Box Office

What Box Office did

The Box Office project provided social and cultural opportunities for both carers and those that they cared for. This meant that there was mutual benefit as it was aimed to make a positive difference to their quality of life and well-being. 16 outings were delivered, at least one event was provided monthly with transport being provided for some where possible.

The organisation recruited 4 new volunteers (including a driver/escort) to assist with the project. All of the volunteers have lived experience of caring, as being able to offer peer support is a key aspect of the project. The project delivered, X 4 theatre visits, x 2 music events, x2 cinema visits, x 8 arts and cultural events were attended.

The project was promoted via a variety of ways e.g. website, newsletter, social media. Carer Support staff also directly contacted carers who they felt were facing particularly barriers e.g. were isolated, were experiencing financial hardship or experiencing their own mental health issues. To ensure that carers were engaged in the design of the project, they were invited to be part of the Box Office mailing list. They gave their preferences of what events and activities they would like to attend. Once arranged carers were informed of the forthcoming event. Feedback was gathered at each event to ensure that any changes and improvements could be implemented on an ongoing basis.

The project mostly went to plan and was very successful. The peer support aspect went particularly well, as much as accessing carers and cared for to social opportunities, the project was also a key way of providing peer support and several friendships have been established as a result of the carers coming together.

However we did experience some challenges with transport which we eventually overcame by recruiting a volunteer driver/escort. We were also able to recruit new volunteers from a range of backgrounds which enhanced our team of existing volunteers.

What Carers of West Dunbartonshire has learned

There were several unexpected challenges in so much as that it is a good idea in theory but can be hard to deliver in practice. As much as we were committed to meeting carers/cared for preferences, we found it difficult to ensure everyone's choices were met. We were also beholding to venues, ticket availability and transport, which presented us with particular difficulty. Towards the end of the project we were able to recruit a volunteer driver/escort which will reduce some of these challenges.

Overseeing the project has required a greater level of focused co-ordination than initially anticipated. Therefore, the Box Office Project now sits within the role of our Short breaks Co-ordinator and we will take this approach into the next round. Less cared for have attended than we had anticipated. Feedback from carers suggests that over 80% of those registered with the Box Office project prefer to attend without the cared for and use the outing or activity as a short break outside of their caring role.

That said some carers did not want to attend without the cared for person so we have reflected this learning in next year's project. All Events will be open to both carer & cared for and they can chose if they wish to bring the cared for or not. Non-attendance and late cancellations were a challenge, again we have used this learning to implement new processes in the next project e.g. more expensive events will incur a greater charge and payment must be received before a place is confirmed.

More carers than we anticipated wanted to attend more than one event which was a positive. We were able to accommodate it due to having a reserve list, which helped to fill cancelled places. As we suspected the social aspects of the project have been really beneficial and we were able to reach carers who would otherwise have remained isolated and disconnected from the community. We remain committed to the aim of delivering peer support through social opportunities and providing it to carers who are deprived of social contact.

How Carers of West Dunbartonshire has benefitted from the funding

The learning that it has provided will allow us to improve the project in the next year, so that we can continuously improve the support that we are offering carers and cared for. We have identified new carers through publicising the Box Office as a new project and those carers now have access to a range of support. This is one of the first projects where we have directly delivered support to the cared for. It has expanded our service and provided the staff team and volunteers with an opportunity to broaden their skills. Any new project provides the organisation with an opportunity to enhance its reputation but the Box Office has proved popular with both carers and partners. We have received contact from partner agencies who are looking for social opportunities for those that they support. Our team of volunteers was impacted by the pandemic and many volunteers did not return to their role. The Project provided us with an opportunity to attract new volunteers who are also getting the benefit of socialising and connecting withy other people. The outings and events are seen as a short break and are now the responsibility of the short break co-ordinator. It has offered them the chance to develop the role and their own skills.