Health & Wellbeing Project 2024
The Pitch
Problem statement
Our team are from West Cumbria and through our own working experience and participation within the drug and alcohol recovery field in Cumbria, we felt and understood that there was a real need to provide support to people who were trying to recover from their substance addiction in our community. We felt there was a need for this project, due to major issues for some members who had been struggling for months or even years in some cases, they were chronically out of touch with their personal ability to make health promoting choices and as a result they continued to live the same sedentary lifestyles with unhealthy daily eating habits which adversely impacted their health and wellbeing.
Solution
We would like to support 15 members with their personal recovery which will address the negative mental, emotional, and physical legacy that they have left with and to provide the necessary personal support in helping them to move forward again into healthier lifestyles. Our activities include: 1-2-1 support, crafts, yoga/meditation, walking/gardening sessions, local sport centre trips and goal setting. Outcomes for our members: • Maintained abstinence from substances. • Increased health and wellbeing. • Improved self-management. • Healthier choices. • Improved emotional/mental health. • Decreased isolation. • Increased resilience/confidence/self-esteem. • Improved communication skills
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Our facilitator feels that the first year of the project was very successful in supporting up to 15 members with this project “It’s been a learning curve having to change and adapt sessions to benefit members' needs. These sessions have provided a life line and are very beneficial to those members who regularly attend the centre”. – Kelly Sheils – facilitator. 85% of our staff, volunteers and Trustees have lived experience, this is of much benefit that our service users are supported by individuals that have travelled a similar road. We have delivered this project in recent years and reached our aims and outcomes - full report is available.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Material/activity costs, sport centre gym passes, relaxation sessions, gardening project, walking sessions, healthy eating sessions: cost for sessions/equipment/tools/food ingredients/workshop costs. | £3,000 |
Beneficiaries
15 people
Who will benefit
Expected impact
We aim to support the following with our Health and Wellbeing Project in the next 12 months: • 15 members who are identified as needing this support. • Age group 30 – 60 years old. • Mixed - both male and female. • 8 volunteers will be involved Our volunteers also feel valued and have “happy feelings” from supporting others, they have increased skills, social contact with others and increased self-worth. Our projects and support services also directly tie in with, and help to support the Cumbria Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2019-2029 to enable Cumbrian communities to be healthy and to tackle health inequalities through the key themes of: • Protecting the health of the population as a whole. • Provide high quality, integrated, person-centred care. • Tackling the wider determinants of health and wellbeing. • Improving health and wellbeing throughout the life course. Available at: https://cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/536/671/436151528.PDF
Track record
Over the last 12 months at the Vulture Club, we successfully delivered: • Supported 80 service users. • 5 were from Allerdale, 75 were from Copeland. • 55% were female, 45% were male. • 35% had drug issues and 65% had alcohol issues. • 80% had mental health issues and were socially isolated. • 16 volunteers regularly supported our service delivery. • 9 people engaged with our Marras Project - 20 sessions. • 12 people engaged with our Root to Recovery programme. • 7 people engaged with our Arts & Crafts sessions - 34 sessions. • 34 people engaged with our creative writing, book club and drama project - total 72 sessions. • 6 people engaged with our Art Sound Project - 35 sessions. • 7 people engaged with our walking sessions. Testimonial “Vulture Club is a fantastic place to be accepted for yourself. It’s full of lovely kind people who are always there to help if needed. It’s helped me to come out of my shell and bounce back from relapse on more than a couple of occasions”.