Knock knock: Community Connector service extended thanks to £2.8m
Wirral residents will continue to be supported by a team of outreach workers who aim to tackle loneliness, social isolation and deprivation.
The team, known as the ‘Community Connectors’ engage with residents who are feeling isolated or not currently accessing health and wellbeing services. They work primarily via door-knocking, delving into the heart of communities and supporting those who are isolated on the doorstep.
Following a successful tender process the Connect Us service, run by local charity Involve Northwest, has been awarded funding for another four years.
The service has been awarded more than £2,871,000 from Wirral’s ring-fenced Public Health Grant*. The new contract starts from February 2025.
Cllr Julie McManus, Chair of Wirral’s Adult Social Care and Public Health committee, said:
The service was originally commissioned in 2017 in response to local research into the support communities needed to address health-related worklessness in the borough.
Since then, they have worked with thousands of households, linking people up with support services and building relationships between and within our borough’s communities.
It will be fantastic to see the service continue to build on their existing work and deliver this service on already strong foundations.
The service takes a ‘person-centred’ approach, which means they treat people as individuals with unique experiences. They focus on what people can do, rather than what they can’t and they strive to help communities become stronger.
James Wilkinson, Community Connector in the Connect Us team, said:
Everything we do is about empowering people. Through outreach and one-to-one support, we gently encourage people to connect with their communities whether that’s through support services, local groups or setting up their own groups or activities.
It’s been amazing over the years to see people we’ve supported make positive and often life changing choices. To see them go from being isolated to being connected, have greater networks and more purpose, often supporting others to do the same.
In addition to the Community Connectors, the service offers a range of wraparound support to local communities including the Good Neighbour scheme, the Sparks Fund and Wirral Infobank.
Phillipa, a Birkenhead resident, is one of the recipients of the service’s Sparks Fund, which provides small grants to residents to start their own community groups. Phillipa lost her job as a primary school teacher after she was diagnosed with long COVID-19, during the pandemic. When she got ill, she stopped doing the things she enjoyed and she became isolated.
Phillipa said:
The first time I got in touch with the Connectors was when they came on a door knock, and I had recently become ill with long COVID. They put me in touch with some community groups and an art group – which has inspired me to start my own small business.
A year later, our long COVID support group were looking for funding, someone suggested their Sparks Fund. I got in touch and now we’ve been able to rent somewhere to meet and we’re setting up a website.
The impact is huge, I’m unrecognisable from where I was. I’ve gone from staying in the house… to a full social schedule. It’s made me feel so much better about everything and given me back my purpose in life.
It was hard to know where to go for support, the Connectors really helped me with that. They’ve helped me get my sparkle back.
Residents who are feeling isolated, wanting to make changes to their current situation or just feel they have something to offer to their neighbourhood can contact the Community Connectors and arrange to meet them at home or in a place that is comfortable to them. To get in touch with a Connector, call 0151 644 4516.
Connect Us service - extended operating hours
The Connect Us services offer extended opening hours, so that people can access their support outside of core business hours. Alongside weekdays from 9am-5pm, these extended hours are:
- Wednesday evenings – Open until 8pm
- Saturday mornings – Open from 9am to 1pm
To get in touch with a Connector, call 0151 644 4516.
More information on schemes mentioned in this article:
- Good Neighbour scheme - this scheme asks residents to sign up, on an informal basis, to make small differences in their communities, whether that’s taking someone’s bins out or passing on helpful community information.
- Sparks Fund – this initiative helps residents to start their own support groups in their communities. Groups can apply for a maximum of £250 – more details available on Involve Northwest’s website.
- Wirral Infobank - funded by Wirral Public Health, this free online resource connects residents to health and wellbeing services and support.
For more information: Involve Northwest – Involving Communities, Inspiring Change.
*- The Public Health Grant is given to local authorities and ring fenced to provide services to improve the health of the people in their area. This grant can be used to fund projects or services under specific criteria.
