Paycare and CBC team up to bring more creativity to the Black Country
Fantabulosa at Funny Things 2019 - image by Dee Patel
The team at Paycare, a Health Cash Plan and Wellbeing Training provider based in the heart of Wolverhampton, has donated £20,000 to Creative Black Country to help us to support 17 projects as part of ‘Creative Connections’ - our strand of work aimed at bringing joy to communities during the pandemic.
The social-distance inspired projects are taking place across Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall and range from outdoor photography exhibitions and tapestry quilting to beatboxing and seed planting.
The projects were chosen by a community panel that included Stephen Burton-Pye, Corporate Account Manager at Paycare, who helped to decide which of the 56 applicants would receive a commission.
Stephen has a passion for the arts: he has performed in musicals, pantomimes and cabaret shows for over 25 years; trodden the boards at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre; and sits on both the youth and adult committees of Bilston Operatic Society.
He said:
“The Paycare team and I are so excited by this partnership. Joining a panel of four other professionals was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It was great to see the kinds of community projects that people had thought of to raise people’s spirits during these challenging times.
“I can’t wait to go out and see the finished projects later on this year and to feel the impact this injection of creativity has on the community, as a whole.”
Sajida Carr, Director of Operations and Development, said during the Coronavirus pandemic they had focused on bringing much-needed creativity to people’s lives.
“We’ve asked people across the Black County to help us reach their neighbours and local communities with fun and engaging activities during lockdown.
“So many really took up the challenge, which was great to see. They have come up with some really great ideas around connecting people safely. We were really happy that communities were still willing to be innovative, fun and engaging during these difficult times.
“We are ecstatic about Paycare’s support as CBC is now able to help even more people, communities and creatives get involved with our projects. We knew that the Paycare team would be a great business to help us engage with Black Country residents, and as a result we have been able to commission 17 new projects which will be kicking off their activities this spring.”
Since 1874, Paycare (formerly known as Patient’s Aid Association) has worked to help individuals, families, businesses, and their employees access a variety of preventative and reactive healthcare services which protect their financial, physical and mental health and wellbeing. Its dedicated mental health service — Paycare Wellbeing — launched in 2019 and provides qualified and confidential training to Corporate Groups including Managers, CEOs and HR teams. Visit www.paycare.org to find out more.