National Lottery Funding Win to Support Young Women in Liverpool

WeMindTheGap announced that it has received ₤1.1 million of National Lottery funding from The National Lottery Community Fund (formerly Big Lottery), to increase opportunities for women in Wales and the North West. The charity, which has been running since 2014, launched in Liverpool last year with the help of the Mayor's Fund. It has previously run successful traineeships for young women in Wrexham and Flintshire, and earlier this month also launched in Manchester. This grant, from the largest funder of community activity in the UK, means that the charity can now grow its core team to set up 16 traineeships in different communities across the country, with 1 now in Liverpool. By 2023, the charity will provide 6 months' employment for 160 trainees in 16 different communities, sustain continued support for over 450 graduate trainees as they make their way in the world, work with over 140 local employers and 100 seasonal workers and coaches, and create an additional 40 jobs. WeMindTheGap Founder and Chair, Rachel Clacher, is a high-profile businesswoman and is co-founder of award winning outsourced communications company Moneypenny.

Rachel commented that:- "We saw a real need to address social mobility in our community, and we applied the same ethos that Moneypenny was founded on, to focus on helping young people in need. We strongly believe in doing the right thing, treating people well and providing ongoing support. This is not about ticking boxes, it's about business and communities, and helping young women who are operating within a system that often doesn't communicate. We have proven that public and private partnerships work, and more importantly that under served young people can achieve real careers and real choices if they have access to the right opportunities. This grant allows us to have the resources to bring those opportunities to so many more young people, and we can't wait to see what they achieve. We thank National Lottery players wholeheartedly for making this possible."

Joe Ferns, UK Funding Director at the National Lottery Community Fund said:- "We're proud that National Lottery funding is helping more young women thrive in their local communities by expanding this successful project. Through coaching and mentoring, WeMindTheGap empowers women to gain the skills they need to gain confidence and full time employment."

A WeMindTheGap traineeship sees young women undertake paid work experience in a variety of employment sectors, as well as being given new experiences, life coaching, support and mentoring. The charity model is a 6 month paid traineeship, followed by a further 6 months of support, as former trainees use their new skills to gain employment, education and a better life in general. The charity aims to help underprivileged young women transition from:- "prisoners of circumstance" to "pilots of their own lives."

WeMindTheGap has worked with selected local Liverpool businesses including B&M Stores, Barclays, Amey PLC and Costa Coffee, to offer trainees experience within a range of environments, industries and skill sets. The employment placements are designed to allow the trainees to find their talents and skills and gain confidence in a supportive environment. In return, they enable Employer Partners to make tangible progress towards their social mobility goals, and to give their own employees mentoring experience and the opportunity to give back, which is proven to contribute to employee engagement scores. WeMindTheGap is additionally a chosen Charity Partner of the Royal Liverpool Horse Show.

Money raised to help beat genetic childhood disease

A charity which helps to fund research at Alder Hey Children's Hospital has received a cash boost. Duchenne UK supports research into treatments and a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) which affects 1 in 3,500 boys and is the most common genetic disease diagnosed in childhood.

Generous employees at HealthTrust Europe, a solutions partner for health and care providers, have broken the company's fundraising record by raising a total of ₤8,212.73 for Duchenne UK.

DMD is caused by a lack of the protein dystrophin that affects the entire body, the illness almost always affects boys, and they tend to be diagnosed before the age of five. There are around 2,500 patients in the UK and an estimated 300,000 worldwide. Duchenne UK funds research into treatments and a cure for DMD including funding research posts and clinical trials at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, which is also the first Hospital to become a DMD Hub site.

The amount raised is HealthTrust Europe's highest annual total raised for a charity to date and highlights the company's commitment to the care and improvement of human life.

Emily Crossley, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Duchenne UK said:- "We would like to say a big THANK YOU to all the staff at HealthTrust Europe for their continued support of Duchenne UK. We are so grateful to you for raising an incredible ₤8,212.73 in 2018. We are a very ambitious and focused charity so every penny you raise will help us to fund research in to treatment and a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy."

During 2018, HealthTrust Europe members of staff took part in dress down and dress up days, a charity raffle, a cake sale, and awareness and educational activities. However, the major event was November's 5 and 10k runs in Sutton Park near Birmingham which resulted in a massive boost to funds of more than ₤3,000. The total donation made via HealthTrust Europe's JustGiving webpage was in the top 3% of such pages in the UK for fundraising in November.

Dennis Robb, CEO said:- "I am delighted that colleagues supported Duchenne UK over 2018 with so much enthusiasm and generosity, and I am proud that we have been able to contribute to fighting this condition. This wonderful result exemplifies our mission to improve healthcare in the communities we serve."

HealthTrust Europe which is based in Birmingham helps health and care providers save money by sourcing best value products and services to deliver healthcare. The company provides solutions that are patient centred and clinically led, driving quality, safety, service and price.

More information about DMD can be found on the Duchenne UK website.

Survivors of sexual violence urged to share their views to improve support for other victims

SURVIVORS of sexual violence are being encouraged to share their views of the support they received in order to help improve the experiences of others as part of an inquiry which aims to enhance services across Merseyside. The Sexual Violence review has been commissioned by the Deputy Police Commissioner, Cllr Emily Spurrell, in partnership with NHS England to examine the extent and nature of sexual violence in the Region, map the services which are available to support those who have been subjected to such crimes and ensure they are easy to access.

The review which is being carried out by Liverpool John Moores University's (LJMU) Public Health Institute, is reaching out to survivors to hear about their journey following an incident, including how they were treated within the criminal justice system and the extent to which the support they were offered met their needs. Anyone with personal experience of sexual misconduct, such as harassment, sexual exploitation and all forms of sexual violence are asked to take part in an survey. The survey is completely anonymous and confidential and will be open until mid-April 2019.

The inquiry, which was launched in November 2018 to mark:- 'International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women,' will include the views of partners from the Region's local authorities, voluntary and 3rd sector agencies, practitioners and experts. It will also draw on a range of reports and qualitative data produced by Merseyside Police and partners, including charities RASA and RASASC, who deliver the Police Commissioner's dedicated aftercare support service for survivors of rape and sexual assault as part of Victim Care Merseyside.

Emily said:- "This survey is a crucial part of our inquiry and I would urge anyone, both men and women, who have experienced any form of sexual violence who feels strong enough to take part to please share their views and experiences with us. We want to hear about your journey, whether you reported it to the police or not, and the path you took to accessing support to see how that process is working and whether it is working effectively. We know there is room for improvement. At the moment, far too many people do not get the support they need and deserve. Sadly, sexual violence remains far too prevalent in our society. Through this review we hope to better understand the nature and extent of sexual violence in our Region and establish a baseline from which we can monitor and assess the work we do in future years. It has the potential to help make a real difference in the lives of victims and survivors and I hope many people will take part in this survey. By doing so, you will be playing your part in helping to improve the experience of other victims of sexual violence in the future."

The inquiry is part of the Deputy Commissioner's work to produce a Region wide Violence against Women and Girls strategy alongside the Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and a host of partners and will have a significant impact on the funding of sexual crime support services in the future.

The research is expected to be concluded by April 2019.

LJMU's Public Health Institute (PHI) specialises in applied research and educational programmes addressing health issues at all levels from policy development to service delivery. Ellie McCoy, Researcher at PHI explains:- "We are committed to ensuring that our research makes a difference. Working together with the Police Commissioner for Merseyside and wider partners on this project will ensure that our research improves the outcomes for victims of sexual violence in the future."

LJMU were selected as the research organisation following a competitive tendering process and assessment panel.

New network will give disabled people a stronger voice

DISABLED people and their loved ones in the North West are being urged to help break down the barriers they face in their day to day lives by speaking truth to power in a new forum. The UK Government is inviting applications to participate in the new group, which will discuss difficulties disabled people face in a range of areas, including:- independent living, transport, housing and employment, where improvements are required. By drawing on lived experience policy makers will be better placed to tackle the issues disabled people can encounter in participating in society. Each group will consist of local disabled people and disabled people's organisations, led by a chair who will regularly report their views directly back to ministers.

Minister for Disabled People Sarah Newton said:- "It's vital that we listen to the voices of people with disabilities across the country, as we know people's experiences vary depending on where they live. That's why we're looking for people in the North West who want to make a positive difference. By working together we can break down the barriers that people face in their daily lives, building a more inclusive society that works for us all."

A chair is being sought to lead the efforts of the North West group, as well as members to share their experiences. Applications from disabled people are especially welcome, or from people that have personal experience such as parents of disabled children or partners of disabled people. The North West group will have a face to face meeting at least once a year but will be free to meet more often and will be able to share views regularly with the Government through an online portal. Once established, it will be part of the Regional Stakeholder Network for disabled people driving improvements across the country.

The North West group will be one of nine new regional groups across the country:-

► North East.

► Yorkshire and the Humber.

► West Midlands.

► East Midlands.

► East of England.

► Greater London.

► South West.

► South East.