Wellbeing in Partnership E-Bulletin – Bromsgrove & Redditch – Update 39

Dear all,

Please find the latest information bulletin below.  (Please note: These bulletins are designed to replace our monthly e-newsletter for the time being.)

COVID Vaccinations – Book NOW if eligible

You do not need to wait to be contacted if any of the following apply:

• you are aged 42 or over
• you will turn 42 before 1 July 2021
• you are at high risk from COVID-19 (clinically extremely vulnerable)
• you have a condition that puts you at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
• you have a learning disability
• you are an eligible frontline health or social care worker
• you get a Carer’s Allowance, get support following an assessment by your local authority OR your GP record shows you’re a carer

If you’re an eligible unpaid carer but you cannot book an appointment, speak to your GP surgery

You can book appointments at a larger vaccination centre or a pharmacy that provides COVID-19 vaccinations.

Book your coronavirus vaccination appointments online or by telephoning 119.

Can’t find your NHS number to book an appointment?  Then use this link:  www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/find-nhs-number/

If you are NOT eligible yet, please wait to be contacted.  Further information can be found at: www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination

COVID Testing – Rapid Lateral Flow Tests – for people who DO NOT have any symptoms

Everyone can access FREE regular rapid tests.  Regular, twice weekly rapid testing is encouraged, even if you have been vaccinated.  Around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have any symptoms.  Getting tested regularly finds hidden cases, ensuring you don’t pass it onto family members, friends or workmates.  If people test positive and self-isolate, it helps stop the virus spreading.

There are now more local places to get a free rapid asymptomatic COVID-19 test.  You can book at test, order online or simply pick up home testing at a range of local venues across Bromsgrove, Redditch and Worcestershire.  Your employer may also offer free rapid lateral flow testing.  The tests give you a result in just 30 minutes.  Further information, including FAQs, can be found here.

Have symptoms and need a PCR test?  Further information on both types of tests can be found here.

COVID Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme – *Reminder* of recent change to include parents/guardians

Please be reminded there was a change to this scheme as it was extended to parents and guardians who are not legally required to self-isolate, but who need to take time off work to look after a child or young person who is self-isolating.  Applicants will need to satisfy the existing eligibility criteria for the main or discretionary scheme to receive the payment.  Attached is more information.  For residents in Redditch and Bromsgrove, they can visit these links to find out more:

https://www.bromsgrove.gov.uk/money,-education-skills/benefits-help/nhs-covid-19-test-and-trace-self-isolation-support-payment.aspx

https://www.redditchbc.gov.uk/money-education-and-skills/benefits-and-help/nhs-covid-19-test-and-trace-self-isolation-support-payment.aspx

REMINDER – Public Health Worcestershire & NHS – latest COVID data and messages

• *NEW* COVID-19 Second Live Redditch Q&A – 30 April 5-6pm – Attached is information that can be shared directly on social media channels.  Please help promote.

• NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG – Vaccination Inequalities Programme (VIP) & Communications – Latest VIP Stakeholder Briefing and Communications Updates are both attached.

• Worcestershire COVID-19 Vaccinations Dashboard – The latest Worcestershire vaccination data is publicly available online and includes a District and MSOA (middle-layer super output area) breakdown by age group.

• Real Time Worcestershire Coronavirus Data – is publicly available.  The live dashboard shows the numbers of new cases Worcestershire wide and also by District.  Further information about COVID-19 cases in Worcestershire can be found through the LG inform data website.  There are also interactive maps covering all of the UK can be found on the gov.uk website.

• COVID-19 Self Isolation – Guides available – Please follow this link to download the Covid-19 Self Isolation guide produced by Public Health Worcestershire to help anyone who needs to self‑isolate.  There is also a family version of the guide available using this link.  They explain why it’s important to self-isolate when required, highlights help available (including financial support), provides advice and tips, and answers frequently asked questions.

• Please see the Worcestershire Public Health pages – for any local messages in relation to the lockdown, including further advice.  Those pages can be accessed here – www.worcestershire.gov.uk/coronavirus.  Information can also be accessed at www.bromsgrove.gov.uk/coronavirus and www.redditchbc.gov.uk/coronavirus.

REMINDER – The Local Community Responses aimed at supporting residents through the Covid-19 pandemic

Further details on the local community responses aimed at supporting residents through the Covid-19 pandemic is attached but basic contact details are listed below.  Please help ensure all local residents are aware so everyone is directed to and receives the support they need during this time:

• Support Bromsgrove – www.supportbromsgrove.com – Tel: (24 hr answerphone) 01527 306490 or Email: 
• Redditch East Stronger Together (REST) – Tel: 01527 919869
• Support Redditch Emergency Network (SREN) – Tel: 01527 359008 or Email: 
• Here2Help Worcestershire – www.worcestershire.gov.uk/here2help – Tel: 01905 768053

Service / Support – Information Updates

• *Final Reminder* Catshill Can Community Conversation on Wednesday 28 April at 6:30pm – This is aimed at local residents only.  If you know of any Catshill resident interested in joining, they can register by emailing  and the Zoom link will be sent to them up ahead of the event starting.  Flyer is attached with more information.

• FREE Walking for Health and Fitness – Lickey End Recreation Park on Tuesdays at 10am – There is still time to join this new walking for help session.  No need to book, just turn up!  Further details can be found online here.  Please help promote.

• Support with your Census – BARN are still offering a free Census Support Service until the beginning of May.  They can help face to face at Bromsgrove or Redditch Libraries to help fill in the form online, fill in the Census over the phone or virtual support sessions.  Further information can be found at barn.org.uk/census-2021

• Onside Advocacy – Stress Buster Coffee Evening on 28 April – As part of Stress Awareness month, the Onside team covering Bromsgrove have set up an informal wellbeing Q&A information session focusing on Stress.  This is aimed to promote the Onside services for people living in Bromsgrove, in particular the Lifestyle Advisors and Wellbeing Coaches.  Poster is attached.

• Social Prescribing in Bromsgrove – Opportunity to promote YOUR service – The Bromsgrove Social Prescribing Team will be trialling a drop in service at Bromsgrove library next month.  If you have any information (leaflets and/or promotional freebies!) you would like the social prescribers to have to give out, please get in touch to arrange drop off at Parkside, preferably by Friday 7 May.  You can contact Della in the first instance – 

• Deaf Awareness Week – #WeSupportDeafAwareness Campaign – The #WeSupportDeafAwareness Campaign has been launched due to the significant difficulties that the deaf and hard of hearing communities have experienced during the lockdown.  Further information is attached.  Please support and promote.  Deaf Awareness Week is 4-10 May.

• Dementia Friends – FREE 1 hour online session on 11 May 11am-12pm – This free virtual session is being hosted by Chandler Court, Bromsgrove.  Further details are attached.  If you have any questions or would like to book a place, please contact Paul Chambers on 0776 540 7246 or email 

• Thriving Communities – Thriving Communities is a new national support programme for voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise groups, supporting communities impacted by COVID-19, working alongside social prescribing link workers.  Further information is attached, including details of the next Thriving Communities Webinar on 11 May 3-4pm which will explore how social prescribing can help tackle loneliness ahead of Loneliness Awareness Week 14-18 June.

• Worcestershire Children First ‘Early Help Family Support’ Service is now LIVE – Following a review, the Early Intervention Family Support (EIFS) and Targeted Family Support (TFS) has been replaced by the Early Help Family Support Service.  Further information is attached.

• KOOTH – Free, safe and anonymous online counselling and support for children and young people – Please help promote this free service which is available to children and young people.  Access to Kooth is immediate.  There is no need for a referral, no waiting lists and the service is available 24/7.   Information for professionals is attached.  If you have attended a recent information session, you will have received this directly.  But if not, the information and links may be useful.  It includes a reference to the #DontDoItAlone Campaign which you can support by helping to promote.  You can direct children and young people to the following website: www.kooth.com

• Here2Help Worcestershire is evolving – Here2Help was originally dedicated to helping those who needed support during the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is now evolving so that the service offers advice, support and help to a wide range of services across Worcestershire.  If you are a charity, community group or business who provides services to residents, why not register your services on the new Here2Help Community Directory.  Visit the website for further details at: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/here2help

• *Reminder* Dodford Farm –  is a small charity offering free family holidays on a referral basis for children up to the age of 9 and their family.  Families can be referred by anyone who works with them if they feel they are in need.  This is usually due to financial hardship, disability or low-level mental health problems.  Please see their website for more information and referral form – www.dodfordfarm.co.uk

• *Reminder* Now We’re Talking with Art – creative opportunity for young people – In July an art trail will be launched around Redditch town centre, with pieces being exhibited in local businesses and open spaces, linked to signposting and mental health awareness information.  The trail in Redditch is one of several around the region as part of a wider campaign to spread positivity, highlight mental health support and encourage people to celebrate their local area.  As part of this campaign, the NHS are running a competition to complete mindfulness colouring sheets and send them to  for a chance to feature in the art trails.    For more information and to download/share the colouring sheets visit: https://www.healthyminds.whct.nhs.uk/artresources.  We’d love to encourage Redditch young people and communities to get involved, so would be very grateful if you were able promote this opportunity to your service users and colleagues.

• BT Job Opportunities – Linking with charities / local organisations – BT would like to make connections with charities / organisations in and around Birmingham so that their job adverts reach the service users of charities to help make their recruitment more inclusive whilst broadening their talent pools.  As Bromsgrove and Redditch are on the Birmingham border, this could be of interest to you and those you work with.  Please see email attached for further details and, if interested, please contact Mandy Collymore from Centrepoint at The Factory Young People’s Centre in Longbridge – 

Surveys

• Climate Change and Carbon Reduction – Partner Survey – Your help is requested! – Bromsgrove District Council and Redditch Borough Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and have been working hard at reducing their emissions whilst at the same time planning their strategic response.  The draft Action to Reduce Carbon (ARC) aims have been compiled through discussions with the wider climate change community, residents, councillors and staff.  As well as reducing carbon emissions from Council activities, BDC and RBC are also aware of their ability to influence other carbon emissions in the wider area.  Therefore, partner organisations are being invited to complete the survey to help: (1) Ensure BDC & RBC carbon reduction aims are reflective of the aims of our partners & identify any shortcomings; (2) Identify areas for collaboration; and (3) Support/signpost partners to address climate change agenda within their organisation if appropriate.  It would be appreciated if you could take the time to complete the survey which closes at 5pm on 28 May – https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Climatechangewithpartners/.  (In addition, if your organisation has any policies or documents on how they are tacking climate change, it would be really helpful if you could share these by forwarding copies to )

Funding

• Community Renewal Fund – The call for projects for the Community Renewal Fund is now live:  www.worcestershire.gov.uk/communityrenewalfund.  Application deadline is 5pm on 10 May.

• *NEW* Bromsgrove Community Grants Scheme – Opening for bids on 4 May 2021 – The Community Grants Scheme will replace the New Home Bonus Community Grants Scheme but will follow the principles of that original scheme and applications will be limited to a maximum of £5,000 per project.  It will open on 4 May and close at 5pm on 18 June 2021.  A checking service will also be available but this will have a shorter deadline.  Applications forms, guidance notes and FAQs will be available shortly but in the meantime, please use the following link for current information that is available on Community Grants Scheme – bromsgrove.gov.uk.

• Stop Loan Sharks – £5K Grants now available! – The Stop Loan Sharks Community Fund is now open for applications.  Community organisations, charities and groups are encouraged to apply for grants of up to £5,000 from the England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) for projects to help tackle loan sharks. Collaborative bids between multiple agencies are also welcome.  The deadline for POCA (Proceeds of Crime Act) applications is 30 June 2021.

……ALSO in relation to Stop Loan Sharks and Perception Theatre, attached separately is an email which may be of interest if you work with young people.  It provides a link to short film about a student who borrows from an online loan shark to cover his phone bill which is aimed at ages 14-25.

• Redditch Borough Council’s VCS Grants Programme (Round 1) – RBC recently awarded a number of VCS groups grant funding for a variety of projects, please follow the link to see which groups were successful  – https://www.redditchbc.gov.uk/news/2021/groups-benefit-from-first-round-of-grant-funding.aspx

Courses / Training

• Arts and Dementia Training – Age UK H&W has recently started running arts and dementia training sessions for anyone that works in the arts sector and would like support with helping to improve the quality of life of those living with Dementia.  Further details are attached and if you have any queries, you can email  or call 0800 008 6077

• FREE Family Learning Courses – Spaces Remaining – There a range of courses aimed at parents, FREE TO EVERYONE, which are due to start shortly and there are a few places remaining.  Details are attached.  Please help promote to ensure as many or our families are aware.

• FREE – Reconnecting with the workplace – managing anxiety course – 24 May 2021 – This course is aimed at people who have been out of the physical workplace due to coronavirus and are anxious about returning to the workplace.  Relate Worcestershire are running this course under the umbrella of the H&W Wellbeing and Recovery College and it will be held on 24 May at 9:15am – 1:15pm.  Further details are attached.  This is available on a first come, first served basis.

• FREE Creative Mindfulness for Stroke Survivors – The next free Creative Mindfulness course on offer by Worcestershire County Council will be aimed at Stroke Survivors.  Further details are attached or you can use this link: 

• Adult Mental Health First Aid and Social Contact Courses – FREE for community organisations – Please see attached for further details of courses running from May.  Further details on what Adult MHFA course covers can be found using this link.  Places are limited so if you would like to book or you have any queries, please contact Sarah at 

Other Newsletters

• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – latest Touchbase and the last weekly update from our local DWP Partnership Manager are attached.

• Healthwatch Worcestershire – the latest bulletin, which includes links to reports and surveys that are still open, is attached.

We hope you find some of the information above helpful.  Please let us know if you would like any information put into these bulletins by emailing us at  .  We are currently sending out bulletins fortnightly.

Kind Regards,

Della McCarthy & Helen Broughton

Bromsgrove Partnership / Redditch Partnership

Email: