Halifax Opportunities Trust launches £100,000 well-being programme for Calderdale community

The funding will enable Halifax Opportunities Trust to expand food-related work based at its community garden The Outback, with a focus on increased knowledge in the local community about the link between wellness and food.

A complete programme has been developed to support the Trust’s goals throughout 2022, which aim to enhance nutrition and help local people better understand the ways to improve their overall health, through food.

Sarah Waddington, The Outback Garden & Kitchen Project Lead, said: “The funding will really help us to reach more people and provide more opportunities that focus on improving health and wellbeing, both in The Outback Garden and the wider community.

"Through the support provided by Barclays, we have been able to expand our community team so that we can offer a programme of food, nutrition and cooking activities. We are also developing our community garden further to enable more people to access the space and experience the wellbeing effects of being in a natural environment as well as learn new skills including gardening, growing food and beekeeping."

Barclays invited UK charities to apply for one of 100 donations of £100,000 each, to help them deliver impactful on-the-ground support. Halifax Opportunities Trust is one of just 250 organisations the programme has reached, after it was extended due to the high number of initial responses.

Alison Haskins, CEO of Halifax Opportunities Trust, said: “The 100 x 100 project has unlocked opportunities for the Trust to develop a dedicated programme that focusses on food-based health and wellbeing. Covid-19 meant that many people in the local community felt isolated which had an overall impact on physical and mental health. The funding will enable us to provide crucial activity to overcome this.”

Halifax Opportunities Trust is a registered charity and a limited company, established since 2000. Their work focuses on transforming lives for the better and involves, but is not limited to, helping people find new or better jobs, learn new skills, start or grow businesses and help raise their families.