We've been working non-stop on a hugely complex regional bid to the Big Lottery Fund - which explains why this blog has been quiet for the last few weeks.
Finally, Target: Well-being is all complete and submitted to BIG for assessment. It's been an absolutely mammoth task - the final bid is around 1000 pages long, with 91 individual projects and over 60 local delivery partners.
We're really excited about the prospect of the programme launching (fingers crossed) in the Autumn. It's a great opportunity to make a real difference to people's well-being in some of the most needy parts of the region - and it brings a whole load of different organisations together from the public health, environment, VCS and older people's sectors (and others). Groundwork has always been a great believer in breaking through silos and bringing different sectors together, and this programme has potential to deliver exciting work and new connections.
Some people have wondered why Groundwork has been leading a health-focused bid - but we think it's vital that more organisations are involved in tackling the determinants of health. And the linkages between health and the environment are clear. Target: Well-being includes a whole raft of projects that aim to increase cycling and walking - vital work in reducing dependence on the car. Another key outcome involves encouraging access to open spaces including some innovative initiatives from Landlife and the Lancashire Wildlife Trust as well as ourselves.
We hope to find out if we're successful in June. In the meantime, the stressed-out bid development team here at Groundwork Northwest have some well-being issues of our own to sort out!
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