Voluntary groups across North Yorkshire are celebrating grants awarded to them by North Yorkshire County Council.
The Council’s Innovation Fund encourages voluntary groups to identify new local community approaches to help transform the way adult social care services are delivered in North Yorkshire. The Fund aims to develop a more flexible and personalised approach to traditional services such as day care by offering vulnerable people services that fit around their lives.
The fund contains £1.6m to be allocated over three years. In this first round of grants, £324,000 was awarded to eight voluntary sector projects throughout the county.
County Councillor Clare Wood, Executive Member for Adult Social Care said:
The voluntary sector plays a vital part in the provision of care to vulnerable people across our county, and the award of these grants is a demonstration that the council is determined to recognise and reward that contribution.
We live in financially challenging times, and the Innovation Fund provides us with the means to meet some of those challenges while at the same time ensuring that the care provided for people in North Yorkshire is the best and the most innovative available.
We need to make the most of the less money that is available, and this Fund will help us to do just that … while not compromising on the quality and standard of the support provided for vulnerable people.
In the first round of grants, £324,000 has been split between eight projects:
- Pioneer Projects, Bentham and Settle, to develop creative solutions to health and social care needs in the communities;
- Reaching Everyone Age Concerns Together (REACT) via Age Concern North Craven for individualised day activities for older people;
- REACT via Age Concern North Yorkshire for a project focusing on healthy lifestyles and aging well;
- National Autistic Society in Harrogate, Northallerton and Thirsk to create social groups for people with autism spectrum disorder;
- Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale MIND to support volunteers for people with mental health problems and their carers;
- REACT via Age Concern Knaresborough to deliver additional support for older people;
- Alzheimer’s Society in Hambleton and Richmondshire for individualised activities for people with dementia; and
- Paperworks in Nidderdale to provide work preparation for people with learning disabilities.
The next round of funding will begin in December 2011.
Voluntary organisations can find out more about the fund at www.northyorks.gov.uk/voluntarysector
