Letters have been sent out to a cross-section of Wandsworth residents to join the new Citizen’s Assembly on air quality.

Wandsworth has pledged to review its Air Quality Action Plan and will set ambitious new targets to clean up the borough’s air.

It has set up the Citizen’s Assembly in order to hear the views of local people. A group of randomly selected residents will meet to learn more from experts, discuss what can be done to improve air quality and make recommendations to the council.

The process will be led by a team of independent facilitators with expertise in convening a Citizens’ Assembly from the social enterprise and community interest company Shared Future.

Letters have been sent to a cross section of local people. Anyone who receives a letter and is interested in joining should let the council know by the end of this month using the contact details on the letter. A representative mix of around 50 people who are interested will then be chosen to reflect local diversity.

They will attend for four sessions and will be paid a fee. Towards the end of the sessions they will reflect on what they have learnt and discussed and will write a series of recommendations and priorities.

Cabinet member for the environment Judi Gasser said: “Cleaning up the borough’s air is a top priority for us, and we want to ensure Wandsworth residents have a chance to shape the action we take. We all know pollution is harmful to our health and the wellbeing of our communities. Now we need to come together and come up with a robust, shared plan to do something about it.”

There will also be an opportunity for other residents to share their views with the Assembly before they come up with their recommendations. Details on how to do this will be given in due course.

NHS South West London is happy to announce we are now inviting grant applications from grassroots community and developing organisations within the Wandsworth voluntary sector to help communities participate in their local NHS. 

The NHS Wandsworth Community Grants Programme aims to support closer working relationships between small, developing, voluntary and community organisations and your local NHS. Through the grant programme which includes workshops, learning opportunities and networking events, voluntary and community organisations will learn about the local NHS and develop an understanding of how their own organisation fits and contributes.

Applications must be for new ideas not existing or core activity. We encourage potential applicants to create and test a new project idea which can be supported by a grant of up to £2,500.

You can apply for funding to deliver a project which responds directly to the following themes:

Theme 1

We are interested in supporting projects that highlight health inequalities across the Borough.  Health inequalities are unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population, and between different groups within society. These include how long people are likely to live, the health conditions they may experience and the care that is available to them.

Theme 2

We are interested in supporting projects that highlight issues arising from the cost-of-living crisis and how this is having an impact on people’s mental health.

We encourage applications for creative projects that seek to test / pilot a new idea and will generate the learning needed to create a sustainable project which can be taken forward beyond the life of the grant funding.

We are open for applications from Thursday 22^nd December 2022.

The deadline for completed applications is 5:00pm on Tuesday 31^st January 2023.

All projects must be completed by Monday 31^st July 2023.

• Being a recipient of one of our grants, we expect you to:

• Join our Thinking Partners Forum

Thinking Partners meets on a bi-monthly basis and focusses on equality and diversity issues. Membership of this group is made up of NHS South West London and healthcare transformation staff, representatives from community groups and organisations, patients, and individual Wandsworth residents.  A Thinking Partner is a person with expertise, experience and understanding of issues relevant to the community demographic/s they identify with or represent.

• Attend grant networking events and workshops

We will hold two workshops throughout the year to support grant recipients to learn from each other and to share best practice approaches to ensure their projects are successful.

As we come to work more closely, there will be more opportunities to get more involved with our work.

• On completion of your project:

• You will have provided a report (template for 3 monthly update and final report will be provided) describing the successes, what did not work, lessons learned and how your organisation benefited from taking part.
• You will have a greater understanding of the NHS and how your organisation can work with us.
• You will be familiar with the way Healthwatch and the Voluntary Sector Coordination Service in Wandsworth work, have engaged with the Voluntary Sector Forum and be aware of how you can get help to grow and develop your organisation.
• You will present your project at our annual networking event, including how it has informed your organisation and the ways it has promoted better access to healthcare for your community.
• You will have taken part in NHS South West London activities as described in Section 3 above.

• Application Process:

1. Applicants should complete the application form attached.
2. Completed applications must be received by Tuesday 31^st January 2023 and must be emailed to:  Tracy Walcott, tracy.walcott@swlondon.nhs.uk
3. NHS South West London projects will be selected based on:
4. The relationships and reach the organisation has with people whose voices are least heard.
5. How the project aims to reach groups who have trouble in accessing healthcare in the borough and the organisations commitment to developing a relationship with the local NHS.
6. We invite creative and new ideas for projects that engage and empower local people.
7. The project must be new and not a continuation of work already in place.
8. Single events will only be supported in the context of wider project activity.
9. Successful applicants will be notified of the outcome on Monday 13^th February 2023.

6.   How we will support you

We will support you by linking you in with appropriate training and advising you of any other partnership opportunities.

Community groups interested in making an application can get further information and feedback prior to applying by contacting the Wandsworth Voluntary Sector Coordination Service for support with your application by emailing: melanie@wandcareall.org.uk

Melanie is Wandsworth Care Alliance’s Voluntary Sector Coordination Service Development Officer. Her role is to provide practical and technical help and information to the local voluntary sector. This includes advice and support on funding sources and applications; advice on legal structures and governance; help with policies and procedures; training.  She supports WCA’s Chief execs network and produces the monthly funding bulletin.  Please get in touch if you need support with your application.

• Conflicts of Interest

The Community Grants Scheme is managed by NHS South West London. To ensure independence and transparency, no member of NHS South West London can be involved in submitting applications. Any conflicts of interest must be declared before project submission.

Download the Community Grant Application Form Here