A pilot project to improve the social and mental wellbeing of residents at a home in Sandbach for adults with physical disabilities will go live – thanks to support from the Co-op Local Community Fund.

Residents at Hill House Leonard Cheshire Home in Sandbach will be able to enjoy a cinema type experience with family and friends, seeing some of the latest films, with help of Co-op members and the Local Community Fund.

Co-op members in Sandbach are helping to fund the project by choosing it as their Local Cause to support.

This means that every time members buy selected Co-op brands and products, they are also contributing to the Hill House cinema project and helping to connect residents to the wider world.

A bumper £6,465.88 has been raised through the Co-op Local Community Fund, half the cost of the project, with the rest provided by a local benefactor bringing the grand total to around £12,000.

David Hursthouse, Hill House's Assistive Technology Project Manager, is busy finding equipment for the large screen home cinema system, including a projector, screen and sound system, to start the film nights.

The funding will enable the popular home on the edge of Sandbach to open its doors to family and friends to watch films with residents and provide them with a unique 'cinema' experience.

"I am quite bowled over by the generosity of the Co-op's members.

For the past three years, Hill House has been bringing new life changing technologies to residents, introducing both specialist and commercially available accessible technology to make it a 'Centre

of Excellence'.

Leonard Cheshire sees assistive technology as key to breaking down barriers. They say social isolation and loneliness are challenges that disabled people are often faced with but the possibilities that technology offers to help combat this are immense.

"We use the technology to help people live, learn and work as independently as they choose. The accessible activities we offer also provide greater opportunities for social inclusion.

"We're working with the best technology companies to deliver, and in some cases develop or pilot, state-of-the art technologies. Together we will determine what works well in the long term.

"Looking to the future, we hope that our other care homes will also benefit from the project."

The Leonard Cheshire charity has been supporting disabled people, working with partners to open doors to opportunity and breaking down barriers to help disabled people enjoy better lives, since it was launched more than 70 years' ago.

David Hursthouse is the guiding force behind the assistive technology project.

He is immensely proud of the "immersive cinema experience" and the entire project which will provide wider support for its residents and local community members by building friendships and reducing

social isolation.

David said: "For me, one of the most critical parts of this project is improving social interaction opportunities.

"This has become paramount as we navigate through lock down, particularly as visits from family and friends have had to be taken online.

"Disabled people can often feel isolated and lonely. So, we want to use technology to help change this, long after the pandemic is over.

"The technology at Hill House will work to improve contact time between residents and their loved ones and maybe even help enhance those relationships too.

"Lockdown has undoubtedly presented the project team with some challenges but we've been doing what we can to introduce the residents to new technology."

And despite the pandemic and various lockdowns, Leonard Cheshire and Hill House are determined to keep people connected and make the project and the cinema experience a huge success.

One in four of us experience a mental health problem in any one year. That's someone in every family, workplace and friendship circle.

In the UK it's around 14 million people. That's why Co-op is working in partnership with Mind, the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and Inspire to bring communities together to support mental well-being.

To help you look after and find support for your and others mental well-being, Co-op created Be Kind To Your Mind. It includes activities from Co-op and its partners as well as general tips and how to seek support from Co-op's charity partners, Mind, SAMH and Inspire.

www.coop.co.uk/communities/charitypartnership

If you need support with your mental health or know someone that does, the following can help:

contact Mind for support in England and Wales on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am to

6pm, Monday to Friday), text: 86463 or email [email protected]

text SHOUT for support anywhere on 85258