Tags: active communities

Assessing the impact of participation in People's Health Trust's programmes: Wave 4

This report provides an overview of the findings of the fourth and final wave of research to assess the impact of People’s Health Trust’s Local Conversations and Active Communities programmes,…

Street Factory - Hip Hop Into the Lights

Tyler talks about his experience with mental health problems and addiction and how finding Street Factory changed his life.

CYCD - Women's empowerment

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘Inspire Inclusion’. We spoke to Aminah* who is a member of the WOWS (Women offering women support) group in Luton about her experiences…

WHISH - Looking to the future

Amy talks about her experience with her daughter Annabelle and how finding WHISH has been life- changing.

Artistic Spectrum: Creativity and wellbeing

Jo, who has autism, talks about how art classes in her former mining town provided relief following the death of her parents.

Willow Tree: Skills and safety

Project lead Heather Sayer helps young people with learning disabilities learn how to make pottery, food and clothes, and sell the goods at local hub Willow Tree Stores.

Khalsa Youth Football Academy - Connecting Hope

Khalsa Youth Football Academy provides sports programmes, forums and training for people with learning disabilities in Hertfordshire. Project Leader Bal Singh talks about Khalsa's anti-racist origins and how it supports…

MyBUS - Community Transport

Mary Parry, founder of MyBUS, talks about isolation among older people in Leven, Fife, and how the project is supporting social connections by providing transport and arranging activities and outings…

Scoonie Sunshine Club

Scoonie Sunshine Club runs a bus for people with mobility issues and older people, providing them with essential transport in an area where services have been cut and accessibility is…

Assessing the impact of participation in People's Health Trust's programmes: Wave 3

This report provides an overview of the findings of the third wave of research to assess the impact of People’s Health Trust’s Local Conversations and Active Communities programmes.

SNaP Youth Service - back to school

Project lead Mandy Mangold talks to us about how SNaP Youth Service supports young people taking the step from primary to secondary school and why it's so important for their…

SNaP Youth Service

SNaP Youth Services runs after school clubs for children in years six seven (aged 10 to 12), providing them with a space to come after school and dealing sensitively with…

Language for Change

Language for Change provides support for migrants and refugees in Greenwich to learn English and advocate for change for social issues affecting them. The project provides free weekly English as…

Language for Change: Community advocacy through English lessons

English For Action’s Language for Change project supports migrants and refugees in Greenwich to learn English to help them advocate for issues in their community. Greenwich Project Lead Lucie tells…

Refugee Roots: Building skills, confidence and connections

Refugee Roots members come together to improve their wellbeing and social connections and to learn English. Mohammed*, an asylum seeker living in Long Eaton, speaks about how the project has…

New report on Community agency, control and wellbeing

People’s Health Trust has co-funded a new report published today by What Works Centre for Wellbeing on community agency, control and wellbeing.

LGBTQ+ Youth Groups in Fenland: Cost of living affecting members and staff

This project supports young people in Wisbech and March who identify as LGBTQ+ or who are questioning their sexuality or gender identity. Youth Group Lead Debi Mordanti talks about how…

Wings Great Yarmouth: Expression through arts

Wings Great Yarmouth supports people who have experienced sexual harassment and intimidation. Project member Nadia tells us how members meet up to discuss their experiences and to express themselves through…

Wings Great Yarmouth

Wings Great Yarmouth provides an opportunity for people with experienced traumatic sexual harassment and intimidation to support one another through discussion and the creation of art. It will provide fortnightly…

Newport People First: removing barriers

Newport People First works for a more accessible south Wales led by and for people with learning disabilities. Zarah Kaleem, a member since 2008 now a Training and Awareness Leader,…

Pebble in My Pocket: Community for isolated women

Pebble in My Pocket supports isolated women aged 50 and over in Corby. Sessions begin in a cafe and then move to a library for arts and crafts sessions to…

Pebble in My Pocket

Pebble in my Pocket supports isolated women aged 50+ to meet up to socialise and for arts and crafts sessions in Corby The group is made up of local women…

Youth Wellbeing Out of Covid

Youth Wellbeing Out of Covid supports young people from African backgrounds in communities in North Lanarkshire through teaching music and providing a space for people to socialise. Following the Covid-19…

Youth Wellbeing Out of Covid: Music helps young people's mental health

Youth Wellbeing Out of Covid provides spaces for young people in North Lanarkshire to learn to play music and socialise. Project leader Erasme Kokonge speaks about how learning instruments and…

Getting Outdoors

Getting Outdoors supports people affected by drug and alcohol use, including people who feel isolated or who feel stigmatised by attitudes towards them. Through weekly sessions the group comes together…

Disabled Women Take Action: supporting change for disabled women

Disabled Women Take Action supports its members to campaign for a more accessible Bristol. For International Women’s Day, Shruthi Venkatachalam talks about how project members have improved counselling services for…

Getting Outdoors: Providing a purpose

Getting Outdoors supports people who have issues related to alcohol and drugs. The group cycle, hike and walk together to improve physical and mental health. Project member Fiona speaks about…

LGBTQ+ Youth Groups in Fenland

LGBTQ+ Youth Groups in Fenland supports young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or who are questioning their sexuality or gender identity in the Wisbech and March areas…

LGBTQ+ Youth Groups in Fenland: Making a difference

This project supports young people in Wisbech and March who are in the LGBTQ+ community or who are questioning their sexuality or gender identity. Youth Group Lead Debi Mordanti talks…

Gardening for Dementia: Transforming people

Spending time in green spaces can be hugely beneficial to the mental health of people with dementia. Scotswood Natural Community Garden's Jenny Hopper explains how connecting with nature has helped…

New funding available for local groups in parts of East England

Bristol Active Women Walk and Talk: Welcoming Walks

Bristol Active Women Walk and Talk brings women together for walking, swimming or other outdoor activities. Community Activity Manager Wafa Suliman talks about how the group has helped women build…

Support U: Creating a community

Support U youth group member Ash Skeet talks about her experience transitioning, and how the organisation's support groups have improved the mental health of the LGBTQ+ community in the Thames…

New funding available for local groups in parts of East Midlands

A conversation with CAHN: Meeting the health needs of Caribbean and African communities

Charles Kwaku-Odoi talks about how Caribbean and African Health Network challenges structural discrimination in health services across Greater Manchester.

StereoHype Social

StereoHype Social brings together racially and culturally diverse creatives in Birmingham who have lived experience of mental health to make friends, share experiences and create artistic work challenging stigma. Workshops…

StereoHype Social: Music changes mental health

Greg Rogers shares his own experience of mental ill health, and how he's supporting fellow artists and creatives in Birmingham to improve their own mental health by creating a night…

Wigan Caribbean and African Community Support Group

This project supports Caribbean and African communities in Greater Manchester to come together to discuss essential issues affecting their health and well-being. Delivering fortnightly forums, the support group brings together…

Armchair Adventures: Fighting Prejudice With Poetry

Pauline Omoboye shares some of her personal experiences with inequality and talks about how Made by Mortals' Armchair Adventures uses poetry to share important messages of injustice with younger generations…

Armchair Adventures

Armchair Adventures was born during Covid-19 for people over 65 who were affected by the isolation of lockdown, to help rebuild social connections. They get together each week to…

Positive About Deafness: Changing lives in Wigan

Katie O’Reilly, trustee and founder of Wigan and Leigh Deaf Children’s Society, talks about the lack of resources for parents of sensory impaired children in the area and how she…

Positive About Deafness

Positive About Deafness continues the work of Wigan and Leigh Deaf Children’s Society to support deaf and sensory impaired children with a schedule of regular activities, as well as…

New funding available for local groups in parts of North West England

Street Factory: Everyone needs support

During Covid-19, Toby Gorniak, Creative Director at Street Factory, shifted the group's activities to help its Plymouth community through the rise in mental health needs. He discusses the strain he…

Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Young Carers: friendship and education

Lauren Randall has been a Youth Worker for Greater Yarmouth and Gorleston Young Carers for two years, supporting young people whose lives are affected by caring responsibilities. She discusses how…

BCA Community Café: Keeping costs low in a crisis

Alyx Dawid, Volunteer Development Co-ordinator at the Highwood Café, has been involved with the Brackenwood Community Association in Leeds for seven years. She discusses how the project has adapted to…

Brackenwood Community Association Highwood Community Café

Residents of Brackenwood estate previously had few places to meet one another, and many felt isolated. BCA Highwood Community Café provides a space where residents can socialise, eat, or learn…

New funding available for local groups in parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire

New funding available for local groups in parts of Enfield, Gravesham, Hackney and Southwark

Church Street Football and Muay Thai

There are very few play areas in the Church Street neighourhood and the ward is densely populated. There is only one football pitch which people have to pay between £30…

London Tigers: Community projects improve wellbeing

London Tigers is a semi-professional football club, a cricket club in the County Cricket League, and an award winning charity. Chief Executive, Mesba Ahmed, spoke to us about how their…

Southall Bangladeshi Families engagement

The overall aims of the project are to support newly arrived Bangladeshi families to become more active and connected with the local community, though taking part in activities that connect…

Pride in Mind

Participants have control over the project and at the monthly meetings, members plan future social activities. The meetings are also a safe space to share their mental health concerns and…

Young Again: Affordability is the biggest barrier

Young Again brings together older South Asian residents in Huddersfield. Jamil Akhtar, Treasurer of The Pakistan Huddersfield Association, reflects on their latest trip to Wales and the wider benefits of…

New funding available for local groups in parts of London West

Maymessy Mentorship

The project offers the opportunity for the women to get together with others in a similar situation and with similar interests in food and to build friendships, support each other…

Building Happy, Integrated, Healthy Communities

Aber and Blaengwynfi are twin villages in the Afan valley in Wales with a population of around 1,300. Due to its rural location residents have faced issues with social isolation,…

Assessing the impact of participation in People’s Health Trust’s programmes: Wave 2

This report summarises the findings of the second wave of Social Life’s research assessing the impact of both of People’s Health Trust’s current funding programmes: Local Conversations and Active Communities.

Assessing the impact of participation in People’s Health Trust’s programmes: Wave 1

This report summarises the findings of the first wave of Social Life’s research assessing the impact of both of People’s Health Trust’s current funding programmes: Local Conversations and Active Communities.

New funding available for local groups in parts of Yorkshire

Honley Youth

Honley is a small village in West Yorkshire with pockets of low-income neighbourhoods. Honley Youth is a free to use youth club that all young people can access and contribute…

Puddle Ducks - parents and tots group

Puddle Ducks - parents and tots group aimed to reduce social isolation experienced by parents of pre-school children and increase confidence and wellbeing. Participants can also shape the project by…

Bristol Active Women – Walk and Talk

The outdoor activities are designed to support mental health and wellbeing, reduce social isolation, and build confidence, especially following the Covid-19 lockdowns when many people have been isolated. The sessions…

IgniteYou Dance INC

IgniteYou Dance INC was started by two dance teachers who recognised a need for accessible dance classes and workshops in the local area. During the first Covid-19 pandemic they project…

New funding available for local groups in parts of North East and Cumbria

Needlecraft International Project

The project builds confidence and perseverance and supports the participants to develop a skill that they can teach others, and that allows them to produce items to sell or give…

Mums SOCIAL

The aim is to bring new and expectant mothers together to connect, share experiences, provide support and reassurance, develop friendships and improve mental wellbeing. Becoming a mum is a new…

Community Activators

In Hebburn, there is a lack of community activities to keep young people busy and socially connected. A local resident used their background in outdoor activities to design a programme…

New funding available for local groups in parts of South West England

Get Set Youth

Yellow Door, who provide information, advice, support and advocacy services to young people, identified a need to support young people’s social networks and wellbeing and to reduce the risk of…

Healthy Active Lives

The Derby West Indian Community Association ran the project, with the aim of providing support to people in local wards that are poorer than average and where life expectancies are…

Moving On

The Moving On project was organised by an independent volunteer-run charity, the Rainbow Sunshine Company. There was a wide age range in the group, which included young adults and people…

The Northgate Project

The Northgate Project was an activity-based self-help group for people in the Northgate ward in Canterbury. Many members were (or had been) feeling suicidal and some were living with conditions…

Together We Can

Some local members became volunteers – taking ownership of the centre by making cakes and serving in the café, helping with the garden, or welcoming new members. Purposeful activity like…

Foster Garden

The project was set up by Keighley Urban Meadows, a community group promoting the shared ownership of the local environment. The aim was to create social links within the neighbourhood,…

RIG Arts

Creative workshops are based around waste reduction and include sewing, repair, reuse, upcycling, and sustainable crafts. Participants and the community are supported to become more resilient through supported engagement and…

Tenants Voice - Shieldfield

Rising rents, falling wages and unstable local economies all contribute to housing difficulties which lead to both short and long-term health issues. 8.5 million renters experience stress or anxiety and…

Route 23

Route 23 is a coffee shop named after the bus route serving Spring Lane area of Canterbury where the project operates. The café is open to all residents and is…

LGBT+ Service Nottinghamshire

LGBT+ young people are often socially isolated. Some project participants aren’t attending school, some are too anxious to socialise and lack confidence. The Centre Place gives young people the control…

Aaina Community Hub

A lot of the women that usually attend Aaina Community Hub have experienced multiple challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, families living in multi-occupancy households who were unable to…

Glenburn My Life My Choice Project

Easthall Residents Association in Glasgow has received funding three times from People’s Health Trust using money raised through The Health Lottery over a period of eight years. An investment totalling…

Promoting Roles of Father Figures

Stronger social connections helps build confidence, increase skills, and have a greater sense of purpose and hope, which we know are important first steps in being able to address other…

Tang Hall Food Co-operative

Locally-owned shops where people can buy affordable, healthy food and keep local wealth more equitably within communities is an important part of addressing local health inequalities. The Tang Hall Food…

Café Chat

The provision of mental health services on the island was limited, as was access to those services due to geographical distance. Café Chat provided a weekly meetup in Broadford on…

Second Stitch at Home

The project also encourages members to be actively involved and to undertake additional work in their own time, helping them develop a wide variety of sewing skills and techniques to…

Happy Together

Many older people within the Chinese community find that language and cultural barriers can prevent them from developing their social networks and making friends. By developing a group based around…

Arty-Folks Peer Empowerment Group

Our life circumstances can determine our mental health and create health inequalities. There is not enough provision in the local community in Coventry for people who are living with mental…

Autism Recreational and Support Activities with The Engine Shed

Research from the National Autistic Society shows that people with autism are four times more likely to feel isolated than members of the general public. For autistic adults, their sense…

Derby Refugee Befriending Project

Migrating to Great Britain as a refugee or asylum seeker can be an incredibly isolating experience. We know that creating opportunities to reduce isolation can have a big impact on…

Young Again

It’s often presumed that South Asian people look after and live with their elderly relatives. However, as people relocate for work, traditional structures and family ties are loosening. This can…

The Gorton Takeover - Reform Radio

This two-year project delivered weekly dance, art, radio and digital skills sessions for unemployed young adults and their children living in Gorton, an inner-city area of Manchester. Education, skills and…

Curating the Mind

For many Filipino people living in East London, it can feel lonely being isolated from their families and can sometimes feel overwhelming financially supporting their family back home. Home can…

Proud2Be Rural Outreach Project

LGBTQ+ people remain at increased risk of mental ill health due to a range of factors including discrimination and isolation. When people feel unfair shame or stigma, they become more…

Butetown Employment Action Team (BEAT)

Income, employment and working conditions have a huge impact on our health. Having a good job can protect health by giving people stability, financial security and the ability to enjoy…

Bridgend Inspiring Growth

Since it started, the members of the local community have taken control of every aspect of the project, buying the building from the local council using community raised funds, and…

Lee Gardens Pool: Learning Together

Penrhiwceiber had the highest child poverty rates across Wales in 2017/18 with 49.4% of children living in poverty. Health inequalities in Wales mean that people living in neighbourhoods experiencing the…

Our Roots in the Community

The group runs weekly activity sessions which are based around football and, once a month, the young people take part in a series of training workshops designed to build skills…

Welcome Women

Many of the people involved with the project are older women, migrants, refugees, or from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. A lot of them do not speak English as…

Stainforth Outdoor Activity Project

Stainforth has a proud mining heritage and the community experienced high levels of job losses and economic issues when the coal mining industry was wiped out in the 1970’s and…

Ashiana Group

Race Equality First (REF) was established in 1976 the same year that new legislation under the Race Relations Act was introduced. The organisation spearheaded campaigns to tackle racial discrimination and…

The Castle & Beyond - Our Voice, Our Community

A number of groups and activities have been set up such as a teen’s social group, a family friendly play session, drop-in support sessions and arts and crafts activities. The…

#AbilitiesNotDisabilities

The project was set up by existing participants who had an interest in design and wanted to create a business. As more members have joined, the project has grown and…

Touchbase Care CIC

Members come together to tackle isolation and build self-esteem and wellbeing. The project aims to tackle the inadequate representation of people with disabilities in the performing arts, showcase member’s creative…

Sunderland and South Tyneside Centre For People Of African Heritage

This project, provided by African Caribbean Community Association, supports members to increase their employability through one-to-one peer support where people can learn digital and computer skills, how to apply for…

Our Town

The Our Town project from Artistic Spectrum has a huge range of contributors aged 16 to 64 with a massive range of artistic talents from sculpting to painting. Through creative…

Refugee Roots

The group originally grew out of work with the community and participants have regular opportunities to shape the project’s ongoing development. The aim of the work is to enable people…

Heart of Portsmouth Amateur Boxing Academy

The Heart of Portsmouth Amateur Boxing Club provides a pathway for people in their neighbourhood to progress in their own journey, whether that be building confidence, becoming a coach or…

Covid-Connect

Sunbeams London established the project as a direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising mental health issues that were evident in young girls who have faced bereavement and…

Unity Youth Projects

The Fort was born from a neighbouring youth centre which offered activities for young people with additional needs. This focus was carried over, and having accessibility and inclusion as priorities…

Healthy Active Lives project evaluation

The Derby West Indian Community Association ran Healthy Active Lives with the aim of building stronger connections within the community. The project received a two-year grant from People’s Health Trust,…

Together We Can evaluation case study

The “Together We Can” project was part of the Bridge Mentoring Plus Scheme, a charity that supports vulnerable people of all age groups in the area. The drop-in enabled people…

Moving On project evaluation

The Moving On project provided weekly creative workshop sessions for disabled people organised by the Rainbow Sunshine Company. Group members took part in music, dance and drama-based activities, then performed…

The Northgate project evaluation

Northgate Project, supported by the charity TakeOff, brought individuals from the Northgate ward in Canterbury together to support them to share their interests and skills with one another.

Exploring Senses CIC

Exploring Senses CIC and their ‘MakerLab’ project delivered weekly MakerLab sessions for young people aged 8 to 19 on Thursday afternoons in Brighton, at the youth club of the l

Motherwell Cheshire CIO: Believe

Motherwell provides specialist support services for mothers with children who have been placed into care, or children at risk of being placed into care.

Get Set Youth project evaluation

Run by the youth charity Yellow Door, the Youth Bus at Waterside Skate Park provided a safe space for young people aged 11 to 25 to socialise, have fun, learn…

Keighley Urban Meadows: Foster Garden project evaluation

Keighley Urban Meadows is a community group promoting the shared ownership of the local environment and community development. They set up the Foster Garden project with the aim of saving…

CounsellingCare: Café Chat project

Café Chat provided peer support and friendship for local people on the Isle of Skye. Evaluation shows it helped address mental health problems, social isolation and loneliness and developed social…

Borderlands: Drop in project

Borderlands is a charity working with refugees, asylum seekers, and other people with immigration issues in inner city Bristol.

Armenian Mental Wellbeing Project, Centre for Armenian Information & Advice

Active Communities programme evaluation 2020

An evaluation was carried out by Ecorys UK from 2016 to 2020 to understand the impact on the Active Communities programme aims to bring people together to form social connections…

Ethical Lettings Campaign

ACORN (Association of Community Organisations for Reform Now), supports members to deliver campaigns to address local housing issues.

Stitches, Knots and Sails - METcic

Stitches, Knots and Sails, run by METcic (Medway English Training Community Interest Company), based in Medway, Kent was funded by the Trust through the Active Communities programme for two

Women Sharing Cornwall

Women Sharing Cornwall is a self-help group for women in St Austell who are experiencing mental health issues.

P4YP Activity Roadshow

“With those who are vulnerable, having the added confidence can spread at school and the community.” (Project staff)

Molokai Village

“It’s helped me to improve my social networks, in terms of meeting people I didn’t know.

Marsh Farm Makeover

Futures Community Voice is a group of local residents in Luton who come together to discuss issues and concerns about where they live and how they can improve the area.

Active Communities programme evaluation 2018

This report, published by the Trust, is a summary report of the second of a four-year evaluation exploring the impact of the Trust's Active Communities programme.

Active Communities programme evaluation 2016

This report, published by the Trust, is a full summary of the first year of a four-year evaluation, carried out by Ecorys, exploring the impact of the Trust's Active Communities…