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Bright Ideas Fund

We have recently launched our Bright Ideas Fund.  The fund is for service users and employees to apply for projects or activities which will directly benefit our service users.

We had an amazing response to the first round and received a lot of great applications that showed both innovation and co-production.  Those chosen projects are as follows :

CLEAR – development of the allotment and outdoor group.  The additional funding will help to develop the existing plot with the addition of a much needed polytunnel, enabling work to continue all year round.  The team will also be able to develop their ‘Zen’ plot,  a currently overgrown space which they aim to turn into a ‘Zen’ herbal garden with a fruit plantation lower. This project will help to improve the wellbeing of the service users, provide produce that can be used in CLEAR cookery groups and will also benefit the wider community and natural wildlife.

Community Options – ‘Share Your Skills’ event.  This project aims to empower service users to identify and utilise their strengths to benefit local communities whilst also assisting service users with their recovery. This initiative will give service users the opportunity to meet and socialise with new people, take on responsibility for organising and running activities, share their experiences and knowledge and gain confidence.  As part of the project the team will co-produce a video with current service users which will act as a guide for individuals and services on how to set up groups.

Oakwood Hall – creation of an ‘activities room’.  One of the large rooms at Oakwood Hall will be turned into an area in which residents can spend time together, play pool, ping pong, listen to music, watch films and cook. This will help to increase the social aspect of Oakwood Hall and make it relaxing and fun whilst encouraging residents to spend time together.

Octavia House – Yoga classes.  This idea came from a resident who attended previous yoga sessions and felt that it had a positive impact on their mental health, particularly the breathing exercises. The funding provided will allow residents to attend a yoga class (or other well-being class, such as Pilates or Tai Chi) in the local community.

York Housing service – Cake and tea social group.  This idea came from a service user who wanted to set up a local group for people living with personality disorders. The group will be guided by a themed agenda with a set topic to include talks by invited speakers for half of group and then move into an open forum. This peer support group will be for people living in York with a personality disorder (led by people with personality disorders) providing a mix of social, emotional and practical support. The funding from Bright Ideas will provide the initial set up for the group, including promotional materials and refreshments.

CLEAR – LGBTQ Peer Support Group.  A group of service users from CLEAR came up with the idea to create a group which would provide service users access to a safe relaxed place to be themselves and talk openly about LGBTQ issues without fear of being judged.  Funding will go towards the set up costs of the group and some of the group’s activities.

Watch this space for further up-dates on how these projects are progressing over the coming months.