Charity celebrates after receiving £385k funding
A West Sussex charity is celebrating after being awarded £385,000 National Lottery funding to work with carers through their innovative carer coaching programme.
Carers Support West Sussex (CSWS) will offer tailored coaching to 720 friend and family carers over three years, from April, 2024. The groundbreaking programme seeks to improve carers’ emotional wellbeing and help achieve their personal goals.
Following on from a carer coaching pilot funded by West Sussex County Council, an independent evaluation by the University of Kent revealed the coaching was perceived as overwhelmingly positive by participants.
Several key themes emerged, such as carers gaining confidence, increased self-worth, shifting to a more ‘can do’ attitude, and feelings from the carers that they had more choice and control over their caring situation.
Many carers identified being listened to and having the space and ‘permission’ to focus on their concerns in a supportive and safe environment as primary benefits. One carer who took part in the pilot scheme said: “When I started the coaching, I struggled to believe my life could be better. Now I play a sport, have done more social activities, completed a mindfulness course, and had an established art practice.”
CSWS chief executive Sonia Mangan said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to help 800 carers in West Sussex transform their lives to become more confident and make positive changes within their caring role. This coaching programme supports the very ethos of this charity.”
The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its new strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030. As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives. National Lottery players raise over £30million a week for good causes across the UK.