Covid-19: Community Action Organisations Support Project

Project description:

The Covid-19: Community Action Organisations Support Project was approved by all three LAGs in March 2020, just as lockdown was being implemented and the sheer scale of the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning to be felt. It is a £54,000 Cooperation project 100% funded and operating across the rural areas of Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.

What will the project achieve?

Initiatives will include community transport, tackling isolation, meals-on-wheels, shopping services, prescription pick-ups etc.  It is working with not-for-profit legal entities: social enterprises, charities, community enterprises, and public sector organisations and agencies.

Who are the project beneficiaries?

Communities in Denbighshire, Flintshire & Wrexham

What was the result of your project?  

Clwyd Alyn housing’s newly formed ‘Community Wellbeing’ team, to help them adapt their approach to best support North Wales residents who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  This team is comprised of community and money advice/welfare rights officers.  It has been set up to provide a service to vulnerable social-housing residents living in poverty.  The pilot will test an innovative approach to providing non-statutory basic services to vulnerable people in the context of the pandemic and lockdown measures. Specifically, the new wellbeing team is helping vulnerable residents through:

• Tackling social isolation caused by self-isolation   
• Signposting residents to community groups that can help them access food/emergency supplies and/or prescriptions
• Offering tailored money advice to disadvantaged residents who have been adversely affected by Coronavirus
• Building community resilience by connecting residents with local networks and support services
• Improving the health/welfare outcomes for marginalised groups through our own telephone support and facilitating access to other tailored support services most relevant to residents’ unique wants/needs
• Ensuring information is accessible to all by letting people know where they can go for pertinent support, in a wide range of media most suited to their unique needs  

Holywell Town Council is running an initiative to support community groups and enterprises supporting vulnerable people and those in isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and government lockdown. The local groups, social enterprises and charities operating in the area are undertaking a variety of tasks: such as food parcel collection and delivery, post and other parcel pick up and drop off, picking up and dropping of prescriptions, and running various other errands. These groups include: Danny’s, Pen y Maes Graig, Welsh Labour, Credit Union, business groups, schools and food banks, and many more. In addition to supporting the town’s fantastic volunteers, the Town Council – with their Project and Development Officer, Town Clerk, 4 key ward members and County Councillors – has been actively involved in coordination, purchasing of equipment, daily deliveries, collections, dissemination and promotion of daily information bulletins.

The Rainbow Centre, Penley is ideally situated to deal with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, as it is a well-established day care centre already very active and working with local communities in Marchwiel, Bangor on Dee, Overton, Penley and Holt.

During the COVD-19 crisis they had been contacted by dozens of volunteers willing to help them deliver the existing meals on wheels service and support the isolated individuals by collecting their shopping and prescriptions.

Through LEADER funding, the centre is employing a Volunteer Coordinator to support them three days a week and the centre is also providing personal protective equipment for the volunteers.