Community Champions

Community Champions are available to help you with lots of different issues including:

• Develop your skills, including reading, writing, maths and employability.
• Learn about computers, particularly how to use services.
• Help your children with literacy.
• If you are struggling with a mental health issue. This is usually done in partnership with the Psychological Therapies team or other local services.
• If you are struggling with bereavement or loss.
• Get a job, through work clubs or 1-to-1 support.
• Get the most out of life if you're isolated or feeling vulnerable.
• Maximise your benefits or deal with a change in circumstances.
• Budget and make the most out of your money.

If what you need isn't on this list, just ask us, we love a new challenge.

It's important Community Champions work alongside services to provide support to people. They are not constrained by targets or budgets, but can get on with helping people. They do not replace or displace any service that should already be available. The aim of the project is to make life better for people and usually this means working co-operatively with others.

We find new champions, provide support and match them up with people who need their help. The team coordinate the service and sort resources including training, finding rooms and making sure champions' expenses are covered.

The champions lead the project. They decide what they will do, how and where and they ask for changes to be made to enable them to do that. The team then make the arrangements, usually in partnership with other services.

Champions meet regularly with each other and with partners and also keep in touch with each other in their neighbourhoods.

We'll ask you for some basic details about what you need so we can work out the right type of support for you. If you want to go ahead with the support, we'll arrange for you to meet a Community Champion in a place convenient and safe.

If you're interested in becoming a Community Champion, contact us so we can discuss your options and add you to our waiting list.

We'll contact you to invite you to an introduction session so you can get more information and do some training. Most champions get a lot from their role and report that it helps to keep them well and is a chance to master their skills.

Tel: 01706 751190

Email: livingwellhmr@biglifecentres.com

Address: Suite G2, Lock 50 Business Centre, Oldham Road, Rochdale, OL16 5RD.