HOPE Small Grants Programme
The HOPE Small Grants Programme was a funding initiative aimed at reducing loneliness and isolation in Wolverhampton, particularly in response to the impact of COVID-19. WVCA partnered with the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) to deliver the programme, which provided essential grants to grassroots organisations to enable them to improve mental health and social wellbeing across the city.
While a handful of funded activities will continue until June 2025, this month marks the successful completion of the programme.
Over the past two years, HOPE has made a significant impact, helping to foster social connections and enhance community wellbeing. During this time WVCA awarded over £85,000 to 21 grassroots organisations, supporting 23 community-led activities. These ranged from arts and crafts workshops, fitness sessions, and mental health support groups, to away days and social meetups. Each project played a crucial role in bringing people together, rebuilding confidence, strengthening support networks, and improving overall wellbeing, making a lasting positive impact on the community.
I extend my gratitude to all the organisations that took part and to everyone who contributed to making this programme a success. Together, we have taken meaningful steps toward addressing the impact of COVID-19 and supporting Wolverhampton residents facing loneliness and isolation.
Gurpreet Sahota, Partnerships Project Manager at WVCA
In photos: Hope Project Celebration Event
An important element of the Hope Project was a volunteer befriending scheme which offered direct support to those experiencing social isolation. Renford Lee, Social Prescribing Link Worker, explains more about the benefits of this vital aspect of the project:
Hope Community Volunteers
Here at WVCA we have often called on the Hope Volunteers to assist us with our clients who are experiencing social isolation.
Since the project began, in my role as a Link Worker, I have enlisted the help of 15 volunteers who have made a positive difference to my client’s lives. Three of these volunteers have subsequently secured full time employment, one of whom actually joined the Social Prescribing team as a Link Worker. Each of our volunteers were awarded a certificate in recognition of their excellent work.
The volunteers I have worked with have dedicated over 100 hours to some of our most vulnerable clients, giving them someone to talk to and making a difference by offering something positive to look forward to each day.
Our clients can feel cut off from the world outside so someone who is prepared to dedicate a couple of hours to converse or listen makes all the difference to their lives.
The funding for this befriending scheme has now come to an end, and although there has been disappointment voiced by all those involved with the scheme, volunteers can be extremely proud that clients have expressed just how much they valued the support of volunteers and of what they did to help enhance people’s lives for the better.