Working with Reach Church

Tameside Social Prescribing team with Reach Church

Reach Church are a modern, lively church based in Millbrook, Stalybridge. The church host activities for all ages, and we've worked with them on a number of projects recently:

Social Prescribing

Pictured above, Action Together's Tameside Social Prescribing team visited Reach recently to find out more about their activities, including Tiger Tots baby and toddler group and their Community Garden sessions. The team met with Andy and Jackie from the church to learn about the sessions, see the facility and hear about the impact the church is having in the community.

Social Prescribing connects people with local groups, activities and services to help improve their health and wellbeing. The Social Prescribing team will signpost clients from across Tameside to Reach Church's sessions, as there are good transport links and a bus stop right outside the church.


Community Team

Jon from our Community Team helped Reach Church secure funding to develop their outdoor space. By adding new decking they can now host outdoor activities like planting, growing food, drawing, and movie screenings.

Jackie from the church spoke to us about the impact the funding has made in this video.

Jon is based at Reach Church on Wednesdays from 9.30am - 11.30am. You can drop in to speak to him about local volunteering, funding for your ideas, Social Prescribing, and what's going on in the area.

Our teams are available across Tameside every week so you can speak to us about how Action Together can support your ideas. Visit our Tameside Community Team page to find out when we'll be at a venue near you.


Funding

Action Together supported Reach Church in applying for funding for their Tiger Tots project. They told us about the project and how the funding has helped:

"Tiger Tots is a baby and toddler group which is run on a term-time basis at Reach Church. Following the pandemic we have seen that many parents who attended now have children in primary school, and many new parents have been unable to attend classes due to them not running. Many parents who have attended have been so glad just to get out to socialise with their babies and toddlers and to watch their little ones interacting around other people.

"We wanted to attract more parents and carers by providing a service which caters well for babies and the early stages of development, to appeal to new mothers and to encourage them to come and enjoy the service. Getting to know other parents and carers can help to reduce social isolation, which has been heightened through lockdowns. Previously we simply had a couple of playmats and some small toys in our baby section, so we wanted to develop this further.

"We gratefully received funding from Action Together which allowed us to purchase several new items for our baby section, specifically aimed at encouraging development in babies including; a sensory tent, a jumparoo, a tummy time aid, a ball pool and a sensory table. These have now been made available for attendees for the last three weeks.

"We have had lots of positive feedback from parents who have attended in recent weeks, specifically that the new toys have enhanced the baby corner and have provided an easier space for their babies to develop skills such as sitting, tummy time, and sensory skills. One parent commented on how much their five month old was enjoying the sensory tent. We are hoping that the well-equipped baby area will continue to attract new parents who can enjoy socialising together whilst their babies enjoy use of the new toys."

Visit our Find Funding page to discover what funds are available for your project, or contact our team on 0161 339 2345 or development@actiontogether.org.uk


Find out more about Reach Church on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/reachstalybridge/

Or visit:

Reach Church                  

Kelvin Works

Huddersfield road

Millbrook

Stalybridge

SK15 3JL