HUNTINGDONSHIRE BEGINS ROLL OUT OF HEALTH INEQUALITIES PROJECT
Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is beginning to roll out its brand new Health Inequalities Project across the district, thanks to a successful bid to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System for £250,000 funding.
Contributing to health improvement, HDC will work closely with local recognised community groups to develop solutions to the challenges their residents face. Local community groups have been given the opportunity to bid for money to enable them to launch projects in their areas, such as dementia cafés, strength and balance classes, art therapy and intergenerational group activities.
St Neots Community Support, one of the 15 organisations to have received their initial funding payment, launched ‘St Neots Charity Forum’ earlier this month. The first two workshops saw 40 local individuals come together to discuss the health priorities within St Neots.
Chair of St Neots Community Support, Catherine Goodman, said: “As we planned for the next steps to grow St Neots Community Support, we were offered the opportunity to partner with HDC on the health and wellbeing initiative.
“We have had great support from HDC, ensuring we received an initial payment to get us started and hosting the first St Neots Charity Forum. We have been able to capture local insights and to get the local charities networking and working more closely together.
“The Forum meetings were well attended, and it was gratifying to see the positive engagement and feedback that was provided.”
Executive Councillor for Community and Health, Cllr Ben Pitt, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for HDC to work closely with local community groups and residents to tackle health inequalities.
“It’s brilliant to see the organisations making a start on their consultation process, and I look forward to seeing the projects develop over the next few months. I am hopeful this way of working with the community will leave a legacy for years to come with plenty of new activities set up across the District, all contributing to residents’ health improvement.”
Find out more about the Health Inequalities Project on the council’s website.