Merton Health and Wellbeing Board
Promoting Health and Wellbeing in East Merton
Voluntary sector grants fund
Background and Criteria
Introduction
Voluntary, community, faith groups and social enterprises are invited to apply for
funding to deliver activities and services that will increase the health and wellbeing of
families and communities in the East of the borough (see list of wards on the next
page) and contribute to bridging the gap in health and wellbeing between residents
living in the Eastern and Western wards.
Background
This grants fund has been established by Merton’s Health and Wellbeing Board,
which brings the Council, NHS commissioners, Clinical commissioners, the voluntary
and community sector and a range of other partners together to focus on improving
the health and wellbeing of the local population.
The fund has been supported by Public Health( Merton) and is being administered
by Merton Voluntary Service Council (MVSC) on behalf of the Health and Wellbeing
Board.
Overall aims of the fund
The fund aims to support the delivery of evidence-based, innovative and sustainable
activities and services which will help to reduce health inequalities in east Merton.
The fund is focussed specifically on the east of the borough, where life expectancy is
approximately 11 years less for women and 10 years less for men than in the west of
the borough. Life expectancy is considered a very good measure of overall health
and inequality.
Eligibility criteria
Priority will be given to partnership (two or more organisations working together)
proposals that find new, creative and innovative ways of tackling existing problems.
Applications will only be considered from voluntary, community and faith
organisations and social enterprises.
Grants of up to £4,000 for single organisations and £10,000 for partnership bids, are
available for projects lasting up to 1 year. There is £50,000 available in this round.
Funded projects should build on existing local work, meet at least one of the five
themes below, and increase the health and well-being of families and communities in
one or more of the following wards: Abbey, Colliers Wood, Cricket Green, Figge's
Marsh, Graveney, Lavender Fields, Longthornton, Pollards Hill, Ravensbury and St
Helier.
The fund has five interlinked themes:
1. Best Start in Life: aims to support early year’s development and strong
educational achievement, with a focus on health.
Example activities:
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Parent and toddler sessions that encourage the acquisition of key motor and
social skills in pre-school children;
Mentoring and befriending project for vulnerable children and young people
Community centre providing teen only healthy eating and exercise sessions
session;
A youth group delivering Wii fit sessions.
2. Good Health: aims to support people to make healthy lifestyle choices, by
providing good access to health and social care facilities; along with supporting
the prevention and early detection of long term conditions.
Example activities:
 A series of workshops for residents with diabetes to take greater control of
their illness;
 Exercise sessions for stroke sufferers;
 A Community centre providing chair based fitness sessions for older people;
 Healthy eating sessions for residents with obesity;
 Training staff and/or volunteers of community projects to acquire skills and
knowledge to promote health and well-being;
3. Life skills, lifelong learning and good work: aims to increase local
employment rates by targeted initiatives to improve individual’s soft skills and
skills linked to growth sectors, such as construction and hospitability. Delay the
onset of conditions associated with growing older by the provision of activities
that stimulate both mind and body.
Example activities:
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Project that provides opportunities for older people to learn new skills, such as
computer and digital skills, emailing, skype etc.
Community Group providing health themed ESOL classes to migrant
communities.
A project that targets particular individuals deemed to be furthest away from
the labour market eg, ex-offenders, care leavers, lone parents
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Provide employability and/or business start –up training to unemployed
residents in a bid to increase their employability.
4. Community participation and feeling safe: aims to support residents to engage
in activities within their community or make a positive contribution to their
community, which will enhance individual confidence, resilience and feeling of
security and wellbeing, whist improve community cohesion and reducing feelings
of isolation and insecurity.
Example activities:
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Youth group providing accredited Sport coaching training for their users
A community group working with a local shop to promote healthy eating.
A peer support programme that encourages vulnerable people to regularly
meet, share issues and participate in communal activities.
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5. A good natural and built environment: aims to improve the built environment
and provide high quality green open spaces that will encourage healthier
lifestyles.
Example activities:
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Residents Association/community group improving a disused or poorly
maintained open space to create a community garden
A Fuel poverty awareness raising campaign targeted at cohorts of
vulnerable residents
A programme that, through facilitated instruction, encourages the use of
the Borough’s outdoor gyms.
Successful applicants will be encouraged to develop links between their proposals
and other preventative programmes, e.g. LiveWell Sutton & Merton. It is also hoped
that applicant will use the fund as seed funding to attract other external funding and
create greater sustainability for the proposal.
Decision making, deadlines and closing dates
All applications will be assessed and decisions made by a grants panel consisting of
representatives from Merton Council, the NHS and the voluntary sector using a
scoring system. All questions will contribute to the final score, however a higher
weighting will be given to questions 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 so please make sure you
have addressed all the points requested.
The timetable for applications for Round 6 is as follows:
 Application deadline: 12pm (midday) Monday 21st December 2015
 Panel meeting: week of 11th January 2016
 Decisions announced: week of 18th January 2015
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Applications must be submitted electronically to: beau@mvsc.co.uk
Further information and support
If you need help with the application or need clarification on anything please contact:
Beau Fadahunsi on 8685 1771 or email as above