Partnership to help in recovery from Covid
A new Sunderland partnership will be helping people recover from Covid through the power of social prescribing.
A £50,000 grant from the Thriving Communities Fund will help establish the partnership to improve and increase the range and reach of social prescribing activities on Wearside.
Sunderland Culture, Sunderland Carers Centre, Groundwork North East & Cumbria, Equal Arts and Sunderland GP Alliance have come together to form the Sunderland Social Prescribing Partnership.
Rebecca Ball, Creative Director of Sunderland Culture, said: “The project will increase social connectedness and help Sunderland communities cope with the impact of Covid as part of a national initiative to embed social prescribing in communities and healthcare.”
The partners will explore how people living in Sunderland can be helped to engage with a broader range of community activities to support their health and wellbeing.
Over the next 12 months, the partnership will create a range of high-quality creative social prescribing activities for carers and their families, use the Carers Referral Pathway to test the partnership approach to reach more people, engage 600 people from Sunderland, and create opportunities for collaborative working, information sharing and training.
Rebecca added: “We’re delighted that The Thriving Communities Fund has recognised our work in this way.
"Our partnership will work to develop and deliver social prescribing activities for carers and their families, many of whom have been hit hard by impact of the pandemic.
“This critical support, at a crucial moment, will enable us to respond to the impact of the Covid- 19 pandemic on the lives of carers, support our city’s recovery and develop a partnership that can drive forward vital initiatives for the wellbeing of our communities in Sunderland.”
Douglas Hunter, Equal Arts’ Chief Executive, said: “This ambitious partnership will support carers and people living with dementia to access imaginative and meaningful socially-prescribed activities.
"We’re thrilled to be able to bring our artist-led workshops to those living in Sunderland, together helping improve wellbeing and health through creativity.”