Home Start Lorn receives help from Rotary

The Rotary Club of Oban has presented a cheque for £500 to Home-Start Lorn, writes Ellis Butcher.

Scheme manager Aileen Binner, of the Lochside Street project, gave her thanks to Rotary president Douglas Small for the vital donation.

Mr Small said the volunteer group carried out ‘wonderful work’ in Oban and as far afield as Dalmally, Appin, Kilninver and Mull.

He said: ‘Home-Start provide much appreciated help to young families in our community. The volunteers work with families who have children under the age of five. They provide support, and where considered necessary, respite care.

‘In these difficult times of lockdown, Home-Start volunteers are on hand to give advice and assistance by phone or video calls. They help with shopping, collecting prescriptions and providing craft and activity packs to families who are confined to their homes.’

Mrs Binner said the support it provided had adapted during the coronavirus.

She said: ‘Our volunteers are not able to visit families in their home, so have been making regular phone calls or using various types of technology to make video calls to families and in particular to maintain the contact with the young children.

‘It has been a steep learning curve for all of us, but our volunteers have been amazing. Some of our volunteers have also been shopping and collecting prescriptions for our families.’

Home-Start Lorn is considering extending digital support to Tiree, Coll and Colonsay.