MORE than £135,000 awarded to support innovative public health projects

Twelve organisations awarded funding from £7.5m PHAB funding pot for initiatives designed to improve the health of Essex residents.

Children’s yoga sessions, inclusive music classes and sport mentoring courses are amongst the first projects to benefit from a new £7.5 million public health grant scheme.

Essex County Council has confirmed the first 12 projects which will receive grants from its Public Health Accelerator Bids (PHAB) small grants programme.

A range of organisations will benefit from a total of £136,366. This will be used to support a variety of projects aimed at improving the physical and mental health of residents across the county.

The successful organisations are: 

• UTurn4Support, Tendring: to launch a project combining sporting activity and theoretical mentoring to achieve positive health and social outcomes for young people.
• The Art Ministry, Castle Point: to run twice weekly creative sessions over two years for people with mental health issues as well as disadvantaged and disabled residents.
• SEND the Right Message Charity (STRM), Castle Point and Rochford: to employ a community engagement officer working with residents in Canvey, Benfleet, Hadleigh, Hockley, Ashingdon, Great Wakering, Canewdon and Hullbridge.
• Urban Support CIC, Colchester: to provide a supported learning programme in partnership with local schools, focusing on assisting children with learning difficulties by providing access to physical activities and mentoring.
• Over 50s Black Men Forum CIC, Chelmsford, Braintree and Basildon: to host a Mental Health Seminar in Chelmsford and provide five mental health workshops over a 36-week period for older black men across Essex.
• Making It Mindful, Harlow: to host “dance and dine” sessions for women and families, combined dance and cooking workshops.
• Yoga4all Group CIC, Basildon: to deliver children’s yoga classes in Basildon.
• Let’s Get Out C.I.C, Brentwood, Basildon, Uttlesford and Chelmsford: to create the Every Acorn Project Forest School, which will utilise the therapeutic benefits of nature to improve mental wellbeing.
• Barnardo’s Essex Child & Family Wellbeing Service, Colchester: to work with Thurstable School to offer young people suffering anxiety up to age 19 two blocks of six-week yoga sessions.
• Ferriers Barn, Colchester and Braintree: to provide two fitness classes weekly at Ferriers Barn, a day centre for adults with disabilities, and a weekly sound gong session.
• Canvey Island Youth Project (Yellow Door), Castle Point: to employ a sessional counsellor specialising in supporting young people who are neurodiverse or who present as younger than their years.
• Ace Music Therapy CIC, Chelmsford: to host two inclusive 12-week music workshops for adults and children, as well as a community performance at the end of the programme.  

Councillor John Spence, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care and ICS Integration, said: “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to impactful public health interventions, and I’m really pleased to such a diverse range of projects and organisations benefit from the first PHAB small grants.

“Small grants from the programme are still available, and I would urge other organisations across the county to consider submitting a bid – the money you could receive can make a real difference.”

Lucy Wightman, Director of Wellbeing, Public Health and Communities at Essex County Council, said: “It’s brilliant to see so many new projects will get off the ground thanks to PHAB small grant funding.

“We’re really excited to see the difference these projects will make in Essex, helping to tackle health inequalities and improve the health of residents.”

The Public Health Accelerator Bids (PHAB) programme offers organisations the opportunity to bid for funding across two grant funding streams – small grants under £15,000 and major grants over £15,000.   

Applications for the small grants scheme can be made on a rolling basis.

Expressions of Interest for the major grants are currently in the second round. This remains open until Friday 1 December at 5pm.

After this, organisations which are successful in their expression of interest will be invited to submit a formal application.

Find out more and apply at www.essex.gov.uk/phab.