HMRC pledges £5.5 million in partnership funding to support customers who need extra help

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is awarding £5.5 million to organisations within the voluntary and community sector to support customers who may need extra help with their tax affairs.  HMRC is inviting eligible organisations to bid for the funding, worth £1.8m a year from:- 2024 until 2027, through HMRC's Voluntary and Community Sector Grant Funding programme. Bids can be submitted between 24 July and 21 August 2023 with successful organisations being announced in October ready for the new funding to start from 1 April 2024. This is the 12th round of funding HMRC is awarding as part of its commitment to help everyone get their tax right. The programme builds on more than a decade of partnership funding, worth in excess of £20m.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC's Deputy Chief Executive and 2nd Permanent Secretary, said:- "We know that customers really value the trusted tax advice they receive from our voluntary and community sector partners. The funding programme is an important part in our commitment to support our hardest to reach customers and builds on the current support HMRC offers to those who may need extra help with their tax affairs."

David Newbold, Director of Sight Loss Advice Service, from RNIB, 1 of 12 organisations previously awarded under the grant programme said:- "RNIB is extremely grateful to HMRC for its generous support, ensuring blind and partially sighted people can access the advice, information and practical help they need to deal with their tax affairs and HMRC. We're proud to have HMRC as a partner, its contribution is vital to continue our important work in supporting vulnerable individuals."

In the last year alone, funded organisations have supported 39,000 customers over the phone, with face to face meetings and via email.

Successful organisations will receive funding to provide free advice and support to customers who:-

• May face barriers in understanding their tax obligations and claiming their entitlements.
   

• Are digitally excluded from accessing HMRC services.
   

• Have any other difficulty in interacting directly with HMRC.

As well as providing support to customers who may need extra help, organisations will provide valuable insight to improve HMRC's understanding of customers in vulnerable circumstances. This will allow HMRC to reduce barriers and improve the customer experience when dealing with the department. HMRC's Voluntary and Community Sector Grant Funding Programme complements the work of HMRC's Extra Support Team, who are on hand to help customers whose health conditions or personal circumstances make contacting HMRC difficult. More information on eligibility and how to apply can be found online at:- GOV.UK.

New exhibition showcases Liverpool creative arts approach to dementia care

AN arts research project exploring how creativity can promote the wellbeing of people living with dementia has been unveiled for public viewing. Seen and Heard - Adventures in Arts and Dementia showcases the latest chapter in the collaboration between not for profit care operator, Belong Chester, and the Bluecoat, Liverpool's Contemporary Arts Centre. Artists commissioned by the project:- Brigitte Jurack, Mary Prestidge, Jonathan Raisin, Alan Dunn, Roger Hill and Tabitha Moses, have spent 5 months working with the dementia specialist's customers in their City Road home, as well as with children from its integrated onsite Nursery.

Now available for viewing, their activities in sculpture, dance, sound art, painting and drawing will come to life through a fascinating exhibition at the Grosvenor Museum, with a dedicated space contextualising dementia and a film screening featuring interviews with the artists and participants.

Work including ceramics, paintings, postcards and even tongue twisters will be on display, alongside a timeline of the wider Where the Arts Belong project which has seen artists working with Belong's customers from across the Region since 2019.

The relationship with Chester commenced in the lead up to the care village's opening last summer, when the community began taking part in Meet and Make Art workshops at the museum. The initiative continues, and a radio play created by the group is also to be included in the new exhibition.

Where the Arts Belong has earned numerous awards for enhancing the lives of its participants, for whom researchers have noted benefits including improved quality of life, increased confidence, enhanced cognitive capaCity and feeling a sense of community and inclusion. A guide featuring activities from the project entitled 'Little Golden Moments', has launched to provide ideas for meaningful occupation for anyone caring for someone living with dementia.

In September, a symposium to be held in Chester will bring together the project's findings, explore how it has helped those involved and discuss the wider implications for the use of arts in care environments.

Tabitha Moses, artist and project facilitator from the Bluecoat, said:- "We are really looking forward to showing Chester the fruits of our labour. The Seen and Heard - Adventures in Arts and Dementia exhibition will showcase Belong customers' great work, celebrate them and what they've achieved. We hope that the conversations that come out will go some way towards changing the perception of life with the condition and evidence the amazing impact arts engagement has, proving it is possible to live well with dementia."

Caroline Baker, head of dementia and care quality at Belong, added:- "Our 4 year collaboration with the Bluecoat has proven to be highly successful, with our customers relishing the opportunity to work alongside the artists, learning new skills and enjoying the delights of artistic expression. We invite everyone to join us at the Grosvenor Museum to see the work for themselves."

There are 8 Belong villages in:- Atherton, Chester, Crewe, Didsbury, Macclesfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Wigan and Warrington, with 2 more under construction in Birkdale and Wirral. For more information, see:- Belong.Org.UK.