Community of Practice Round-up (April 22nd 2025)
- alexfisher36
- 24 hours ago
- 6 min read
A summary of all the speakers from this week's COP, with external links included
Following on from the long weekend, we sat down in Make Hamilton for this month's COP!
Make CIC
Liam welcomed everyone to Make Hamilton and gave a little of his back story about how Make came into being through the need to look at collaborative work solutions for people who where either isolated or needed support to realise there work goals.
Liam spoke a little about the Community Lead High Street Innovation position they have currently supported with other local third sector organisations to help unlock the potential of local assets. It currently is hyper-local (although it is an LCR project) but they are hoping that’s it’s success leads to a wider field of operation.
Open Door Charity
Lee came to update on some of the information coming out of the Primary Care Group. It was discussed how the issues brought up last time at the COP were raised in the latest Primary Care meeting, particularly the pharmacy being better equipped to help those who can't get GP appointments and the issue was raised that they couldn’t access or add to medical records.
It was discussed that with new GP rules set to arrive in October that these sort of things will get easier as this is the first time in a long time that GPs and government have not been in opposition. He also highlighted that the dental care committee now also sit within the Primary Care Group.
Involve North West
James from the Community Connectors came to update the COP that they had been given a 4-year extension to their current contract and they are always looking to support communities with referral pathways so if your service can support local people they’d love to hear from you.
James talked about the importance of building relationships with those they supported so that they felt empowered to make use of the services available to them and that they were the conduit to helping people access support. He explained that their reputation is now reaching a point where they are being recommended by word of mouth as well as approaching people via door knocks.
James was keen to offer everyone the opportunity to join the door knocks and expressed what a great way it is to get to know your communities. He also reminded everyone about the tremendous work that the info bank do.
Wirral Mencap
Amy came to give everyone a general update of the services they currently offer at Wirral Mencap. Amy herself is on the Information, Advice & Advocacy team where they offer support to people with learning disabilities, their parents and/or carers. They offer a personal development service where they can offer mentorship and 1-1 support, as well as provide volunteer opportunities and employability skills along social clubs such as cooking classes and walking football.
Mencap also offer the Gateway Award for their members and they are currently looking for volunteer placements for individuals or groups to volunteer as part of their programme. They have 2 specific opportunities that they are looking for, the first is weekday volunteer placements to support two of their groups over a 10-week period as part of the Gateway Award. Secondly, they are hoping to secure long-term volunteer placements for members who complete the programme to help support maintaining a routine and developing skills.
They also highlighted that they are urgently seeking a large kitchen space that could accommodate up to 10 people to run cooking sessions a few times a week.
Spark
Kev, the CEO of Spark, came to discuss the work they were doing with their youth employment hub on Claughton Road in Birkenhead (above the Dominoes). They are an organisation who support young people to realise their work potential through either employment or entrepreneurial talent. They have so far supported over 1500 young people on the Wirral, with 58% no longer considered Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).
They have 2 work coaches who operate 9-to-5 a couple of days a week in partnership with the DWP, as well as running drop-in programmes and specific 3-day interventions to build aspirations. They offer Meet the Employer days, interview practice and CV and covering letter support as well as providing support for those interested in self-employment with a programme centred around bringing out business skills to get them started.
Reed Wellbeing
Mike came to talk about the Healthier You programme. Type 2 Diabetes care and support currently utilises 9% of the NHS budget and he is committed to supporting identifying pre-Diabetes support. The Healthier You programme is a 9-month lifestyle change programme and Mike is looking for venues to host his sessions where he could highlight the importance of keeping healthy and preventing Diabetes.
SK Development
Sally from SK is offering First Aid Training as well as other first response training and is keen to support the Community Voluntary and Faith sector.
Dr. Joe Delaney
Joe spoke briefly about his research into the importance of internal ABCD as a way to wellness as well as talking about heart-centred emotional wellbeing. Dr. Joe will be soon giving talks on his work with Neuroscience in the local area and has been invited to be a speaker at the COP 12th Birthday celebrations.
The Argyle Community Gym CIC
Andy came to discuss his new Argyle Community Gym initiative that is taking place in the old stairways building in Birkenhead. He is providing a community gym space for young people to engage in healthier lifestyles as well as providing support for those who want to engage in Boxing. Andy is also behind the Weapons Down Wirral programme to support young people to make positive choices. He is looking to collaborate with as many people as possible in the process and is keen to have conversations with people who are interested in the work he is doing.
Amy Butterworth & Abi Horsfield – COP’s 12th Birthday
Amy and Abi have been putting together the COP Birthday event next month and Abi is keen to talk to people about their experiences around COP. If you have any stories that you would like to share or any insight into what It has been like to be part of COP over the years get in touch with them via amy@makeithappenbirkenhead.co.uk as well as if you have any special dietary requirements for the event. Below is a clip of Amy explaining the event further;
See more below:
Wirral Makefest
Alison and MakeFest are looking for volunteers for this years event. This is the first event that is being run without any funding. It is going to be held at the Central Library in Birkenhead on the 10th May. They are keen to try and do more year round activities for people to be a part of and build up the MakeFest community. If you would like to get involved reach out to Alison Bailey Smith on the email above.
Magenta
Magenta Living Housing Association have opened a community fund to invest in the communities they are responsible for in celebration of their 20th Birthday. They have allocated £150,000 to be utilised in community grants to support their communities. They are looking to fund grants of up to £20,000 for groups who are looking to support employment ,community facilities, health and wellbeing initiatives and neighbourhood support.
Eligible projects must have some connection to magenta residents and they are looking for as many video submissions as possible (although written applications will also be accepted). Magenta 20 Community Grants | MAGENTA CONNECT
Barclays
Nick, the Community Engagement Lead for Barclays on the Wirral, came to speak about his role. The role is to reach out to communities and initiatives across the peninsula to improve financial wellbeing and stay safe online by running sessions from budgeting to fraud and scam awareness.
They have recently run events with local charities such as Charlotte Brightside, Wirral Libraries and Wirral Mind as well as employability sessions with the local Job Centre in Birkenhead. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and ‘much needed’ on the Wirral.
They can run sessions on:
Improving Digital Skills
Online Privacy
Money Mules
Budgeting
First Time Buyer Support
Fraud and Scams
Employability (CV Writing/Interview Techniques)
Financial Wellbeing & Resilience.
All sessions are free of charge and for anybody in the community that would benefit.
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