Connected Communities
Across Cheshire East we all have a responsibility to support each other for the good of our communities. We use an Asset Based approach to bring together and build upon our assets (organisations, places/buildings, knowledge and enthusiasm) in our communities. Cheshire East Council will support and engage with communities including the voluntary, community and faith sector and the many active volunteer-based partnerships, for more details you can view the Council’s Connected Communities strategy.
We work collectively at a local level to make Cheshire East the best place it can be for its residents. Below are just some of the ways this is happening:
Connected Communities Centres
Connected Communities Centres host a range of activities and support services available on your doorstep.
Each centre delivers services tailored for their community, from coffee mornings, computer classes and line dancing, to learning a language, sharing a problem and support for stroke sufferers – there’s something for everyone.
We are currently preparing to launch Phase 2 of our Connected Communities social franchise model. We expect this to go live in early 2022 and will ensure that relevant information is circulated via our Neighbourhood Partnerships across the borough.
Community Grants
Cheshire East Crowd
Cheshire East Council has recently launched our new crowdfunding platform, Cheshire East Crowd, with up to £10,000 available to support great community projects.
This exciting new initiative, in partnership with crowdfunding platform Spacehive, will enable local people, businesses, the council and other organisations to pledge alongside each other to crowdfunding campaigns that bring your ideas to life.
For more information email communitygrants2@cheshireeast.gov.uk or visit www.spacehive.com/movement/ce/
Covid-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund
In recognition of the vital role played by the voluntary, community and faith sector in both the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the recovery, this time limited fund has been developed by the council to support local organisations through this pandemic.
The aim of the Covid-19 Community Response and Recovery Grant is to support not for profit organisations to adapt to new ways of offering support to communities both during and following the pandemic as well as being able to maintain and continue to offer services.
For full details of the current outcomes of the fund and how to apply, visit the webpage or email communitygrants2@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Neighbourhood Partnerships
We set up and facilitate Neighbourhood Partnerships to bring together a range of partners including the Voluntary, Community and Faith (VCF) sector, Police, children’s centres, schools, Youth Services, Youth Offending Team, local elected members and businesses.
The purpose is to understand local priorities based on local intelligence. We work as a partnership to create local projects that impact on those local priorities. Agencies and local residents work collaboratively to create and tailor projects to suit that community.
We have a number of Neighbourhood Partnerships across Cheshire East. Each of them serve an area across the borough where we have identified a need to reduce health inequality.
Contact your Community Development Officer to join an existing Neighbourhood Partnership or to set one up in your community.
Care Communities
Care Communities bring together Health and Social Care professionals to understand local priorities. They provide a range of integrated Health and Social Care services within a community and in primary care settings to best suit local residents and impact on local priorities.
We have eight Care Communities across Cheshire East, governed by local clinical leads. Each of our Care Communities serves a population ranging between 30,000 and 50,000 people.
Your Community Development Officers
Community Connectors
Throughout the Covid19 pandemic we developed a scheme called “People Helping People” which supported vulnerable residents and those who were self-isolating with a range of support from volunteers and community groups, including delivering groceries, collecting prescriptions, telephone befriending and much more.
Our Community Connectors are working to establish this scheme into a long-term service. They each have a caseload of residents who they offer holistic support to, with common issues including social isolation, digital exclusion, difficulty accessing food, and low-level mental health issues. The Community Connectors work with each resident on a one-to-one basis and provide bespoke support according to their needs, matching them with volunteers and/or community activities to provide sustainable long-term support.
For more information on local volunteering opportunities such as the People Helping People service visit cheshireeastvolunteers
Community Liaison Officers
Cheshire East is a diverse community and it is important we create a welcoming, safe and cohesive place for everyone to live. To achieve this our Community Liaison Officers provide a point of contact for families experiencing a wide range of issues, from accessing ESOL (English) classes to building relationships between parents and their children’s schools. In particular the team support residents from migrant families, refugees, asylum seekers, armed forces personnel, veterans and the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
The team are also working towards gaining the Silver Armed Forces Covenant Award, a promise of mutual support between a civilian community and its local armed forces community.
To request support email communitycohesion@cheshireeast.gov.uk, or to contact a specific officer using the details below.
Cheshire East Social Action Partnership
Delivered by Pulse Regeneration, the Cheshire East Social Action Partnership aims to develop a strong local social impact culture through effective social action, underpinned by a thriving Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Sector.
The VCFSE sector in Cheshire East is close to communities; understands local needs; provides local services, resources and facilities; and has a vital role to play in reducing pressure on demand for statutory services such as social care and health services.
The Cheshire East Social Action Partnership supports the Communities team in four key ways;
- Increased capacity and sustainability of the VCFSE sector
- Builds better connections between individuals and the VCFSE sector
- Supports partnership working between organisations and across sectors
- Work with businesses to foster collaborative working, helping them meet their social value, CSR and employee volunteering commitments
More information on the Cheshire East Social Action Partnership.
Connected Communities social media
Twitter - Partnerships in Cheshire East