly which provides freshly prepared meals, crafts and gentle exercise for the elderly and vulnerable. The funding will allow the opportunity for door step exercises to re-introduce & stimulate physical activity with basic home exercises resources. Tablets will be provided to access exercise, social activities – beneficiaries/community members can loan the digital software to address social isolation, loneliness, interact & meet friends & also utilise platforms such as Zoom for community members or active beneficiaries alongside volunteers support and re-introduce exercise sessions, build in activities such as ‘Afternoon Tea’ & other important health awareness virtual talks. When the Centre re-opens, use the Digital software to develop training, book online appointments, meet friends independently and source information on personal ailments & education.

NSDT

Brasshouse opened in 2014 and offers a greater range of services/activities for local communities – ranging from  a holiday club for children through to professional theatre productions bringing arts into the heart of our community. The funding will support a 2 part project offering a bike loan scheme to key workers in the local community who want to use a bike to commute to increase their physical activity levels and contribute to a reduction in polluting emissions in their local area. Bikes will be distributed through the facilities of the participating community centres (Brasshouse Community Centre, Ileys, Dorothy Parkes Centre) The second part of the project offers loan recipients the opportunity to train as Ride Activators with British Cycling and will be supported to expand the programme, with the potential for a volunteer group to offer learn-to-ride sessions, led rides and bike maintenance opportunities,
To support the long term viability of the loan scheme and keep the bikes operational at minimal ongoing cost, the project will provide basic bicycle maintenance training for local young people in collaboration with WMP and the Youth Service. Participants in the maintenance project will refurbish a bike which they will be allowed to keep at the end of the project.

Open Heaven Church

The mission for Open Heaven church is to reach out to all people of all ages and backgrounds. The funding will allow the church to be compliant with Covid requirements and allow Open Heaven to reopen their building and start to offer some of the activities but with social distancing and changes in place. The funding will also support additional zoom licenses and editing software to continue working with young people, families and older people to keep connected, offer support for those experiencing stress and depression.

Mothership

Inclusive PLAYdays works with children with additional needs and their families. A model has been created in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, replacing in-person cross-artform sessions in recent months with fun, inclusive music and movement sessions delivered live over Zoom by specialist SEN local artists from their homes, as part of their PlayAtHome programme. The sessions are recorded so that families not able to watch them live can catch up with them at their own convenience. Funding will offer participants greater engagement and respond even more specifically to their individual needs, through one-to-one sessions. Whilst Zoom does enable live interaction, it creates some barriers to engagement, as some families have reported, particularly for children with additional needs, Mothership will work with parents to develop individual interaction responding to the needs of their children most appropriately and effectively to overcome these barriers.

Friends of Tividale Park

Friends of Tividale Park work to improve our local park in various ways, including fund-raising for new equipment, volunteering, and supporting events. Their aim is to get residents actively involved in developing our park with a view of creating a real hive of community activity to support health and wellbeing by encouraging use of the park. Funding will support Tividale Fitness Army (TFA) to purchase equipment and engage with people of all ages and gender to come together and socialise, with the added benefits of getting fit, by walking or running and also using the park’s gym area and other fitness equipment provided by the TFA. A free initiative where all will be welcome.

 

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Round 2 – Vision 2030 Grant Programme

Life in Community CIC

Their project will create a Lifeline Listening Service delivering telephone/video call sessions for Sandwell residents and delivering a range of well-being sessions providing individuals with the opportunity to engage in therapeutic and creative activities to tackle loneliness and isolation across the borough.

Brushstrokes

Brushstrokes is a unique project offering a support and advice service to the most marginalised communities living in Sandwell, primarily asylum seekers, refugees. To enable delivery to continue Brushstrokes will purchase tablets to loan out for those most vulnerable in the community. They will offer English classes, information and support about how to stay well during the pandemic as well as the facility to offer online face to face support and a befriending service to those who have no-one else to turn to. The tablets will also be used for training the community to help develop their skills and increase their sense of inclusion.

The Kaleidoscope Plus Group

Their project will deliver a Positive Lives using Skills Programme, a 10-session programme that offers deeper understanding of emotions and equips attendees with a self-management portfolio of coping strategies and techniques leading to improvements in mental health and wellbeing. The programme aimed at 16+ who would like to manage their wellbeing more effectively making a positive change and building resilience and will feature key topic areas including Managing Stress/Anxiety, Confidence Building and Raising Self-Esteem.

Smethwick CAN

An organisation that offers a joint response from local churches to tackle poverty, increase aspiration, provide opportunities & support the most vulnerable. Their funding grant will support their Covid-19 response with Smethwick Foodbank, Your Local Pantry Smethwick and Smethwick CAN Café. All of these projects have needed to make significant adaptations to allow for their essential services to remain open throughout the crisis and continue to meet the exceptional demand.

EMCONET

Their project runs the Helping Hand service, for Sandwell residents of Eastern European heritage to access free practical help, advice and support. This support will include liaising with the Smethwick Can Foodbank to ensure people who are housebound have access to free food, collecting food from the food bank and delivering food parcels to socially isolated people. Funding will allow EMCONET to reach out to new clients to provide the much needed support via telephone support offering regular wellbeing checks to tackle isolation across the borough.

SOHO/VIC Friends & Neighbours

A community led scheme to build a sense of neighbourliness and support vulnerable residents. Their project will continue their work with existing and new participants with the support of additional measures in place to meet government guidelines, with the ongoing purpose of giving participants support, for them to identify solutions and options to residents in order to allow them to make informed decisions with issues within their lives which in turn will allow them to move forward and critically at their own pace. Tackling isolation both within their situation before and during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Black Country Touring

Black Country Touring brings some of the best professional touring theatre and dance from the UK and beyond to the local communities. The Sandwell-based arts charity have created a new project to bring joy and connection to people most at risk of isolation and loneliness at this time. Participants can call a number and be connected to a local artist of their choice– a storyteller, a poet or a musician – who will have a chat with them and give a short performance. Their artists can perform in a variety of languages such as Punjabi, Polish and the Black Country dialect.

Creative Academies

Just Play: West Bromwich is a multisport and educational programme for targeted young people aged 12-16 from West Bromwich in Sandwell. Their project Just Play will provide a 24-week programme co-designed with young people, CAN Sports Ambassadors that will support young people’s access to free sport and physical activity whilst also supporting young people’s wellbeing and healthy lifestyle habits.

Sandwell Deaf Community Association

Sandwell Deaf Community Association is a charity led by deaf people and one that delivers specialist services across Sandwell/Black Country to deaf, deafened, hard of hearing people and people with a dual sensory loss.
Their Vision 2030 funded project will deliver a nineteen week programme to provide remote social groups for the deaf community to access friendship, conversation and professional support, in an effort to reduce the social isolation across the borough.

LAKSH

Through a project called ‘Raag & Rhythm’ (using Asian music and movement), older adults in the community are encouraged to come together in an effort to combat isolation and loneliness as well as find innovative ways of address some mobility issues using the connecting theme of music and movement.

Beat it Percussion

Beat It Percussion delivers interactive music-making sessions in the Sandwell community, with a focus on supporting people living with mental health support needs. Their Vision 2030 funded project will deliver adapted versions of their interventions through Zoom video conferencing offering a variety of sessions including sound relaxation sessions remotely. The sessions offer to support people’s mental health through enabling deep relaxation, and respite from everyday anxieties and often an easing of physical symptoms relating to anxiety like muscle pain and tension. The sessions will include a peer support chat facility to encourage a sense of inclusion and community.

AFSCS

AFSCS is a front line voluntary organisation which principally operates in the Soho/Victoria area of Smethwick. Its beneficiaries are mainly from French speaking countries of Africa living in Sandwell. Their funding will support a remote online virtual project supporting them with home schooling, laptops will be allocated to volunteer tutors (Maths, English and Sciences) and tablets will be available to loan within the community to support with school work. The project will also support young people to access online materials with the supervision of our IT Administrator. Families will be able to access guidance and online support sessions with tutors to support home learning and additional support with needs arising.

Sandwell Autism Group

SAG is a parent participation forum gathering views, experiences and ideas from the parents and carers across Sandwell to help improve services for all autistic children and young people. To support their continued work Sandwell Autism Group will transfer the ways they work to online vectors such as on-line meetings and on-line surveys as well as alternative methods of remote support during the current climate.
Their online tools will maintain links with existing parents help them to continue to work on all projects whilst offering representative feedback to Sandwell and NHS services from families across Sandwell.

Carelink West Midlands

A small refugee organisation that exists to support refugees from Central Africa across Sandwell. Their Vision 2030 funded project will develop a support service for the most vulnerable elderly refugees aged 60+ on low income, who have poor medical conditions history during and in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak. With the support of volunteers additional support will be put in place offering telephone well-being checks to assess their daily needs and offers of support can be arranged.

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Round 1 – Vision 2030 Grant Programme

Changing our lives

Working with disabled people and people with lived experience of mental health difficulties of all ages across Sandwell. Their programme will consist of awareness training days across covering an awareness of autism, reasonable adjustments and person centred ways of working with autistic individuals. These sessions will be co-led by an associate of Changing Our Lives who is autistic and an experienced trainer. In addition to these there will be 4 half day community connecting events bringing Move More organisations together with local autistic people.

U Island CIC

An arts and migration project that will offer multiple community workshops on the migration of birds and the design of artistic bird boxes, to depict the journey refugees or migrants experience as they enter UK life which will be made available as online resources.

Dorothy Parkes Centre

A short programme delivering Arts based Therapy across 5 sessions in Smethwick. The activities will include live music enabling participants to express their emotions via different forms of art such as painting and drawing.

Tanhouse Shedders

The Shed is a full accessible facility which will enable future generations to benefit from the Shed Association idea supporting local people with age related problems and sufferers of loneliness who have become withdrawn from their local community. The project will expand their reach by adding additional Portacabins on site enabling them to expand their membership and operate on more days of the week, and will include the capacity to provide a craft area.

Benson Community Project

A community cycling project that helps children and adults to learn to ride or get back into cycling. The project supports people in a safe environment where they can build their confidence and self-esteem, not just physically cycling but creating new friendships and connections. Rides are conducted by a suitably qualified ‘lead rider’, which offers a safe and controlled environment in which people can take part.

Wednesbury Community Association

A Luncheon Club and Friendship Group supporting the elderly community with activities, companionship and outings to tackle social isolation and improve mental health and wellbeing. Their project looks to expand their reach within the community providing an extra date, and expand capacity to tackle isolation and
loneliness locally with support from dedicated volunteers.

Sandwell Special Olympics

Special Olympics provide year-round sports training & athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for all children & adults with learning / intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness & sporting skills, making friends & combating isolation & loneliness. Their project offers a 2 year swimming programme for people with Learning Disabilities across Sandwell.

Showtime Community Productions CIO

A community led organisation for all ages, producing shows in Sandwell engaging local residents. The group aim to target talented individuals with an interest in performing arts and theatrical production. The project will engage members of the community to bring together their skills and talents whilst combating social isolation and loneliness to produce 6 performances aimed at bringing the community together.

CBO

A combination of ‘Extend’ exercise classes and coffee mornings alongside a community gardening project to support older members of the Bangladeshi community to be able to come together, helping them to address issues of lack of mobility and establish new friendships. The community gardening project also offers the opportunity of creating inter-generational relationships by encouraging young people in the community to participate.

Smethwick CAN

A Community Bakery Project that will enable local people to build their local network, learn new skills and start to create a social enterprise. The project will support two 10-week programmes which will develop in to community kitchens located in Smethwick. By investing in people, venue hire and equipment the project will enable participants to initiate, set up and grow the Food Hub’s first community owned bakery.

Sandwell Advocacy

Sandwell Advocacy provides independent advocacy throughout Sandwell, promoting rights, voice and empowerment. Young carers will be given an opportunity to attend a team building outdoor day aimed at boosting confidence, engaging with others and challenging themselves to try a new skill.

Black Country Women’s Aid

West Bromwich Rail Model Club

The project will address social isolation and loneliness providing the opportunity to build and exhibit models with like-minded individuals whilst creating the opportunity to engage with others and learn new skills. They will deliver practical workshops, formal training, lectures and informal talks to encourage, help and engage
individual’s to work together to research, design, build and exhibit model railways all with a view of bringing and connecting people together in Sandwell.

Open Heaven Church

The mission of Open Heaven Church is to reach out to all people of all ages and backgrounds. Their project looks to develop two new youth activities to add to their existing timetable aimed at 11-18yrs targeting the youth of Friar Park in Wednesbury introducing a weekly music workshop and the opportunity to access physical activities . The activities proposed will help tackle deprivation and social need as well as targeted support and mentoring for young people.

Friends of Tividale Park

The Friends of Tividale Park are a residents’ community group who work to improve the park. Their project looks to deliver a healthy activity event for the community involving the local schools and community to participate in a daily mile around the park to encourage residents to become more active and use the park.

Multistory

Multistory is a community arts charity based in West Bromwich who create a contemporary body of photographic work, films, oral histories and an online digital archive that documents life in Sandwell. Their project will deliver a 6 week creative project in partnership with Sandwell Visually Impared, which will offer sensory photography workshops. The project will share stories and experiences from visually sighted individuals through public exhibitions, podcasts and events.