How we are helping local residents to live well and thrive

Supporting the health and well-being of local residents in the Royal Borough is close to our hearts at The Prince Philip Trust Fund and we are delighted to have been able to support, and in many cases, seed fund a number of great community-led initiatives, helping them to get off the ground right from the start

In 2022, Cedars Surgery in Maidenhead applied for a modest grant to help them to run a new in-house, face to face, weight management service called ‘Make A Change’.  Their bespoke eight-week course was put together to help a number of their patients struggling with clinical obesity and the resulting impact this has had on their health.  The course was run in the evenings, from the surgery, by a trained Health Coach and a Registered Nutritional Therapist focussing on real food, lower carb approach, looking at cooking from scratch, avoiding processed and ultra-processed food, stress, sleep, social connections, physical activity, unhealthy habits, and the impact these all have on our food choices.

Dr Clare Neiland, who set up the programme, reported that the course had a number of beneficial outcomes:  “The results have been astounding, certainly in terms of weight loss.  But we also saw a reduction in the other physical ailments such as reduced pain from osteoarthritis, improvements in reported mental health, and they also improved social connections, helping each other by sharing recipes and encouraging each other to attend ParkRuns and go swimming.

“Getting the funding for the Make a Change programme has meant that we can keep the courses operating and cover our costs.  But also, and most importantly, it’s made a real difference to a number of my patients who now feel more able and supported in their journey to living a healthier, more active life.”

In 2024, a grant of £5,000 was given to a new, parent-led charity called Well Windsor, which has been set up to help increase the mental health and wellbeing provision of school age children.

The creation of the charity has been two-fold; as a response to the high levels of referrals to local children’s mental health services (CAMHS), and the message from schools who are calling out the challenge of dealing with increased levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm, school avoidance and low self-esteem.   Well Windsor is focused on early intervention programmes that deliver the best outcomes, improving resilience in local children and young adults, with the goal of reaching all 6,000+ local school children in Windsor from reception to sixth form.

Working alongside local schools, the charity has used funding from The Prince Philip Trust Fund and other donors to introduce the innovative MyHappyMind wellbeing programme into schools This initiative helps children build resilience, self-esteem, and confidence. Additionally, the charity has expanded access to counselling, provided mental health first aid training, and supported staff development to enhance overall wellbeing in schools.

Andy Nuttall, Chair of the Well Windsor Trustees said: “Having funding support from The Prince Philip Trust Fund and others has been hugely important to us in terms of helping get the charity up and running in a relatively short period of time, for which we are really grateful.  It’s been wonderful to have this kind of backing from within the community, helping us to support local children and young people with much needed training and resources.”

Autism Berkshire received a grant in 2023 to support their Walk & Talk project for adults living with autism.  This weekly activity was created to help reduce social isolation among the local autistic adults they support, and encourage them to undertake regular, gentle outdoor exercise to help their mental wellbeing and manage their weight. One of the key aims of this programme was to give walkers an opportunity to ‘check in’ and discuss any worries they have with trained staff members.

One walker said  “It’s good to be able to walk with other people and not have to talk if I don’t want to. I enjoy walking in silence but like to know that I am not alone.”  Another said,  “I like to check my worries with the leaders, who can reassure me when I feel very anxious.”

The group sessions have proven to be very popular with an average of between 8-12 people walking at any one time, visiting beautiful and interesting local places such as Maidenhead’s Braywick Park, the Thames Path, Eton Wick and Windsor Great Park.

CEO of Autism Berkshire, Jane Stanford-Beale MBE, said  “Thanks to The Prince Philip Trust Fund we have been able to run this project that has been making a big difference to some of our local residents living with autism, supporting their wellbeing, creating a network and community, and helping them feel less alone.”