UHNM Charity supports more than 10,000 people facing loneliness

More than 10,000 people from Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire have benefited from UHNM Charity funding to reduce loneliness and social isolation.

NHS Charities Together awarded £500,000 to UHNM Charity in 2022 as part of its Community Partnerships Grants programme. Fourteen community groups and projects from the Staffordshire and Stoke Integrated Care System (ICS) received a slice of the grant funding to help address the issue of loneliness and social isolation.

Over the last three years, the grant, has helped community partners to fund a range of initiatives, including improvements to existing services for people at risk of loneliness and isolation, the creation of new projects and groups to improve social connections and the use of new technology.

Staffordshire charity Beam were awarded £50,000 to provide daily activities that promote daily living skills and independence for individuals with learning disabilities.

Beam Chief Officer, Mike Howell, said: “The funding we received from UHNM Charity has enabled us to design an activities programme which has been a huge success for Beam. Our clients have been able to go out to local attractions for the day, enjoyed seasonal lunches and even taken part in cooking courses, which improves their confidence, wellbeing, and loneliness.

“Individual isolation is felt in the pain of being lonely. The joy expressed by our clients throughout the program was better than any medicine you can get.”

The programme has allowed UHNM Charity to develop partnerships with local community groups and will continue to work collaboratively to address isolation.

Lisa Thomson, Director of Communications and Charity at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, said: “It’s fantastic to hear how the programme has delivered impactful support to those experiencing loneliness and isolation.

“UHNM Charity is proud to be a part of this project, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of thousands of local people, and we look forward to building on this success and exploring future opportunities to work together for the benefit of our community.”