NINETEEN community projects and organisations across the York area have been given grants to help them boost the mental health and emotional well-being of local people.

The money has come from the Nimbuscare Community Fund, which was launched earlier this year by Nimbuscare, the not-for-profit provider of primary care services made up of 11 York GP practices.

Professor Mike Holmes, of Nimbuscare, writing a column for The Press, says the fund is intended to enable it to invest back into the communities that they serve and he is 'incredibly proud' of the allocation of the first round of funding.

"We invited community groups and projects to apply for grants that met specific criteria aimed at improving the mental health and emotional wellbeing of local people," he said.

"The Two Ridings Community Foundation, an independent charity, helped to asses the applications and allocate the funding on Nimbuscare’s behalf."

He said grants had now been allocated to: Accessible Arts & Media; Big Futures Foundation; Haxby & Wigginton Seniors’ Social Group; Home-Start York; Kyra Women’s Project; Newton-Upon-Derwent Methodist Church & Community Centre; Open Country; Pocklington Rugby in the Community; Refugee Action York; Shine21; St Leonard’s Hospice; St Thomas’ Church; Talking About Loss; The Conservation Volunteers; Thrive Outside; Thunk-It Theatre Ltd; Tool Box Drama; York Neighbours; and the York Travellers Trust.

He said Refugee Action York, Kyra Women’s Project and York Travellers Trust were all using their funding for counselling and a therapy programme to build up people's resilience and support their emotional needs.

"The funding awarded to Thrive Outside, Open Country and The Conservation Volunteers will be spent on outdoor projects to improve the health and wellbeing of local people," he said."We were absolutely thrilled by the number and quality of the applications that we received in response to our initial round of funding - they’re all incredibly deserving and making a tangible difference to local people of all ages."

He said it was 'wonderful' to be able to support their good work and he looked forward to helping even more 'fantastic' local groups and projects in the future.

He added that organisations that missed out this time around would soon be able to apply for a second round of grants, details of which would be announced later this year.

Meanwhile, Prof Holmes said that more than 100 people per day were still being vaccinated against Covid at the Askham Bar Community Care Centre, staff had administered more than 300 jabs to housebound patients across the city in their homes and Nimbuscare was also starting to make preparations for the autumn booster campaign.

|*Today's column is on page 12.