A new Health Inequalities Grant Programme, developed by members of the Better Together group, has awarded grants of between £10,000 and £30,000 to fourteen Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations. Funding has been provided by North Tyneside CCG and North Tyneside Council, with the grant programme being administered by VODA.

All funded activities focus on delivering outcomes relating to the key themes of the recently published Equally Well strategy for North Tyneside – ‘Equal life chances for all’, ‘Thriving places and communities’ and ‘Maintaining independence’.

The grants programme aims to be more than just an offer of funding. In order to build an evidence base of what works and to help identify scalable solutions, all successful applicants will attend six-monthly learning and development sessions delivered in partnership with Goodlabs – a local management consultancy that helps charitable organisations to enhance their social impact. The first of these session took place on 24th May as part of a grant launch event. Read North Tyneside VODA's full blog on the funding here.

Want a taste of how some of the money is being used? Here's a look at the delicious sounding menu of programmes curated by the Linskill and North Tyneside Community Development Trust:

Linskill community cooking

This programme aims to improve the health and wellbeing of local families by improving their nutrition. A recently refurbished community kitchen, The Pantry, provides space for up to 8 adult learners. A qualified and experienced local nutritionist leads the sessions and provides food education as a hands-on practical experience with learners also able to access to a digital app with video recipes and more educational materials online.

Fakeaway a Takeaway

In a bid to help all family members maintain a healthy weight, ‘Fakeaway a Takeaway’ is a 6-week course to show parents how to cook up some healthier versions of their favourite takeaways which are also budget friendly. Top tips, advice and support will be given throughout using tools such as the Eat Well plate and Fit for Life.

Meat Free Monday

6-week course to promote plant-based eating ‘Meat Free Monday’ is offered to all members of the community. This course highlights the physical health benefits of reducing meat intake and increasing plant-based proteins, alongside the benefits to the planet of plant-based eating and how it is more environmentally sustainable. The course aims to educate the community with a ‘one small change’ approach, advising that if everybody made just one small change, even just changing one product, for example, choosing a plant- based milk instead of dairy famed milk, can be beneficial.

Intergenerational Allotment Programme

In conjunction with this, we are developing an allotment programme where members of the community can work intergenerationally with the children from the onsite nursery to grow their own fruits and vegetables in the nursery garden and polytunnel which will be utilised in the cookery courses and/or by the Linskill catering team.

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With thanks to Louise Cervantes and North Tyneside VODA. Photo by Taryn Elliott via Pexels