Walthew House is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a significant four‑year grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery players. This funding will support the delivery of Connected, an ambitious whole‑system project that brings lived experience, community outreach, multi‑agency development and strategic influence together to improve equity of access for people who are blind, partially sighted, Deaf, or hard of hearing across Stockport.
Building on Walthew House’s 143‑year history and deep community roots, Connected will strengthen referral pathways, expand outreach, embed lived experience in service design, and increase public awareness of sensory loss.
Rachael Zimbler, Chair of the Board says:
“This grant is an extraordinary milestone for Walthew House and for everyone in Stockport living with sight or hearing loss. As a board built entirely on lived experience, we know how vital it is that people’s voices shape the services and systems around them. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can strengthen that leadership, deepen our roots in the community, and drive meaningful, long‑lasting change across the borough. We are immensely excited about the work ahead and grateful for the opportunity to deliver it.”
Sandi Marshall and Nik Noone, Co‑CEO shared:
“We are delighted to receive this support from The National Lottery Community Fund. It allows us to expand the work we know makes the biggest difference: meeting people where they are, removing the everyday barriers they face, and ensuring lived experience drives systemic change. This funding means we can reach people earlier, partner more effectively across the system, and embed a whole‑community approach that improves equity and access for years to come. We’re deeply thankful to National Lottery players for making this possible.”
The Connected project will place lived experience at the heart of decision‑making through a new Lived Experience Advisory Panel, co‑produced services, stronger outreach in community settings, and system‑level influencing work designed to remove long‑standing barriers to access. This approach ensures the voices of people with sensory loss shape not only the services they use, but the wider systems that impact their lives.
Notes to editors
National Lottery players raise over £32 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, The National Lottery Community Fund distributes over £600 million a year through over 13,000 grants. The funder plans to invest over £4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. It supports projects across the whole of the UK to turn their truly life-changing ideas into reality.
To find out more visit The National Lottery Community Fund website.