Over the past two years, the Well Together programme has supported grassroots groups, local charities and community organisations across 10 Priority Areas in Oxfordshire, distributing £1million to strengthen community-led health and wellbeing activity.
It has been a privilege to see the reach, creativity and impact of this work in local communities.
Following this, we secured a five-month extension, during which a further £300,000 was distributed. This allowed us to build on the success of the initial programme and to continue to support some of the vital work already underway.
Beyond funding activity, Well Together has contributed to a wider and increasingly influential conversation across the system: that health inequalities are everyone’s business. The programme has helped shift the dialogue away from health being solely the responsibility of Public Health teams or the NHS, and towards a shared endeavour spanning communities, the voluntary and community sector, local government and wider partners. The learning from Well Together makes a strong case for place-based, community-led approaches as essential to tackling entrenched inequalities.
Well Together moving forwards
As of 1st April, we moved into the next phase of the programme. Our focus is now on bringing together and sharing the learning, insights and impact generated over the past two and a half years. We are keen to ensure that the experiences of Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations and partners help shape what comes next.
Looking ahead, we are hopeful about the opportunities to strengthen a collective voice across the sector, support ongoing advocacy, and, most importantly, continue championing the role of communities as leaders in their own health and wellbeing. There is an important role for this learning in informing emerging neighbourhood health approaches and the changes that local government reorganisation will bring.
So, while the future of Well Together as a funded programme remains uncertain, the learning is not. It is already clear that the vision for Neighbourhood Health and the embedding of the Marmot principles cannot be realised without strong, well-supported communities at its heart. Community leadership, trust, and locally-driven action are fundamental to sustainable, equitable health and wellbeing.
Our commitment to working alongside you continues
Community First Oxfordshire and OCVA remain here to support local organisations, and our doors are very much open as we move forward together.
We’ve so enjoyed spending time with the groups and organisations we have got to know better through Well Together – learning more about them and their work – visiting activities, spending time together at community events, or welcoming to events that we have hosted. Thank you for the warmth, kindness and positivity.
Thanks again for your partnership, insight and dedication throughout the programme. We look forward to staying connected and continuing the conversation.