Grapevine charity triumphs as Coventry City Council scraps funding cuts

Grapevine charity, which supports people with learning difficulties, was euphoric that proposed cuts to its services would no longer be implemented. Following the council’s consultation, the charity said a proposed 45% budget cut to its Help and Connect service would not happen. 

Coventry City Council had planned to reduce public services, including the voluntary sector. However, after a boost in government funding, the authority reversed its plans; the authority’s addition of cash and careful financial planning meant that not all the cutbacks consulted on would be needed. 

Grapevine charity: A future of continued support

Thirteen years ago, Grapevine was a small single-issue charity helping Coventry people with learning disabilities get a more just life like any other. The work had taught them that real change in a person’s life could not come from service provision.

If you want people to take charge of who they are and who they might become, you must do something different. Their hunch about what different looked like went like this.

“People need love, intimacy, purpose, friendship, and hope, and they can meet these needs with each other through two-way flows of support. Two-way flows of support can solve their problems for good.”

So, they took action and began exploring new methods. They expanded their reach to support people facing tough times, regardless of their labels or diagnoses.

According to them, on that journey, they upset traditional service models of ‘needs-based provision’ and established a new model of ‘needs as assets’. They learnt how to unlock the abundant pre-existing resources in communities, which helped them build resilience and grow protective networks for their members.

They saw people begin to look after each other and raise each other. Their work was profiled nationally and recognized as leading a new way of ‘doing’ services and reducing reliance on shrinking public services. 

They also learnt that Understanding people is more impactful than assessing them; relationships, not services or hierarchies, solve problems; there’s no limit to what people will do for those they care about; widening people’s circles takes them beyond coping to a place of color and shared humanity that creates energy for more change.

Today, they’ve grown a network of self-sustaining communities that nourish the health and well-being of their members, communities that can step in as the state shrinks. According to them, this is not just about creating close-knit communities but communities that are ambitious about their members’ health and happiness. 

They reiterate that it’s not just about people having more relationships but having quality relationships that nurture hope, compassion, and ambition. They also run collaborative system change programs across Coventry and Warwickshire. 

These power shifts create more equal and ‘human’ spaces where problems can be solved together. They are helping funders, local authorities, and others consider the challenges of shifting power in ways that benefit people across today’s Britain.

Grapevine CEO Clare Wightman said the council had made the right decision for everyone. In a statement, the council added that financial challenges remained as it dealt with the impact of chronic historical underfunding. 

Protests and public outcry led to a reversal

Dozens had protested against proposed cuts to the Grapevine, which said 7,000 adults in the city may lose out if plans went ahead. Service users had previously feared the impact of the cuts, with one woman saying she would go back into a hole if the charity’s Help and Connect program were scrapped. 

Grapevine’s chief executive officer, Clare Wightman, thanked the council for listening to concerns but acknowledged it was in a difficult position and needed to make savings. She said the local authority had made the right decision for everyone. 

“We’re extremely pleased to have saved this grant for the voluntary sector services that, in our case, helps prevent people from being exploited, scammed, abused, experiencing avoidable ill health and much more”, Ms Wightman added. 

She admitted that they look forward to supporting people like they always have, now and in the future. They’ll help them out of crisis, become less isolated, and ultimately have a better life. 

While some financial pressures remain, preserving funding for the Help and Connect service offers hope for thousands who depend on Grapevine’s essential work. As the organization continues its mission, it now shifts toward ensuring long-term support and sustainability for those most in need.

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