Hub partners give lifeline to Valley’s needy
ROSSENDALE’S community hub is being accessed by scores of residents across the borough who need support during the Covid19 pandemic.
Rossendale Connected is a multi-agency partnership linking different organisations to support vulnerable residents who are self-isolating or shielding during the pandemic and need assistance
One of the users of the hub in Chris Worswick, 74, from Bacup, who has Parkinson’s which puts her in the vulnerable group so her husband is not allowed to leave the house.
She said: “My family all live away and so it has been a lifeline for us because I enjoy cooking. Having a personal shopper means that I can get the ingredients I need to keep making healthy food because I like to cook using fresh produce.”
At the hub’s centre, four people man the phones taking more than 40 calls a day and signposting them to the appropriate help.
One of those manning the phones is Debbie Dewhurst, a social prescriber and link worker who normally works from a GP practice helping people needing non-medical support.
She said: “My role here has completely changed, normally I am looking at how to get people out into the community to get support from a group and at the moment I am persuading them to stay in.
“We are working with vulnerable people, arranging them to get their shopping done and their prescriptions collected and also helping with their anxiety and mental health.”
Council leader Coun Alyson Barnes said: “The quickest way to receive help remains through family and friends, but there are vulnerable people with long-term health conditions who are not able to do that and we are pleased that Rossendale Connected is providing a lifeline for those residents.”
Anyone wanting help from the hub call 01706 227016.
To register as a volunteer contact Burnley Pendle and Rossendale CVS on 01282 433740 for an information pack. To provide further support for Rossendale communities, the hub has set up a crowdfunding page. The Justgiving page will help co-ordinate fund raising and is looking to hit a target of £20,000.
The funds will be administered by the Council, but all money raised will be distributed to local charities and groups to deliver food and other support to residents.