What I’m Passionate About... David Foulds

MHA (Methodist Homes) is one of the largest social healthcare charities in Britain and we are passionate about supporting our local communities.

Founded in the roots of the Methodist Church movement over 80 years ago, MHA is an independent charity caring for and supporting people aged 55 and over to live their lives well. We have care homes, most of which are dementia specialists, supported living complexes, for people who want to live independently but with support, and community support services for people still living in their own homes in the community. MHA Communities Cheshire West is the second oldest community scheme in MHA formed over 30 years ago in 1992.

I have worked in the third sector for over 25 years for various organisations such as WRVS, the Big Issue Cymru and for over seven years running MHA Communities Cheshire West. Operating in Ellesmere Port, Neston and surrounding areas, we are an all-inclusive service providing a variety of support services ranging from our well-established social hubs, which are our front door to the community, to our mental wellbeing and dementia community support services. Membership of our services is free and we operate an open referral system which means anyone can refer into us including selfreferrals. Seven years have flown by in which we have had to deal with the COVID pandemic and keep our services running to support vulnerable people

Communities Manager at MHA Communities Cheshire West

who were isolated in their own homes during this time. This was a real challenge which we met head-on and from which we came out forming new services to deal with the aftermath of the pandemic and new needs we identified during this period.

There is a lot of fun and pleasure in developing new services for the community. We have an award-winning Green Care Wellbeing project, our Hawthorns supported living complex in Ellesmere Port, which has been established now for two years. It has won two prestigious RHS awards and we will be going for a third this year. The project has been funded by the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, the National Lottery Awards for All fund and the Screwfix Foundation. We are now moving into the second phase of the project which is to establish a forest school in the grounds which will be a dementia, intergeneration we are an all-inclusive service providing a variety of support services ranging from our well-established social hubs, which are our front door to the community, to our mental wellbeing and dementia community support services. and community project with a teepee as a central and practical attraction. The community aspect of MHA is selffunded, which remains consistent in our work. To deliver and develop our services, we heavily rely on funding from various sources. These include grant funding from the local authority, Cheshire West and Chester, as well as the Cheshire and Merseyside NHS Integrated Care Board. Additionally, we apply to other bodies such as the Big Lottery and DWP, and have cultivated relationships with local businesses that sponsor our social campaigns. These campaigns not only enhance the lives of older people, but also benefit people in the broader local community that take away something from engaging with older people. We’ve recently expanded into corporate volunteering days and intergenerational activities with local schools. One of our key partners, who is very supportive of the third sector, is Cheshire West Voluntary Action who represent the many voices of the third sector throughout Cheshire West. There are many changes happening in social care in the community for all sectors with more demands on stretched NHS and community support services. This is where the third sector helps by identifying the gaps in service that can be filled and I see our mission as giving a voice to local communities, providing a resource for those who want to give back and volunteer. Our dedicated volunteers are essential to our success, and we ensure they feel a sense of achievement and fulfilment in the part they play in giving back to the local communities.