Event held to showcase work tackling health inequalities in Wiltshire

Community groups from across Wiltshire recently came together to celebrate the vital work happening in the county to improve wellbeing and reduce health inequalities.

Organised by Wiltshire Community Foundation, the event was an opportunity for 12 community groups, all of whom have been in receipt of funding from the ICB, to provide an update on their recent activities and achievements to date.

Between them, the groups ran a range of projects which focused on preventing poor health, addressing inequalities and building social support within neighbourhoods.

Abbey Mulla, Head of Inequalities and Prevention, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said: “It was amazing to see the impact that micro-commissioning can have in some of our most deprived communities.

“Wiltshire Community Foundation has been a really good partner to the ICB, as it has existing links with local communities, so is able to introduce us to a whole new range of potential for future providers.”

Wiltshire Community Foundation’s tackling health inequalities programme is part of a wider story of support involving other community foundations from across the UK.

A new report – Preventative Power: Community Foundations Partnering with Health – has shown how local partnerships between community foundations and the NHS are making a real difference to people’s lives.

The report includes examples from across the UK where community foundations are helping to reduce loneliness, improve mental health and support wellbeing.

Margaret Firth, Director of Partnerships, Wiltshire Community Foundation, said:“It was brilliant to gather everyone together to reflect on their projects, and to see the range of positive impacts these organisations have had within their local communities.

“As a local community foundation, we connect people who care with causes that matter, and we value working alongside the NHS and Wiltshire Council in delivering funding to local groups with the expertise and experience to build trust, and to create connections and services that support people locally.”