Well Together Programme

What is Well Together?

Well Together was a place-based programme that brought people, communities, and organisations together to strengthen wellbeing from the ground up between November 2024 and June 2026. The programme has now closed.

The programme has supported grassroots groups, local charities and community organisations across 10 Priority Areas in Oxfordshire, distributing £1.3 million to strengthen community-led health and wellbeing activity.

The Well Together team worked alongside communities to build confidence, connection, and mutual support, ensuring that funding was accessible and part of a wider support programme. They helped organisations to gather stories and collect impact data, reach a wider audience, develop ongoing collaboration, and find further networks and support. 

Beyond supporting groups, 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; wellbeing isn’t something delivered to people, but something created collectively. The learning from Well Together makes a strong case for place-based, community-led approaches as essential to tackling entrenched inequalities.

The programme was funded by the NHS BOB Integrated Care Board based on an understanding of the essential role that community, voluntary, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations play in addressing health inequalities at a local level.

The diverse work carried out by community groups across the county and the change they are making is showcased in case studies, stories, and reports produced by the programme team.

Funded projects

Well Together has supported 128 projects and activities provided by new and existing groups and organisations in Oxfordshire. There are 10 priority areas – Abingdon Caldecott, Banbury Neithrop, Banbury Grimsbury, Banbury Ruscote, Barton, Blackbird Leys, Central Oxford, Greater Leys, Littlemore, and Rose Hill.

Funding is used to expand the reach and impact of current projects, or to establish new ones. As well as supporting immediate health and wellbeing needs, the programme aims to address the root causes of preventable health conditions.

Which health inequalities were addressed?

Well Together aimed to address inequalities identified by the NHS. These include:

Ongoing maternity care, especially for Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities
Mental health support for children, young people, and adults
Early cancer diagnosis
Preventing health concerns (such as chronic respiratory disease and high blood pressure) by increasing physical activity and promoting healthy eating
Tackling obesity and encouraging healthy weight loss
Encouraging people to look after themselves and stay healthier for longer
Supporting people to stop smoking
Reducing harmful drinking or drug behaviours
Helping children to access dental healthcare

The above areas were selected as having the biggest impact on avoidable mortality, helping to narrow health inequalities.

Working in partnership

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.

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 Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action remain to support local organisations, and our doors are open as we move forward together.

Well Together was delivered in partnership by OCVA and Community First Oxfordshire. The Programme was funded by the NHS Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board.