How the sector is responding to the crisis #NeverMoreNeeded
Charity continues vital support
Even with Covid 19 restrictions around social distancing and isolating, older people’s charity LEAP is still managing to help people with vital befriending, emergency handyperson work and personal shopping services.
The charity has developed its befriending services to be socially distant by phoning people rather than visiting them. This has proved very popular – and possibly vital to people’s wellbeing – as contact plays its part in combatting the social isolation more and more people must be facing just now.
Rather than visiting people once a week, LEAP’s volunteer befrienders are phoning them more often to not only keep in touch, but also to check on their general wellbeing and needs.
And pupils in Newfield Primary in Stonehouse are keeping their intergenerational project going by sending some of LEAP’s clients treat boxes and writing letters to them while they can’t meet. A teacher drops off the letters at LEAP’s Strathaven office and the charity gladly delivers them.
The charity has also managed to adapt its handyperson service to cover emergency work requests.
When NHS Lanarkshire called LEAP about Ian Macdonald, an outpatient from East Kilbride, who was being supplied with a hospital bed at home, it stepped in to help out.
Father and son Stuart and Calum McGregor were soon at Ian’s home to take his old bed to bits and make space for the new hospital bed to be delivered.
Stuart, LEAP’s executive director, and Calum had both been working and living at home so were able to work together - taking the appropriate safety measures - when two people were needed for any emergency work.
The charity has also added personal shopping services to its offer of support despite its small staff team all working from home.
At last count, LEAP was supporting almost 270 older people in South Lanarkshire and had completed more than 500 shopping trips to pharmacies and supermarkets.
And when LEAP wanted to promote its shopping and distant befriending services, Scottish Fire and Rescue’s South Lanarkshire Community Action Team stepped up to help deliver more than 10,000 leaflets to almost 120 shops and pharmacies across the district.
The team had been working with South Lanarkshire’s wellbeing helpline when they heard that LEAP - one of the team’s community-based partners - could use some help.
They contacted LEAP to offer their support and, when we mentioned our shopping and befriending services leaflet drop, they were happy to help. Their team of seven delivered leaflets in Cambuslang, Rutherglen, Blantyre, Bothwell, Uddingston, Hamilton, East Kilbride and Avondale.
Stuart McGregor said: “Our frontline work is delivered by our team of volunteers and people such as Joe Campbell are making such a difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable and isolated people during this pandemic.
“And we are extremely grateful to the Fire and Rescue Service’s community action team joining our ranks. We know there are still older people out there who will be struggling to exist just now and spreading the word that we can help might make a vital change to the quality of their lives.”
A Wee Cup of Tea for MND
A charity has launched a new campaign which aims to get people connecting over a cup of tea.
MND Scotland is urging supporters to put the kettle on, call a friend and donate what they would normally spend at a café to charity.
A Wee Cup of Tea for MND takes place throughout June, with the initiative aimed at helping people feel like they aren’t living in lockdown.
Those taking part can donate £3 to MND Scotland by texting TEA to 70660. For more information, visitthe MND Scotland website.
Sharing daily bread
Hovis has donated just under 30,000 loaves of bread in April alone to FareShare, the UK's largest and longest-running food redistribution charity, to help keep Britain fed and reduce food waste during the Covid-19 crisis.
The company, which has been supporting FareShare since 2017, has increased the number of loaves it donates in order to meet a surge in demand from FareShare for more bread.
The partnership between Hovis and FareShare aims to help address both problems and is particularly valuable at a time when many people are facing income reductions and, as schools are shut, placing additional strain on vulnerable families whose children were receiving school lunches.
Ashley Davies, FareShare commercial manager, said: “A big thank you to Hovis for your donations of bread which will go to our network of charities and community groups all across the UK.”
