We are happy to announce that our final commissioning process has come to a successful close. Our panels have chosen eleven new projects to fund, for a joint contract value of £1.9 million.

The funding priorities for this round covered three strands: Changes, Creating Supportive Opportunities and Connections.

Creating Supportive Opportunities

Projects which reach older people who are experiencing high levels of entrenched social isolation, working with them to improve their confidence and reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation through practical, goal orientated support.

• “Choices” delivered by Feel Good Factor. In consultation with local older people in Chapeltown, this project will co-produce a number of different activities to engage socially isolated older people, focusing on BAME and Eastern European communities.
• “Cara Continued” delivered by Leeds Irish Health and Homes. This project will build on the learning from the first Cara project funded in the first round of Time to Shine’s commissioning, this time focusing strongly on people living in residential care and others not able to easily leave their homes.
• “In Mature Company” delivered by Yorkshire Dance. One-to-one, small group and large group dance and movement sessions in care homes, focusing on people living with dementia.
• “SELF: South and East Leeds Friends.” Building on their existing model of peer support, Leeds Mind will focus on South and East Leeds to provide intensive one to one support and peer led groups. Target groups will include BAME communities and men.
• “MHA Community Support Project.” Working with re-enablement teams, MHA will identify people recovering from a period of illness or hospital stay and keep them connected and engaged with their interests. Delivery area: Pudsey, Horsforth, Farsley, Calverly, Rodley, Tyersal
• Health for All. Offering one-to-one support focusing on BAME and Eastern European communities, employing an Occupational Therapist to work alongside the team and help overcome individual barriers to engaging in activities.

Connections

Projects which reach isolated older people from street level up, recognising that just bringing people together isn’t likely to reduce isolation. This builds on our learning that there needs to be a springboard to more, sustained networks and relationships outside of a project’s parameters.

• “Float Your Boat” delivered by Canal Connection CIC. Using the resources of the Leeds canals, this project will engage socially isolated people to get them out on the boats, learning new skills and creating social connections.
• “The Great Outdoors” delivered by The Conservation Volunteers. Through a variety of taster sessions and specially designed activities, TCV will increase its engagement with older people, focusing on those likely to be affected by social isolation.
• “Connections” delivered by Health for All. By setting up a hub in South Leeds and number of satellite centres around the city, this project will aim to reach African Caribbean and Eastern European communities, responding to the gap in Time to Shine engagement thus far.
• “Making a Match” delivered by MAECare in partnership with OPAL. Designing opportunities around the philosophy that services should find out what is important to isolated older people and build on that rather than expecting them to fit into services that already exist.

Changes

Projects which aim to use learning about the events or circumstances in a person’s life that are most likely to trigger social isolation and develop a preventative approach to increase awareness and personal resilience for the future. To address an existing gap in our participation, we were looking to fund a project that would specifically focus on younger older people.

• “Don’t Call Me Old” delivered by Armley Helping Hands. This project will engage with people living in Armley and Wortley, ages 50 to 70, developing an effective approach for keeping this age group connected to their local community while maintaining independence.

The target date for contracts to be finalised and projects to start is 1 April 2018.

If you have any questions or concerns about the commissioning process, please get in touch with Hillary Wadsworth (hillary@opforum.org.uk) or Rachel Koivunen (rachelk@opforum.org.uk).