Why do you need to know my income.
With our limited funds we have a responsibility to ensure we meet those with greatest need. We therefore set income criteria to see if we can help you with a full or contributory grant.
What is the difference between a full and contributory grant.
A full grant is where the charity pays the full cost of your chosen activity focus up to a maximum value, whereas with a contributory grant we contribute towards your activity focus, with some of the costs being met by you.
How do I receive my grant.
We never award cash to those we support. Instead we work directly with a local supplier to provide the item or service you have chosen, paying them directly. We have a responsibility to ensure our donated monies are being used to meet our charitable purpose.
Is your support confidential.
Your confidentiality is important to us, and we will be guided by yourself in this regard. There may be specific circumstances where it would be better if the provider understands you have a mental health issue, but details will never be divulged without your permission. Given your activity is being funded by ourselves, it will be known that you meet our mental health criteria, but no details will be shared with anybody without your permission.
How much contact will we have once you have made an award.
This in the main depends on how much support you need. We are here to help you in your activity focus if ever you need us, and we do as a matter of course contact you a few weeks after your grant to check everything is ok with the service provider, and also at the end of the grant to do some very brief research (10 minutes to complete) to enable us to understand the impact of the grant.
Will you help me with lessons and support if required.
We want you to get the most out of your grant, and so at our initial discussion we will explore the options for how to support you. For some activities we will insist on safeguarding activity introductions by our suppliers, and for others you may want some additional lessons or support in the early weeks to help you get the most from the activity.
How do you know this will help my mental health.
When it comes to mental health and recovery from mental illness, everybody's journey is unique. However there is a wide body of science to prove that activity, especially physical activity, can contribute to improvement in mental wellbeing. Our activities are designed to be additional to any medical or mental health support you are receiving, and it is this combination that can help you.
Why do you only help those being supported by mental health services ?
Our aim is for the charity to be an important addition to the medical and psychological support given by the NHS. We therefore aim to work closely with them to find people who may benefit from our service. Secondly by receiving treatment from an existing service, it helps us to find those whose mental health is such that they need a higher level of support.
Are there any activities you won't support.
We do not support activities where the cost of delivery exceeds our maximum allowance, nor do we support any activity that promotes gambling (e.g Poker). We will not support unlicensed combat sports or extreme sports or activities. We may exclude certain activities given your medical background. These decisions are at the charity's discretion.
Why can't I choose who provides the activity to me.
Our partner suppliers are sometimes chosen because they meet the standards of care and quality we require, and because they have agreed to work with and support the charity in other ways. The choice of supplier is therefore most often decided by the charity.
Why do I need to tell you about my health and current activity levels.
It is important when we discuss your individual plan of support that we can judge how active you are now, and therefore what support is appropriate for you. Our only aim is to help you create a fulfilling activity habit, and we can't do this without having a basic picture of your current lifestyle.
Why is the application form so long !!
Actually it isn't !! We understand the world you are living in, and we know that taking a step to doing something can be difficult. We therefore try to minimise the effort required to get our support, but at the same time we have a responsibility to make sure you meet our criteria for support, that we can measure the impact of that support, and that we have a picture of your current health so that we can offer the right solutions for you.