OCF is pleased to announce the allocation of £210,000 in grants aimed at fostering mental wellbeing and addressing mental health inequalities across the county, in partnership with Public Health Oxfordshire and West Oxfordshire District Council.
This significant investment underscores our commitment to preventing poor mental health and promoting positive mental wellbeing within our communities. Our objectives included preventing poor mental health and cultivating good mental wellbeing, narrowing inequalities in mental health and wellbeing, and supporting community-based activities such as peer support and community support groups.
The target recipients of these grants were groups identified by Public Health as particularly vulnerable to mental health issues: pregnant women and new mothers, including their families; autistic children and young people, along with their families; LGBTQ+ young adults; and men aged 30-59, particularly those facing relationship challenges.
Grants were awarded to eight grassroots organisations:
- APCAM – £25,200
- Ark-T Centre – £26,535
- The Cornermen CIC – £21,000
- GroW Families (Grove and Wantage Family Community Group) – £27,994
- Home-Start Banbury, Bicester and Chipping Norton, with Home-Start Oxford and Home-Start Southern Oxfordshire – £36,761
- Nai’s House – £33,000
- Thame Football Partnership – £9,800
- Transition Chipping Norton – £37,000
The full applications from the groups came to £7,000 more than the statutory funds available, so OCF approached two of our named fund holders, who generously agreed to supplement funding to Nai’s House, Transition Chipping Norton and APCAM so that their whole applications could be funded. Thanks to the Meech Centenary Trust and the High Sheriff Sally Scott Fund for enabling us to do this.
These grants empowered local organisations to deliver vital support services, ensuring that mental health resources were accessible to those who needed them most. By investing in these community-based activities, we not only supported individuals but also strengthened the fabric of our communities.
One initiative funded was Ark-T’s Myspace project, a free-to-access programme of multi-artform creative activities for disadvantaged children and young people in East Oxford. Activities provided an LGBT-inclusive space for parents, carers and young people to come together to learn new creative skills and wellbeing techniques by upcycling everyday items in the home. Creativity Camps gave disadvantaged families 15 free days per year of school holiday provision, involving physical activity, nutritious food, cooking and food education.
Another grant supported The Cornermen, a men’s mental health and suicide-prevention service based at a boxing club in Didcot. They gave an example of the sort of work they do in their application: A man in his 50s, struggling after a divorce, was contemplating suicide due to financial and emotional distress. With the group’s support, including creative activities, financial advice, and family communication, his mental health improved. He now plans to move closer to his children and grandchildren, finding purpose in being a good grandfather.
As part of this round of funding, OCF is working with a secondee provided by Jesus College, Oxford to carry out an evaluation of the grants’ effectiveness using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Baseline data will be collected at the start of the grants period, with impact assessed over a two-year period. This will enable a proportionate level of assessment and accountability in relation to the public funds that have been channelled through the grants.
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