In total, 16 projects were awarded grant funding in 2023 – 24:
Xpress Yourself CIC – Keep Dancing Moseley
Keep Dancing is a dancing class that works to improve balance, stamina, strength, and is perfect for people living with conditions like arthritis. Keep Dancing Moseley was funded by Birmingham Celebrating Communities following the Covid pandemic. The rebuild of the class has been consistent but slow. Xpress Yourself CIC been awarded one more year of funding through Hall Green to enable them to further rebuild the class so that it can become a sustainable model and they can develop their volunteering programme.
Sharper Arts
Working from three community hubs in Hall Green, Sharper Arts will deliver 15 arts sessions reaching over 80 people. They will work with Angel Wings therapies to offer meditation and reiki and Heal and Soul to create candles as well as offering stitching, clay work, collage and creating journals.
At full capacity*
Saint Ambrose Barlow Church – Over 55’s Group
Exercise and Dance at St Ambrose Barlow over 55’s Group is a group participating in a variety of seated exercise and a variety of dance classes, with an instructor delivering weekly sessions for up to 12 months.
At full capacity*
Fruit & Nut Village CIO
This project will enable local people to meet up on a regular basis and work upon a range of perennial food growing activities at different sites across Hall Green neighbourhoods. Fruit and Nut Village CIO expect to work with 150 adults aged over 50, 50 younger adults with a long-term disability and they anticipate an additional 100 volunteers becoming involved in the project.
Bold Actions
Bold Actions has been awarded funding to continue running a sewing club for women aged over 50 with Afro-Caribbean origins settled within Hall Green areas (but also open to the whole community of adults over 50). They have also received funding to run a befriending service to address mental health and disability issues affecting citizens aged 18-49 in Hall Green.
Ways for Wellbeing CIC – Wellbeing Community Engagement Day
This project involves running a Community Engagement Day at a piece of land that Ways for Wellbeing have been gifted and are developing into a therapeutic open health and wellbeing space. The engagement day will share information about the space and gather feedback from the local community about how they wish to be involved in the space, and what they would like to see there. The hope is that it will encourage some residents to volunteer and get involved in the future development of the space.
All Saints Youth Project
All Saints have received funding to run an Inclusion+ session for 10-15 young adults with a long-term disability. The sessions will run on a Friday morning, for those who wish to build on their skills and knowledge. The programme will include Team building, Communication, Conflict management, Budgeting and money and there will be opportunities for attendees to undertake volunteering/work experience in the community. Each session will finish with a lunch, planned, and prepared together.
Allies Network
This project will support African and Middle Eastern and wider BAME communities in Hall Green to acquire the digital literacy skills they need to access mainstream services, including welfare benefits, online banking, and other entitlements. The project will deliver specialised digital skills workshops, taking place two days a week for 24 weeks (a combination of face to face and online).
St. Christopher’s Church
This project will enable St Christopher’s Church to continue providing two services for local people – one is an exercise class for women, and one is a craft group open to men and women. The exercise class will involve primarily chair-based exercise for older women along with some standing exercise. The craft group will involve creating garments and other fabric-based products along with using other skills such as jewellery-making, art and paper-based craft.
Bham NHS Community Foundation
This project will involve producing and distributing support bags to the most vulnerable adults who are living alone in fuel poverty. The support bags contain a fleecy blanket, vacuum flask with soup/hot chocolate, hot water bottle, hat and scarf, and a mindfulness colouring book and felt tip pens to alleviate boredom. Whilst this is badged as a winter project, it can feel cold at any time of the year, particularly if you have a long-term condition. The bags will mainly be distributed by District Nurses and from NHS clinics in the Hall Green constituency.
Mila CIC
The ‘Bridging Generations’ project is a 40-week outreach programme for elderly residents (aged 50+) with a particular focus on those from Baltic and Central European communities. The project will deliver weekly drop-in sessions, digital literacy and IT support, additional support and warm drinks and snacks.
Arts All Over The Place
Arts All Over The Place has been awarded funding to deliver three new groups in Hall Green: A creative writing for well-being group, African Caribbean get together coffee mornings with cultural creative activities and an arts and crafts group. Each group will run weekly over a 12-month period (allowing for holidays and Bank Holidays) at the Friends Institute on Moseley Road.
Women’s Wellbeing
The ‘Digital Inclusion and Wellbeing’ project will deliver Digital Inclusion Workshops for women who are at a greater risk of being excluded from the digital world (including those from marginalised communities and those with language barriers) Four sessions per week which will run from the Farm Road Health Centre on Monday and Tuesdays. These will be two sessions per week for over 50s and two sessions for young people from 18-49. Each session will be for two hours for 12 months.
Building Lives Together
The ‘Remembering Bollywood’ project will add a new dimension to Bollywood music and dance as a popular art form. As a result of the professional development and performances that the project will support, Bollywood music and dance will be able to reach out to people who are suffering from Dementia and poor mental health. This will mainly be elderly people of South Asian extraction who use English as a second language. The project will be presented by two artists who will engage service users in storytelling, singing and dancing.
Unlocking Potential
The ‘Deaf Social Gatherings’ project will run monthly for six months, and each social gathering will allow attendees to socialise by talking and eating with each other and taking part in an activity. Each gathering will have a signpost to a variety of different support such as the police, sports in the community and BSL courses.
DUJ
This project will deliver a six-month programme for neurodiverse young adults aged 18 to 49, whether formally diagnosed or not, who have autism, learning disabilities, or long-term disabilities. The aim is to teach essential daily living skills using interactive methods. Initially, individual’s needs will be assessed, and tailored support will be provided to reduce anxiety and improve skills through group workshops at the DUJ centre. Additionally, outreach support will be offered at home to ensure inclusivity for those who may struggle to leave due to heightened anxiety.
Slingshot