A successful community group has picked up another award – this time for helping patients to provide feedback to doctors’ surgeries and health chiefs in Brighton and Hove.
The Hangleton and Knoll Project earned the national award for excellence from the NHS for the way that it runs the West Area Health Forum.
The forum, which is next due to meet on Wednesday 20 November, is being used as a template for public involvement and patient engagement.
News of the award was one of the achievements shared with a packed audience at the Hangleton and Knoll Project’s annual general meeting (AGM) at St Richard’s Church Hall.
Chief executive Jo Martindale said that the Project – set up 36 years ago – relied on many volunteers and helped many more residents with its focus on community development, youth work and community-based learning.
It was celebrating 10 years of the Multi-Cultural Women’s Group as well as helping unemployed people to find work and had been drawing up a “neighbourhood action plan”.
The Project has been looking at how to help people through arts, culture and creativity – a subject addressed at the AGM by guest speaker Nick Hibberd, from Brighton and Hove City Council.
Mr Hibberd, the executive director for the economy, environment and culture, praised the Project for its partnership work with the Brighton Festival, Brighton People’s Theatre and youth music group Audioactive.
This has included helping the Festival – which some regard as remote – to put on events in the Hangleton and Knoll community and other communities outside the centre of Brighton.
And it has encouraged people from the community who might not otherwise have been to Brighton Festival events to sample some of what’s on each May.
Deputy mayor Councillor Alan Robins presented prizes, many of which went to young people, including awards for youth volunteering to Arwen Shears and Jamie O’Sullivan.
Long-serving trustee Nick Goslett was also given an award for his work with the 50+ age group.
Pat Weller, who chairs the trust and earned an MBE for her service, thanked staff and volunteers as well as fellow trustees and all those who had given money.
Staff from Waitrose came along to the AGM, on Wednesday evening, to hand over a cheque for £250 from its Community Matters green button scheme.
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