Oldham

Oldham

Oldham Social Prescribing | Roland's Story

After a traumatic experience as islanders were being evicted from the Pacific Island by the USA, 66-year-old Roland found himself in need of support. Though he had British Citizenship, as a French Native speaker with limited English language skills, Roland found his new environment in the UK to be very isolating, and struggled to find work.

Roland was referred to Oldham Social Prescribing as he suffered with depression, isolation, unemployment. He struggled with getting out of his home, but wanted to feel connected to his community.

Debra, Oldham Social Prescribing Officer, was put into contact with Roland and was able to support with his isolation issues by getting him out to socialise, and also introducing him to two community centers where he could spend time volunteering.

As a result of his unemployment and various other issues, Roland also needed help financially. Debra was able to use her resources to lift the financial burdens that were cause for worry, through helping with repairs to his flat, support with rent, council tax, DWP, and also applying for Pension Credit.

Roland is now much more integrated in his community, as he volunteers at Werneth and Freehold Community Centre; spending his time cooking, cleaning and gardening. He also volunteers at the Primrose Centre where he does DIY, gardening, setting up furniture, and is also now able to give back to others needing support by serving meals to those in need.

Roland now feels he is a well-liked and integral and valuable member of his community. He has had an amazing transition through the support he found thanks to Debra and the love she puts into her job as a Social Prescriber.

Oldham Social Prescribing

The Oldham Social Prescribing service empowered Roland to embrace the opportunities offered to him and is now able to help others in less fortunate positions too.

To find out more about our Oldham Social Prescribing service, please click here

Hubbub – Nature Hubs Fund

Aims/priorities: This fund aims to support groups to create or enhance green spaces within a 5-kilometre radius of Starbucks stores that bring people closer to nature and align with the following criteria:

Volunteering benefits at Alexandra Park Gardening Hub

Meet William

William’s volunteering journey started a quite a long time ago. He decided to volunteer because he wanted to meet people, use his transferable skills, and at the time, it looked good on his CV whilst looking for employment.

William connected with the Action Together’s volunteering team over eight years ago where he booked an appointment and met with one of our Volunteering Officers to talk about suitable volunteer roles. At the time, William attended one of our volunteering presentations and from this, he gained more ideas on the types of volunteer roles he could get involved in.  

With the support of our volunteering officer, William then decided to apply to volunteer with Alexandra Parks Gardening hub and with Side By Side counselling service’s as a Committee Member.  William had a regular visit to Action Together to keep the team updated on his volunteering progress which was always great to hear. 

William has been volunteering with Alexandra parks gardening hub for almost nine years now! And is also a still involved as a Committee member with Side by Side. He also helps out at another local gardening group in local area at Hilltop gardening hub.  Volunteering has had a great impact on Williams life, its encouraged him to be more outgoing, he enjoys meeting new people, he feels confident in doing other things including going into shops and talking to people, which, at one point, he wouldn’t have even thought about doing. Through volunteering he has learnt new skills and more knowledge about gardening and fresh produce. He feels more healthy and active. He is now 70 years old and volunteering his time every week has improved his overall health and wellbeing. 
If you’re thinking of volunteering, William says “ Go for it! If you’re looking for work or been out of work for a while, doing something like this looks good on your cv and its good for your health and fitness”.

Our team are happy to talk to you if you have any questions about volunteering, get in touch at volunteering@actiontogether.org.uk

Joseph Rowntree Foundation Storytellers Fund 2024

Aims/priorities:

The Storytellers Fund was launched in 2023 to support those aiming to inspire change to share their content more widely and reach new audiences. The goal is to support the spread of stories that diversify the pool of storytellers and content creators who are shaping the conversations around our politics and culture. The aim is to promote transformative narratives and help build a better future for all.

Who can apply:

Applications can be submitted by:

Churchill Fellowship Opportunity

Aims/priorities:

The Churchill Fellowship is a unique opportunity to lead the change you want to see by exploring groundbreaking ideas and best practices in area you are passionate about. We will fund you to spend between 4-8 weeks meeting the innovators in your field anywhere in the world, whether in person or online. Following your research, we will help you to make a difference in your community or professional sector in the UK, offering ongoing support to turn your findings into real-world impact.

Thomas Wall Trust - Grants for Registered Charities

Aims/Priorities: The Trust views communication skills as critical capabilities for people who want to improve their employment prospects, self-confidence, resilience, and life chances.

The funding is for registered charities that are working to develop communication skills for people from disadvantaged groups who want to improve their employment prospects.

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