Partner Story - Nottinghamshire County Council Local Communities Fund Team

Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) grants helped the charity get established when we started life as Southwell Care Project. Flexible funding from NCC community grant schemes has played a pivotal role in our development ever since.

Today, NCC’s Local Communities Fund continues to help us adapt to the changing and growing needs of people with learning disabilities across Nottinghamshire. A four-year grant for our Future Forwards project is enabling our Centre Managers to reach new clients and families, diversify our activity timetable to reflect evolving needs, and prepare for rising demand. It has also given staff the time and space to plan strategically, share best practice, and introduce more efficient ways of working.

We also hold two smaller NCC grants: one supporting our work with family carers, and another – through the Mental Wellbeing Small Grant scheme – is enabling us to pilot Cook and Grow, a creative gardening project to address the risk of poor mental health facing a group of men with learning disabilities.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Nottinghamshire County Council for their community grants schemes over the years,” said Steve Shatwell, Chief Executive. “Their flexible funding has helped us build strong community networks, recruit and support volunteers, to innovate and lever in further funding.”

Nottinghamshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health, Councillor Dawn Justice, praised the work of Reach. She said,

"The voluntary sector does such vital work to improve the lives and well-being of our residents. This is why it's so important they get our support, whether it's via our funding schemes or getting expert advice and guidance thanks to our online and in-person funding workshops.

"Organisations like Reach really do help our communities thrive - especially those people who are isolated and often hard-to-reach."