Early identification of need was the trigger for a swift community volunteer response to COVID-19 in the Chedgrave and Loddon area. Now they're looking to the future too.
We often feature articles about the inspiring initiatives happening in response to Covid-19. Except they don’t just happen – they’re the result of innovative, often spontaneous efforts by local individuals who see a need in their community. Mattishall Volunteer Hub (MVH) began life in the very first week of the lockdown in response to the Coronavirus pandemic and is still going strong.
North Walsham Good Neighbour Scheme was already a well-established and successful group at the start of Covid-19. From the 15th March to the end of April they would fulfil 595 support requests in addition to providing regular befriending and wellbeing calls to 70 individuals each week. North Walsham already provided these regular checks to some of the more vulnerable members of their community.
CAN has a special service level agreement with the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk (BCKLWN). We deliver a range of services across the Council’s area which, at 556 square miles, is the largest geographic local authority district in Norfolk. And we very much value this relationship.
We’ve seen so much commitment from Norfolk’s VCSE sector in to adapting to new ways of working during COVID-19. Dealing with the impact of social isolation was a primary developmental driver for Aylsham & District Care Trust (ACT) and remains at the heart of their work today, reinforced by additional need triggered by the pandemic.
A report from the New Local Government Network (NLGN) states that a huge proportion of vulnerable people needing help during the pandemic has been directly supported by the proliferation of thousands of the spontaneous, voluntary Mutual Aid groups that have emerged.
We regularly receive enquiries from people who are uncertain about their roles and responsibilities as trustees. This is the fourth and final article in our series explaining the lines of demarcation between the roles of the different types of trustee, explaining what they are and are not empowered to do.
We are regularly reporting on the wonderful achievements of Good Neighbour Schemes and community support groups – many of which have been born in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. CAN’s Development Officers have been advising and supporting many of these enterprises. Such a group is Sprowston Supporting Our Community Together, which has joined our Good Neighbour Scheme network. Their chosen title describes exactly what they do.