Vivo’s Community Fund supports worthy local causes

Cheshire West and Chester Council company Vivo Care Choices has handed out grants to seven different initiatives through its newly-launched Community Fund.

The Community Fund is worth £20,000 in total and has been split into two rounds of applications, with around £12,000 handed out so far and a second round of applications planned for September 2021.

Cheshire West Voluntary Action (CWVA) is managing the Fund for Vivo, processing applications and setting up a panel to make sure grants are given to worthy community initiatives. The panel includes both Vivo staff and people using its services.

The seven initiatives supported through the first round of applications are based across west Cheshire and will deliver projects in the heart of their communities.

• Minerva Arts – extra online workshops, with a focus on people with autism and mental health issues.
• NeuroMuscular Centre – supporting people with neuromuscular conditions remotely.
• Space Cheshire – providing daily online activities for children with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs.
• Deafness Support Network – activity packs for older people with dementia.
• Cheshire Dance – creating ‘Dancing at Home’ resource packs for people with learning disabilities and autism.
• Friends of Countess – investing in a bench for Countess Park, where fully-supervised, half-day sessions will be held for people with learning disabilities and autism and older people.
• Opal Services – through a Book of You project, sharing reminiscence activities for older people to create a shared book about their memories and experience, family lives and social history.

Alistair Jeffs, Vivo Managing Director, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting all these projects through our Community Fund.

“At Vivo, we provide services for people with learning disabilities and autism and older people, including those with dementia.

“All of the projects will support these groups and that was very important to us when we launched the Community Fund.

“Knowing their loves ones will be able to get involved with these projects will make a big difference to our carers and families.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how all these projects progress.”

Full details for the second round of applications in September 2021 will be available in the coming months.

For more information about Vivo and its range of different services, visit: vivocarechoices.co.uk.