Oldham

"My name is Kathleen and I live in Chadderton.

It’s been quite a while since I got in touch with the Oldham Social Prescribing service, and they’ve been absolutely wonderful. Debra and Holly are the ones that I met with.

We first got put in touch a few years ago when my daughter-in-law reached out for support with sheltered housing for me and my husband. We never managed to move but they helped us with so many other things. My husband was in and out of hospital and he actually passed away six months ago. In those six months, they’ve been so marvelous.

Debra introduced me to the AGEUK Luncheon Club, which has led to a lot of things; like meeting new people, having someone to have lunch with and making plans to go out with the friends I’ve made here. Me and some of the ladies now love to go for a Sunday lunch together! It’s been so lovely.

Since losing my husband, I think the service has made a real difference. Thinking back six months ago… I was very, very quiet. I think, if it hadn’t of been for Debra coming to the Club with me on that very first day, I don’t think I would have come.

You can ask my family, they don’t know how I managed to get through the funeral, but they think I’ve coped marvelously, and I think a lot of that is down to Debra.

Not only that, Debra was more like a friend. We’d go over to the community centre for a coffee and just talk. When the funeral came around, Debra helped me with the paperwork, bereavement counselling, pension credit... She was able to help me with so much.

She has got me to a really good place on my own now, but I’ve still got her number for whenever I need it.

The work that the Oldham Social Prescribing team do is just wonderful, they are just like your friends and you can ask them anything you want and they’re very, very helpful. The thing I like about them is that they will spend so much time with you, I don’t know how they manage it, but they really do care. I know they’ve got lots of clients and things to do, but they had so much patience and it’s like they’re there just for you!

If you think you need support from Oldham Social Prescribing, I’d say don’t put it off and get in touch as soon as. They’ve been wonderful to me and I hope they can do the same for so many others."

Oldham Social Prescribing

The Oldham Social Prescribing service empowered Kathleen to embrace the opportunities offered to her and she was able to develop strong friendships. Her new friendships also supported her through her grief and loss.

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

OPAG applied for the Household Support Fund 4 as they wanted an investment to provide support with food to households with children in the Oldham area. They were successful in their application and received £8,500 to spend on a supply of supermarket vouchers (and other local retailers which can be used primarily for food.) and also £1,500 to support with additional costs.

"One of the recipients of a shopping voucher through OPAGs Household Support Fund was a Mum with 5 children, ranging from 1 – 13 years.  The voucher helped them to do a family shop during a difficult time. The school aged children were eligible for free school meals we encouraged them to come along to OPAGs HAF sessions where we also provided hot meals. They came to sessions at all of the OPAG general venues including Greenacres Community Centre, Poppy Road and Holts Roc ‘N’ Rolls Café. They also participated in the National Playday event in Royton and sessions at Trinity Methodist Church, Royton.

They were pleased that the original contact to get a shopping voucher had led to so many other opportunities and offered activities they could enjoy together as a family.

The Mum, said that both the voucher and the sessions had been so valuable, as she certainly would not be able to afford to do something each day with the children during the school holidays. She said it really helped the family finance to go that bit further. "

Oldham Play Action Group, January 2024

If your group would like support with a funding application, please contact us at funding@actiontogether.org.uk

GPD applied for the OOF Micro Grant as they wanted to expand their activities and sessions that have a positive impact on people’s lives. They recognised that people from all walks of life are struggling with mental health issues and need opportunities to overcome them. They had positive feedback from many women who had participated in their activities and became happier and healthier. Their projects encourages the community to stay connected and share their life stories and challenges.

"Our project aims to support women’s mental wellbeing by creating diverse and inclusive opportunities for them to get together and enjoy regular activities. We work with women from different backgrounds, especially African, and help them gain the knowledge and skills to make confident choices and participate in decisions about their own health. We collaborate with other groups from British and Asian backgrounds to introduce new ideas and methods that can improve women’s health and mental wellbeing."

GPD run sessions called “The Self-Love Table”, in which a special guest is invited to share their own struggles and successes with mental health in a safe space. During these sessions, topics are shared that help women improve their lifestyle, and better ways to increase self-love and self-care. The sessions are run once a month and are attended by 50 women.

A most recent guess was a world-famous top model, who shared her experiences of dealing with online bullying, which allowed attendees that realise that mental health affects everyone, regardless of their social status. Following the success of the session and the high demand for more, GPD applied for the OOF Micro Grant as they wanted to increase the frequency of these sessions, so that more people can benefit from it.

GPD expected the following outcomes for the project:

• Improved mental health for the women who will participate to it
• Increased self-love, self-care and self-confidence for the women who participate in this activity
• Reduced isolation and increased social capital for the women who participate in the activity
• Enhanced cultural awareness and appreciation for the women who participate in this activity
• Increased participation and engagement in community life for the women who participate in this activity

"We aim to support women’s health and wellbeing by creating diverse and inclusive opportunities for them to get together, learn from each other and reduce isolation. The project also aims to help women gain the knowledge and skills to make confident choices and participate in decisions about their own health."

GPD were successful in their application for funding for the Prioritising women’s self-care and self-love for mental wellbeing project, and were awarded £1,000. 

Since receiving their funding, GDP have been able to facilitate their Self-Love Table sessions, which have benefitted over 30 women so far! 

"The highlights of this project has been that women discovered the best and right ways they can improve their self -love/self - care. It also helps learn from each other how to over come certain challenges caused by mental health.

The feedback from participants has always been amazing. They always leave saying that they would love to invite their friends to come and participate to our Self -Love Table session. It’s really making a big impact to the community’s mental wellbeing.

We would encourage more organisations help their community work on their mental health. There is a lot of negativity going on around the world and across the nation that is affecting people’s mental wellbeing. Bringing people together through different activities or events can help focus on the positive thinking." 

Kana Josée Bizimana, Chief Executive at Girls with Pride and Dignity

To find out more about Girls with Pride and Dignity, click here

If you have queries about funding available from Action Together, contact our Funding team at funding@actiontogether.org.uk

If your group would like support with a funding application, please contact our Development team at development@actiontogether.org.uk