The Humber Wellbeing Hub, an emotional wellbeing organisation set up at the Humber Bridge Country Park in response to an increase in tragedies at the Humber Bridge, has received £5,000 of unrestricted funds from John Good Group’s Grants for Good Fund, plus further support with resources from the Matthew Good Foundation. The growing organisation attracted overwhelming support from John Good Group employees, many of whom work at Hesslewood Business Park, right next door to the Country Park.
The Humber Wellbeing Hub works closely with the Humber Bridge Board and local authorities to provide a much-needed community resource; A safe, welcoming environment, staffed with trained volunteers, offering wellbeing information, support and advice. Some who access the facility are referred to specialist support, whilst others just pop in for a cuppa and a chat, or to access the wide range of wellbeing activities on offer in the beautiful surroundings of the Country Park. With some sessions delivered by their own experts and volunteers, and others by external partners, they currently provide activities including menopause support groups, bereavement support groups and host Andy’s Man Club.
Since the hub opened, their dedicated team of volunteers have been saving lives just by being available to talk, but they are not currently able to open every day. As part of their search for the funds, volunteers and partnerships necessary open daily, they applied for Grants for Good.
Grants for Good is a charitable fund from the John Good Group that grants £60,000 annually to small community groups, charities or social enterprises that have a positive impact on people or planet. It is just one of the many CSR initiatives managed for the Group by the Matthew Good Foundation, whose mission is to amplify small charitable causes doing high-impact work that is often unseen and underfunded. Every quarter, the fund receives more than 400 applications to receive a share of £15,000, with just five making the shortlist. John Good Group employees then vote on the final five to decide which organisations get the biggest share, with the winner of the employee’s vote receiving £5,000.
In November 2023, the Humber Wellbeing Hub was announced as the winner of the latest vote, securing the highest possible grant of £5,000, which will go towards the cost of increasing activities at the hub including volunteer expenses, training, DBS checks & communication materials.
Adam Walsh, John Good Group CEO, and Tim Good, John Good Group’s largest shareholder, along with Michelle Taft, Matthew Good Foundation Executive Director, visited the hub to get to know the team better and discover how they could continue to support them. Adam said “During our visit to the Humber Wellbeing Hub, we discovered that not only are they directly saving lives through suicide prevention, but also using their platform to do amazing work helping all kinds of people with their emotional wellbeing.
Jo and the hub’s volunteers are clearly extremely experienced, and I was impressed by the dedication of their team, who have recognised that emotional wellbeing is something that we all might need support with at some stage in our lives, and have positioned themselves to ensure people in many different situations can get the support they absolutely deserve. We look forward to seeing them grow and be able to help more people. The Country Park is a perfectly situated and beautiful space for the work they do, and with the John Good Group head office based just next door, we look forward to being able to support our neighbors further in their mission.”
Since winning Grants for Good, the Matthew Good Foundation has offered to help the Humber Wellbeing Hub further to gain the exposure it needs, working with them to start production of a promotional film through the Amplify Charity Films programme, and also planning to help them with volunteering support with access to their corporate volunteering network, with many supporters from the John Good Group working just next door to the Hub. In addition, John Good Group employees have offered their support to the charity in the form of grants they can personally apply for through John Good Group’s employee giving programme, meaning they have received an extra £750 of support.
Jo Kent, Director of the Humber Wellbeing Hub said “We are absolutely thrilled to receive support from the John Good Group, their employees, and the Matthew Good Foundation, as it will allow us to be able to offer more services and support to our local community, and improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and their overall quality of life. It will enable us to take a huge step forward, providing a foundation for future growth and the motivation, encouragement, and support to keep going. Ultimately it will help us reach many more individuals.”
Charities and service providers looking for space to host their programmes, volunteers looking for opportunities to make a meaningful contribution, or funders looking to support a high impact organisation with the robust local support it needs to succeed, can contact the hub on info@emotionalwellbeinghub.com. The hub is also open to the public and welcomes visitors every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for open sessions and refreshments, with free parking available at their site on the Humber Bridge car park, off Ferriby Road.