1 | Page Northwards Housing Impact Report 2 | Page Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................. 3 Open Minds but Silent Sounds .............................................................................. 4 Manchester Cares…………………………...……………………………………………. 5 Greater Manchester Academy Trust ............................................................................ 7 North Manchester Community Partnership ................................................................ 8 Tangled Dance Company .............................................................................................. 9 Teenage Kicks ....................................................................................................... 11 Dimobi Children Disability Trust ................................................................................ 13 Victoria Square Cook & Taste Session ..................................................................... 14 North Manchester Fitness ..................................................................................... 15 Collyhurst & Moston Boxing Club ........................................................................ 16 Community Engagement Events .......................................................................... 17 NHS CCG report on Partnership working with Northwards Housing ................ 20 Hate Crime Awareness Event ............................................................................... 23 LGBT Forum Fit 4 Life Event ................................................................................ 24 Radequal Network Event ....................................................................................... 25 Retirement Housing Events to tackle Isolation & Loneliness ........................... 27 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 30 Impact Report: April 2018 Compiled & produced by Northwards Housing Resident Involvement Team: Louise Roberts & Ian Gillett 3 | Page Introduction NHS Manchester Clinical Commissioning group provided funding for Northwards Housing to work together to encourage and support residents in north Manchester to lead a healthier life by considering the following aims:- • To improve the mental health and well-being of people living with mental health problems • To reduce social isolation amongst communities living in north Manchester • To engage with communities across north Manchester and listen to their experiences of using health and care services The funding was available for use in 2017/2018 and to be utilised by community groups and organisations in the following localities: • Crumpsall and Cheetham Hill • Higher Blackley, Harpurhey and Charlestown • Miles Platting, Newton Heath, Moston and City- Centre • Ancoats, Clayton and Bradford The funding was divided proportionately in agreement with North Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group to meet the specific aims listed above. £1,000.00 BME Hate Crime Awareness Event £5,000.00 £1,000.00 LGBT Fit 4 Life Event Retirement Services Projects NHS £20,000.00 Funding £,6000.00 £2,000.00 Networking Community Event Engagement & Cohesion Events £5,000.00 Local Community Group Projects 4 | Page The following report contains a short narrative for each area of spending; outlining how each activity/event met the aims and objectives of the funding including testaments and feedback from residents. Open Minds but Silent Sounds Open minds but Silent Sounds is a creative writing project for young people from Moston and Harpurhey aged 12-16 who are experiencing mental health difficulties. The project aims to offer young people a tool for expression and to raise awareness of mental health. The young people collaborate with professional poets and mental health professionals as well as meditation specialist to develop a flexible process that responds to their needs. Through the practice of meditation before and after the sessions, the project will help members manage their emotions and improve mindfulness. They piloted the project which was initially developed and supported by The Agency & ContactMCR. The pilot project consisted of an 8 week workshop process meeting once a week which culminated in an intimate sharing of the work created in the sessions. Over the course of the process they engaged 20 young people who had all experienced different forms of mental health and created some insightful pieces of poetry. They then developed this further with the goal of creating an anthology to be released in the future, with the hope that this anthology will work as a resource for people suffering similar issues. They were honoured to be joined by the Lord Mayor of Manchester for their final sharing, who handed out certificates of achievement to all participants, as well as sharing some of his own experiences with mental health. Following this pilot process Open Minds but Silent Sounds were commissioned by HOMEMCR as part of their Project X programme to deliver a bespoke workshop for an invited group from 42nd Street, a charity in Manchester that supports young people with Mental Health issues. Due to the success of the project they are now fundraising to continue their work and run the workshops on a regular basis. They have formulated strong partnerships with; CAMHS.42nd ST, OddArts, Rathbone and educational institutions in the local community. They will utilise these partnerships during the recruitment process of the project to ensure they are engaging young people who are most in need of a service such as this. They aim to provide a creative outlet for young people to express their emotions and improve their mental state in the long run. Through research they have discovered that services for young sufferers are limited in North Manchester and generally reserved for young people at high risk. They want to provide a service for everyone, no matter the level of their issue and are hoping young people as well as their families and carers will benefit from this in the long run. 5 | Page Manchester Cares Manchester Cares is a brand new community network of young professionals and older neighbours hanging out and helping one another in our rapidly changing city. Manchester is a wonderful place, with innovation and influence, history and heart at its core. There's always so much going on, from new music to new businesses to new people arriving all the time. The city is growing and changing at double speed and that leaves some people feeling anonymous, isolated and left behind. For our older neighbours in particular, many of whom have spent a lifetime in their home neighbourhoods, the rush and pace of the city can often now feel too much. Getting around can be difficult, and trends including globalisation, gentrification, migration and digitisation are transforming communities faster than ever before. The multiplying effect of those pressures is that many older people have deep roots but few connections. Meanwhile, young professionals often graduate from across the country and around the world can have hundreds of connections in the social media age, but often no roots in their communities. The separation of those parallel worlds wastes human potential, entrenches loneliness and isolation, perpetuates social division and is ultimately corrosive for our society. Manchester Cares seeks to address this modern blight of disconnection by harnessing the people and places around us for the benefit of all. Their objectives are to: Reduce isolation and loneliness amongst older people and young professionals. Improve the connection, confidence, skills, resilience and power of all participants so neighbours can feel part of our changing city rather than left behind by it. Bring people together to reduce the gaps across social, generational, digital, cultural and attitudinal divides. Thanks to funding Manchester Cares Social Clubs have gone from strength to strength, both in Duncan Edwards Court and Victoria Square where the monthly film nights and Desert Island Discs night have brought younger and older Mancunians together. The donation of £500 has helped to fund 7 social clubs at Northwards sites in the last 3 months, with an average of 14 neighbours attending each club. This means younger and older neighbours have been able to share friendship and laughter, get to know each other and reconnect with their local area. 6 | Page The monthly pub quiz at The Koffee Pot in Ancoats is one of the most popular events on the calendar. Carol (77) from Victoria Square says “I've had a fabulous time, I'm so glad I came! I used to go to the old Koffee Pot years ago for a breakfast, then go next door to buy a record for seven and six!” The donation has also helped to grow the Love Your Neighbour programme and now Northwards resident Jim (89), is part of the first one-to-one friendship. Manchester Cares met Jim back in December, when he had recently lost his wife and in the aftermath realised that he no longer knew many people in his building, which meant he often felt he didn’t have anyone to talk to day to day. They invited Jim to their inaugural Desert Island Discs night and by the end of the night he had everyone singing along. Since then, Jim’s been on a business visit to The Sharp Project where he braved the bus for the first time in six years so that he could hang out with his new friends. He shared some ‘Light Painting’ photographs that he took 60 years ago and told