Public Health have a research grant funding opportunity for a research partner to work with them to evaluate an innovative new programme providing community opportunities focusing on the growing and cooking of food and healthy eating.

The project aims to build community capacity within small voluntary and charity organisations in targeted communities to deliver this work going forward.

Please submit your expression of interest which includes: • A detailed description of how you propose to meet the requirements and achieve the required deliverables and outputs • A project plan with timeline • A detailed budget breakdown Obesity is a complex issue, with many contributing factors, including the food we eat; how active we are; our culture and communities; the resources and money available to us; the nature of our built environment; and the food environment, which can all lead to excess calorie consumption and physical inactivity.

Public Health Northamptonshire have already begun adopting Public Health England's "whole systems approach (WSA) to obesity" to develop a county wide approach to tackling obesity.

One element of this system wide approach is to work with local communities to look at developing more opportunities to grow and cook healthy foods.

Community-centred approaches are an important tool in health improvement, and public health enabling investment in more sustainable and effective approaches to reduce health inequalities, that mobilises the capacity and assets of people and place.

The approach identifies and makes visible the health-enhancing assets in a community.

All communities have health assets that can contribute to the positive health and wellbeing of its members, including: • the skills, knowledge, social competence and commitment of individual community members; • friendships, inter-generational solidarity, community cohesion; • local groups and community and voluntary associations; • physical environment.

Community-centred ways of working mean the gain is not just the end result of perhaps healthy weight but also the impact along the way: empowerment; being connected; reducing isolation; mental wellbeing.

NICE guidance emphasises how active communities can have a positive impact on health outcomes by improving services and influencing the governance of health services and endorses community engagement as a strategy for health.

Applications must be submitted by via email to Procurement@westnorthants.gov.uk quoting Ref: Evaluation of Community Grow, Cook and Eat programmes no later than close of business Friday 13th January 2023.

We will contact you directly if you have been successful in applying for the funding and will provide feedback to unsuccessful bidders.

Please be aware that as this is a Grant funded process, this opportunity is not required to follow the Public Contract Regulations (2015).

Please note that any EOI submitted does not guarantee any work or invitation to quote for work offered by WNC.