Upstream’s partners - Partners-and-Projects - Upstream

Upstream’s partners

Upstream does not work alone. Over the two years of planning and five years since the project went live, Upstream has worked closely with a wide range of partners.

The most important partners have been the participants themselves, from an initial consultation before the project started and subsequent ‘conversational consultations’ on progress and improvement, to the constant input of participants on what activities they wanted and how they could best sustain activities themselves. This inter-action between participants and Upstream shaped the development of the project and has been a fundamental aspect of the ‘action research’ conducted by the Peninsula Medical School.

Statutory and voluntary sector organisations have also helped to develop Upstream, as formal Members of the Charity, as Strategic Partners represented on Upstream’s Strategic Advisory Board, and as working partners through practical co-operation on a day-to-day basis. In particular, Upstream could not have succeeded without the support of front-line staff in health and social care who recognised the benefits of the service and signposted many participants to it.

Upstream’s strategic development was greatly influenced by its integration into the Devon County Local Area Agreement, its alignment with the Mid Devon Local Strategic Partnership, support from the Primary Care Trust’s Professional Executive Committee and the Local Implementation Group for Older People.

Our partners have included:

• AB Design and Communications, Exeter, who have generously provided advice and support throughout the project.
  
• Age Concern Devon, a consortium partner in the ‘Community mentoring’ strand of Devon’s ‘My Life My Choice’ programme
• Age Concern Exeter, a parallel pilot in Devon’s ‘Link Age Plus’ programme
• Arts Council South West, which provided a 2-year grant under the Arts for All programme
• Arts and Health South West
• Arts professionals and other providers of creative, learning and health activities
• Awards for All, who kindly provided a small grant for an Upstream group
• Big Lottery Fund, who provided a substantial 5-year grant under the Healthy Living Centre Programme
• British Telecommunications, who kindly provided a small grant for an Upstream group
• Community Fund (subsequently merged with the Big Lottery Fund) who provided a 2-year grant for further work
  
• Community organisations, including churches, pubs, clubs, post offices, etc.
• Councils for Voluntary Services (CVS) in Tiverton and Okehampton and the Devon Association of CVS, a consortium partner in the Devon Healthy Living Community project with the Department of Health Social Enterprise Unit
• Department of Health
• Department of Work and Pensions
• Devon County Council, especially Adult and Community Services (formerly Social Services), Education and Libraries
• Devon Partnership Trust (mental health)
• Devon Primary Care Trust (and especially the former Mid Devon Primary Care Trust) including senior management and health professionals – GPs and multi-disciplinary teams:  pharmacists, health visitors, occupational therapists, district nurses, and many more.
• Elizabeth & Prince Zaiger Trust, who generously provided a number of small grants to support our work
• Exeter Healthcare Arts
• Exeter University, School of Education & Lifelong Learning
• HBOS Foundation, who kindly provided s small grant
• Health Complexity Group, who have provided good advice throughout the project.
• Help the Aged, who generously provided start-up funding for Upstream before the Big Lottery Fund HLC programme grant
• South West Regional Development Agency, through the Market & Coastal Towns Initiative, who helped with start-up funding
• Mid Devon District Council
• Mid Devon Healthy Living Community, a consortium of voluntary sector organisations concerned with health and social care, of which Upstream is a founding member, and which includes Age Concern Crediton, Age Concern Tiverton & Cullompton, Blackdown Support Group, Cameo Club, PHI Healthcare Trust, Volunteer Visiting Scheme
• Mid Devon Primary Care Research Group
• National Healthy Living Alliance, of which Upstream is a founding member, and the South West Healthy Living Alliance, which is the regional HLA network
• National Network for Arts in Health
• NHS Live
• Parish and town councils throughout Mid Devon
• Peninsula Medical School
• Queen Elizabeth’s Community College, Crediton, which generously hosts our small office, as well as primary and secondary schools throughout Mid Devon
• SAGA, who generously provided start-up funding for Upstream before the Big Lottery Fund HLC programme grant
• The Kelly Trust, who generously provided a number of small grants to help Upstream groups
• University of Durham Centre for Arts & Humanities in Health and Medicine
• Voluntary organisations in Mid Devon, especially those working in health and social care, including Age Concern Crediton; Age Concern Tiverton, Cullompton and District; the Blackdown Support Group; the Cameo Club; the Volunteer Visitor Scheme; 5x30 Active
• Westbank HLC, a consortium partner in the ‘Community mentoring’ strand of Devon’s ‘My Life My Choice’ programme
• West Devon Borough Council
• Wragge & Co, Solicitors, who kindly provided a small grant to help Upstream groups