Let’s not relax our community spirit
Connex Community Support’s operations and development manager, JULIET SHORT, asks us to continue to look out for each other in the wake of further coronavirus lockdown restrictions being eased
FOR many of us, the easing of lockdown is making us anxious despite the fact “Super Saturday” wasn’t so super and people didn’t get over-excited about anything beyond haircuts on July 4.
While the early days of lockdown were frantic and not without their problems – remember the empty supermarket shelves and the fear? – they were days when the collective spirit was palpable through volunteering and communitymindedness.
During the lockdown proper, I loved the fact I got to know neighbours I’ve never seen before and to learn neighbours’ names, not just their dog’s.
Halcyon days indeed! It all feels so different now.
The complexity of easing lockdown means many people are riding a wave of disillusionment and frustration.
The neighbours who were so visible are no longer visible, the 1950s-style family walks each day are now no longer so marked.
The uncertainty of easing with incomplete information, rumour and conjecture means that this is an exhausting time for everyone as we juggle risk assessments against needs.
It is still so difficult for each of us to make long-term plans as there are no fixed timelines to a pandemic.
While we talk and help some of the more vulnerable people in our local communities, I am reminded again and again how fortunate we all are to continue to have dialogues with people who have lived through so much and just how resilient people are. We all have days when it is overwhelming, but a singular act of kindness can carry someone through a week of despair.
Working with Age UK Derby and Derbyshire we delivered 125 “Seeds of Hope” packs to local people at the end of May – small nurturing packs with some mindfulness activities and marigold seeds.
Nature and nurture have been such important themes to people during this time and we will continue to connect with people through mindfulness activities for the rest of the pandemic.
We will also continue to connect generations through writing and drawing – in particular via our new intergenerational pen pal project – linking both some of our more isolated residents with younger children/families in a safe way and benefitting both.
As Mrs Pleasey writes: “This is amazing, thank you so much - I’ve just passed it on to …[my pupils], they will be so happy to receive a reply.
“Some of them are feeling really low being away from school, so this will raise a smile to them as much as the elderly people they wrote to.”
We all need to practise concentrating on things that we are grateful for and the things we can still achieve during this time, rather than feeling eclipsed by the enormity of the world’s problems.
We need to have faith that we will be able to cope and give ourselves time to focus on the small stuff and give ourselves time out from the larger picture.
Although I’m not a fan of the wartime analogies that were propounded during April, there is certainly something still to be said for remembering that we’re part of a community that needs to look out for one another.
As the face coverings debate continues, we need to remain kind towards one another and respect the spectrum of views out there while remembering that Leicester isn’t a million miles away and that the pandemic really isn’t over.
I aim to take some time out of work this week to undertake some baking for a neighbour, write to my auntie and remind myself just how important these small things are.
In the meantime, if you would like some support or to be involved in our Pen Pal project, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01335 348600 or via dales@connex.org.uk.
There is also a wealth of material about mental health and wellbeing on the derbyshire.gov.uk site.