Thriving Communities Fund Evaluation Report
This independent evaluation assesses the reach, performance and impact of the 36 projects delivered by the Thriving Communities Fund, a £1.8 million project to support the collaborative delivery of social prescribing activities by local voluntary sector organisations, health providers, link workers, and over 400 volunteers.
Publication
Along with the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP), we commissioned Wavehill to conduct an evaluation of the reach, performance and impact of the 36 projects (reaching over 10,000 people) delivered by the Thriving Communities Fund.
The Thriving Communities Fund was a £1.8 million project supporting the collaborative delivery of social prescribing activities by local voluntary sector organisations, health providers, link workers, and over 400 volunteers. The fund focussed on people most impacted by health inequalities and Covid-19 (which disproportionately impacted on people with poor physical and mental health).
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What did the report find?
The evaluation finds that the Thriving Communities Fund had a positive impact on participants’ wellbeing, mental and physical health, and improved social connections.
- The programme has provided thousands of people with an opportunity to connect with others through planned and coordinated activities. Local partners have helped to empower people to feel they could take more control of their lives, be less isolated and make connection.
- Nearly all partners felt that their project had made better use of local assets to support its target audience, enabling people to navigate existing services and community-based support.
- The report evidences how social prescribing activities can provide cost-effective strategies in the medium to longer-term to reduce demand on the health and care system.
This report’s findings adds to growing evidence supporting the value of creativity and culture for positive wellbeing. We will build on this fund and the important findings of the evaluation through the actions detailed in its Creative Health & Wellbeing plan, which prioritises our continued relationship with NASP.
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Date: August 2022
Author: Andy Parkinson, Simon Tanner, Anna Burgess, Sarah Usher, Eddie Knight, Olivia Heath. 2022. Evaluation of the Thriving Communities Fund. London: Wavehill: social and economic research.