Count us in: Flintshire locals see confidence multiplied through maths programme

“Fun, friendly – maths without fear!”

This is just one piece of feedback received from participants of Flintshire County Council’s Strength in Numbers project, a scheme that has successfully engaged with local community members to improve their numeracy and maths skills.

From parents wanting to support their children’s learning to those who wish to gain confidence in the workplace or secure a qualification, Strength in Numbers is working alongside several partners as well as primary schools to deliver practical support across the region.

They include Xplore! Nature, Groundwork North Wales, Warm Wales, and STAND NW. 

Comprising of 22 programmes, the project encourages residents to participate in a wide range of activities that embed numeracy including cooking, gardening and woodwork across community-based settings and outdoor spaces across Flintshire.

One project delivering positive outcomes is the ongoing Strength in Numbers parent programme, which has seen more than 170 people across 10 schools take part.

The responses have been overwhelming with parents saying: 

• “It was amazing and really worth engaging with. It’s great exploring maths with your child. It was friendly and encouraging.”
• “Being able to learn alongside my children was a wonderful experience.”
• “I mostly enjoyed spending the time with my child, doing something we normally wouldn’t do together.”
• “I loved everything and wish it could have been longer. It helped refresh my knowledge and confidence for myself and helping my children.”

The project, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), also enables members to gain a level two functional maths qualification, further upskilling Flintshire’s residents.

Another successful programme was Grub Hub which aimed to enhance participants’ numeracy skills through cooking. 

Those who attended sessions developed their maths abilities by weighing ingredients when preparing food, practising budgeting, and amending recipes. 

Delivered in partnership with social enterprise Outside Lives, notable results included improvements in attendees’ health through a better understanding of calories and easy nutritious recipes and ingredients.  

Strength in Numbers project coordinator Claire Worrall, said: “It’s been great to see the difference Grub Hub has made to people’s lives and really highlights how important numeracy is in everyday tasks.

“I visited the Grub Hub group and was met by some incredible smells coming from the cooking. It was wonderful to observe the group as they cooked and see that they had also spent time learning how to budget by calculating the cost per portion. 

“Funding from the UKSPF has of course made a huge difference in enabling us to deliver such a successful scheme and we look forward to seeing how the project continues to empower people.”

On the positive feedback, Claire added: “We aim to encourage adults to approach everyday numeracy with confidence, so to receive such fantastic reviews of the scheme is wonderful.”

Councillor David Healey, cabinet member for climate change and economy said: “We recognise that every person learns differently, so the programme as a whole has been brilliant at offering the opportunity for people to learn in low-pressure environments.

“With creativity and practicality at its heart, the scheme has visibly supported participants to build up their confidence in either 1-2-1 or group sessions helping members of the community learn in a way that works best for them.

“Overall, we sincerely hope the programme leaves a lasting legacy in Flintshire.”