Nine community groups in the Royal Borough have been awarded more than £35,000 in funding between them, to launch community-led initiatives supporting the health and wellbeing of local residents.
The Innovation Funding Project, managed by the council and NHS Frimley, invited groups and individuals to apply for one-off grants of up to £5,000.
This is the first round of grants. Applications for the second round of grants for additional projects are now being accepted on the council’s online community engagement platform RBWM Together.
Councillor Stuart Carroll, Deputy Chairman of Cabinet, Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Health, and Mental Health, said: “Our congratulations to our first successful applications. Their projects demonstrate sustainability, community led innovation, and address needs.
“Empowering our communities to lead self-sustainable change drives our approach to engagement. It puts the voice of our residents at the heart of what matters to them and provides us with a richer understanding of their diverse needs and concerns, and how we can provide tailored support.
“Our World Cafes and Community Information Champions are also key elements in this. The nine projects have also joined our Champions scheme and will be involved in future World Cafes.”
Caroline Farrar, Executive Place Managing Director, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead for Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System, said: “Congratulations to our nine successful applications.
“The Innovation Fund is a great example of how we can empower our communities to deliver community led initiatives that can improve access to services, prevent health risks, tackle social isolation and loneliness, and reduce mental or physical health inequalities.
“By placing more resources in the hands of members of our communities we are empowering local people in the search for solutions to our health and wellbeing.”
The projects in this first stage of grants are:
• Over 70’s Yoga
• Tai Chi Shibashi for seniors
• Sunningdale Bowling Club - a wheelchair and new accessible access
• Nature’s Haven – healing garden
• Maidenhead United FC - ramblers wellbeing walks
• Windsor Street Angels - expanded service
• Blokes Losing Timber – weight loss support for men
• Maidenhead Boundary Walk - improve signage
• Digital Project in Maidenhead and Slough to reduce digital inequalities
The above projects will also be recording their progress on the RBWM Together platform.