New Wortley Community Association (NWCA) has been successful in securing a £300,000 grant to develop an exciting community-led health project in West Leeds.
In recent years the charity has attracted more than £2 million pounds of direct investment into the area, creating 20 jobs for local people and seeing 36 volunteers go into work.
Community Leader Bill Graham said he has a vision where a Community Health Service (CHS) would invest in local providers, help train staff and volunteers, and let GPs and nurses lead the way services are developed.
It would report outcomes in a clinical scientific way, provide high-quality care (and outcomes) around key issues like low-level mental health, self-management and social isolation. Mr Graham added:
“Our innovative work and tireless efforts to come up with community-led solutions to long-standing issues has been recognised by the National Lottery.
“This investment will allow us to continue to address the issues that place parts of New Wortley in the bottom 1% nationally of deprivation, build partnerships and work with GP surgeries to make radical improvements to peoples health and opportunities.
“This will help us achieve our ambition of creating an effective CHS – a Community Health Service for this area and a template that can be replicated elsewhere.”
Mr Graham, who has been at the heart of creating a vibrant community hub and community-led plans for the area, added:
“Investing directly in communities will achieve more in three years than any amount of funding and projects that do not have the community at the heart of plans. Local communities have the answers to the problems in their local areas, lets invest in them and see much better results for disadvantaged communities.
“Control and power must be in the communities hands – not in the hands of people who think they know best or a one size fits all approach works.
“Public money is precious and must be spent effectively. We will aim to do this over the next 3 years, with a stated aim to move New Wortley out of this bottom 1% of deprivation.”
The National Lottery agreed a grant of £300,000 over three years to develop the community-led health initiatives in New Wortley and Armley.
Work on the project has already started, and partnerships locally are being formed to make the most of this fantastic investment.
Community housing
As reported in July, New Wortley Community Association has also gained funding to build up to 12 new affordable homes on the site of the former Wellington stores shop in Holdforth Place, New Wortley. A local consultation on the proposals has already started.