Falkirk area health and well being projects share in £166,000 of funding

Over £166,000 has been awarded to the projects as part of the Health Inequalities and Well being fund, launched by Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership last year.

The latest funding allocation adds to a series of projects which were successful in earlier application rounds, bringing the total funding provided to community-led initiatives to £772,402.

Organisations, community groups, and statutory bodies were invited to apply for up to £25,000 per year for the next two years to fund ideas which take a creative approach to addressing inequalities and improving well being.

The six new projects funded involve the Breastfeeding Network, Committed to Ending Abuse (CEA), Energy Action Scotland, Fedcap Employment Scotland and Falkirk Council’s Step Forth Walking Programme (Nordic Walking) and Weight Management Group, Falkirk Council

Susan Paterson, Operations Director at Fedcap Scotland, explained how the funding Fedcap received will benefit local communities.

She said: “We help people to find the jobs and careers they love – which means we also understand the barriers some people can face when trying to achieve their goals, and the knock-on impact this can have on their health and everyday life.

“Our pilot project will provide targeted support for people with anxiety, helping to build the confidence and positive self-esteem needed to land the rewarding role they deserve or achieving other positive next steps in life.”

Fedcap will support people in Falkirk through the Healthy Minds, Inspiring People programme, which helps people with poor mental health, learning difficulties and disabilities.

Another successful project, The Breastfeeding Network, will use the funding to improve the support on offer to young parents and families in Falkirk.

Using the new funding, The Breastfeeding Network hopes to open community-based groups, giving new parents a place to access support and meet other local parents. T he network will also offer accredited peer support training to a group of local young mums so they can use their experiences to support other parents in Forth Valley.

Visit Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership’s website for more information.