Shropshire Council and its partners have in place teams to support the vital role that that you and others are offering within local communities. This is just a snapshot, so please get in touch if you would like to discuss any of the information. I will be pleased to talk about how we can best support the people of Shropshire together.
Covid-19 Helpline
For non-medical support and enquires, the Council offers a direct Covid-19 Helpline 0345 6789028 or email customerfirst@shropshire.gov.uk . Other key contact numbers can also be found here:
Financial support for community groups
The Council is offering a package offinancial support to community groups and voluntary organisations who are providing Covid-19 support to those living in Shropshire. The small grants programme, providing £75 000 for local community groups, including community centres and village halls, is open for its second round of applications until Friday 22nd May 2020. Check the details here: https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/coronavirus/resources-and-grant-funding-opportunities-for-local-communities/covid-19-small-grants-programme/ .
Keep Shropshire Warm Service
As many people are spending more time at home during the Coronavirus pandemic – and so using more energy, the Keep Shropshire Warm service continues to support residents with free and impartial support. If anyone is struggling or worried about higher bills, or perhaps is facing issues with the topping up of pre-payment meters – the team can help by checking bills & tariffs, speaking to suppliers and helping to access grants and discounts. Call Keep Shropshire Warm on 0800 112 3743 or email advice@mea.org.uk See the link below for the flyer and for full contact details:
The scheme is backed by Shropshire Council and is managed by Shrewsbury based energy charity, Marches Energy Agency
Mental Health
As the Covid-19 crisis continues and levels of anxiety are stretched, Shropshire MIND continue to provide invaluable mental health support. The charity is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. They currently have 7 call lines in operation, making or dealing with nearly 700 calls per week. Calmer Cafe No 1 (upstairs at Shropshire Mind) continues to remain open on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 6pm till 10pm. Two people are admitted at a time and must pre-book as there is an allocated time and all distancing and cleaning practices are followed meticulously. 8 to 10 people have been coming into the cafe every night.
Unfortunately, MIND’s drop-in service had to close recently but this will resume as soon as directions permit this in a safe manner. In a search for a creative alternative, Zoom sessions have been offered entitled Stress, Anxiety and Wellbeing, and these have been attended by just over 250 people to date. MIND FREE ZOOM SESSION – Topic: Stress, Anxiety and Wellbeing (Tues & Weds 3pm till 4pm, Thurs 4pm till 5pm – each week until the end of May).
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85043721339pwd=MkludGZiN1cwRG9IUW1qOHdXT3ptZz09
Meeting ID: 850 4372 1339 Password: 799957
If you would like to find out more about the support available from Shropshire MIND call
01743 368647 https://www.shropshiremind.org/
Good things to do at home – Virtual Youth Clubs
Shropshire Youth Association (SYA) are taking part in what’s called the ‘2.6 Challenge’ to support local charities.
https://twopointsixchallenge.justgiving.com/get-involved?charityId=2958537
With their voluntary youth club partners, they are running 26 virtual youth clubs in the week commencing 11th May 2020. They run weekly virtual youth clubs in Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Minsterley, Westbury, Market Drayton – Phoenix centre, Whitchurch, Oswestry, XYZ for LGBT+ young people. They also support voluntary clubs in: Wem, Sutton Hill, Hinstock, Brookside & Stirchley, Broseley, Nesscliffe, Market Drayton – Zone, Hanwood, Beechtree centre – Whitchurch, The Bridge Bridgnorth, Telford Young Carers. All groups are accessed through the individual links placed on club Facebook pages and WhatsApp groups. For safeguarding reasons, there is a “hosted lock room entrance”, this stops people from bombing and hacking the meetings. Any parents or young people new to the clubs can contact Richard Parkes, (richard@sya.org.uk) and he will introduce them to Zoom and make sure that the youth workers know they are going to join the meeting. They are also putting quizzes and links to useful activities on their Facebook pages, while offering 121 phone, txt and virtual support to young people who are struggling.
Good things to do at home – Taking Part and the Qube
Working with Taking Part and the Qube, we are looking to highlight and develop resources called ‘good things to do at home’. This idea started with the need to rethink ways of working with adults with learning disabilities who were attending Council day services. As centres closed due to the Coronavirus, we wanted to develop new ways of working that meant people could do interesting things in their own homes. We started by delivering ‘happy boxes’ to people’s homes. The boxes included fun activities, learning activities and creative tasks. All ‘good things to do at home’. All were received positively and now we are looking to extend the ideas and use the talents of the people of Shropshire to create our very own resources that can support everyone’s wellbeing. As the locally created and sourced resources and ideas develop, the Qube and Taking Part will post information on their websites.
https://www.takingpart.co.uk/lockdown-life https://qube-oca.org.uk/getcreative/
As well as creating our own resources there are many websites that people can access free of charge on-line. The trouble is that this sometimes feels a little overwhelming. So, we’ve also started to look for useful things to do and share that we know are good. Help us find and share resources that are great for others to use. Shropshire Telford & Wrekin Age UK have done just that by pulling together a number of resources that can help people stay fit in later life https://www.ageuk.org.uk/shropshireandtelford/about-us/news/articles/2020/keeping-fit-at-home/
Community Catalyst, an organisation that is helping set up care micro-enterprises in Shropshire, have started their own site called The Buzz, where people running micro-care enterprises have started to share their own newly created videos. http://www.smallgoodstuff.co.uk/the-buzz/ In the meantime, if you’ve got a great resource that you think other people in Shropshire must know about, then drop a note to stewart.smith@shropshire.gov.uk and he’ll pass it on.
Take care and best wishes.
Lisa
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Lisa Jones
South-East Community Reassurance Team Leader
Tel: 01743 255734
Whittington Parish Council 