Goodbye Jon!
Jon Turner who has been a one man whirlwind recruiter of Rural Health and Care Alliance members has departed for pastures new. We will really miss him and his dynamism and drive. I’m just putting on the record the really valuable contribution he has made to moving us forward.
AGM
We held our AGM on 3 December along with a joint meeting with Rural Services Network members. I was delighted with the turnout and the quality of the discussions. We have posted the notes from the meetings on the NCRHC website and you can read them at your leisure.
Rural Proofing for Health Toolkit
Progress with this really important initiative is now moving apace. We have our first Steering Group in early January, which will frame the work and the action plan. Look out for further updates as the initiative progresses. If you would like to know more please drop me an email.
Research Plan
We have just finished our liaison with all members about their priorities for research a very engaging list of themes have emerged. The most popular, which Kay Purle will concentrate on moving to the next stage of action are on:
Older people and technology
and
Mental health
If you’d like to get more involved please let me know. Finally Kay has just completed a piece of secondary research in her own right on burnout in the rural healthcare workforce. If you would like to know more please email her at: kay.purle@bishopg.ac.uk
Seminars
We are just putting the finishing touches to the 2020 seminar programme. In the meantime we have our election delayed seminar on “Barriers to Access – Connectivity and Rural Transport“ in Northallerton on 15 January. Its free to all RHCA members so please do come if you can make it – the event will run from 11.30 – 2.30. I can provide more information if you wish.
Funding Update
We have decided to publish occasional updates on funding sources and opportunities. This month’s edition is set out below.
National Opportunities:
The Dunhill Medical Trust
https://dunhillmedical.org.uk/
A charitable Trust that provides grants to researchers, smaller charities and community based organisations that are involved in supporting older people. Research grants of between £25k and £300k are available for both clinical and academic researchers. Funding is also available for research training fellowships and PhD studentships. Applications for funding for their round one 2020/21 grants open on 4th November 2019 and close on 10th January 2020. More information about the funding streams and deadlines can be found here: https://dunhillmedical.org.uk/current-deadlines/
Barrow Cadbury Trust
An independent charitable trust that aims to bring about systemic change, working with a range of partners to influence policy and decision making. They award around £4million each year across around 100 grants. Application for funding is by invitation following a discussion of your proposed project. More information on how to apply can be found here: https://www.barrowcadbury.org.uk/resources/applicants/
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
A charitable foundation that aims to overcome disadvantage, with an interest in supporting young people and with a strong belief in the importance of the arts. There are a number of funds available: Major Grants; Neighbourhood Fund; Act for Change Fund; Backbone Fund; Tech for Good; Ideas and Pioneers Fund; Breakthrough Fund; Growth Fund; Arts based Learning Fund; Access and Participation Fund; Youth Fund; Shared Ground Fund; Teacher Development Fund; and the India Open Grants Fund. The Ideas and Pioneers fund supports unusual or radical ideas to improve the opportunities and life chances of people in the UK with grants of up to £10k (https://www.phf.org.uk/funds/ideaspioneers/). The Tech for Good fund supports charities who are using technology to support their mission, and the next round of applications will open in February 2020 (https://techforgoodhub.co.uk/). More information on how to apply can be found here: https://www.phf.org.uk/apply-funding/
Regional opportunities:
Suffolk Rural Fund
A Suffolk based fund administered by the Suffolk Community Foundation which supports initiatives that aim to improve the quality of life for people living and working in rural communities. Grants of up to £4k are available to eligible organisations and grants for up to £1,000 are available for projects hosted by parish councils. Applications can be made online here: https://ukcf.secure.force.com/forms/rural-fund
Community Foundation for Calderdale – General Grants
https://www.cffc.co.uk/grants-funding/general-fund/
Funding is available for projects that support the Foundation’s strategic priorities, which are: Homelessness and Housing; Poverty and Disadvantage; and Community Cohesion. Grants of up to £2,500 are available and the closing date for 2020 applications is April 2020. You can check if your project is eligible here: https://www.cffc.co.uk/eligibility/