Supporting our colleagues and charities during COVID-19 – Wellesbourne & Walton Community Cares

We’re supporting colleagues who are involved in community-based organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our ESO Events & Engagement Advisor Ruth Roberts made an application for Wellesbourne & Walton Community Cares. 

“I joined Wellesbourne and Walton Community Cares when they first launched back in March. Their helpline was a great way for me to be able to support the community I live in from home whilst isolating due to being pregnant and high risk.” Ruth Roberts 

Wellesbourne & Walton CC are a small group of volunteers who coordinate an organised and safe approach to supporting the community of Wellesbourne and Walton along with the surrounding villages in the West Midlands. Their main community services are support with shopping, delivering prescriptions, a telephone friendship service along with providing advice and information. 

They now have over 170 volunteers who have registered their support, all of which are coordinated in providing roles of support. 

Ruth applied for funding due to additional strain on their resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wellesbourne and Walton CC have created a brand-new initiative, to support extra communication, the safety of volunteers (providing personal protection, hand sanitising gel etc) and supporting those in our community who are vulnerable and are struggling to pay for shopping. 

They have also created monthly newsletters for the community to provide vital information outlining the support available. Many of their service users are members of the community do not use online or digital communication so these newsletters ensure everyone is included. 

Ruth added: 

“The helpline supports those who are self-isolating and vulnerable due to COVID-19 with tasks such as shopping and prescription collections along with a support line to have a friend to speak to what has been a lonely time for some.

As time progressed on we realised a need for funding was key to be able for us to take the community cares activities further.  To date the funding provided from the ESO Community fund has gone towards providing planting boxes to those self-isolating as a project to focus while unable to leave their homes, essential support boxes with everyday essential items delivered to those identified as high risk in the community and also additional support for young carers in the community. 

We hope to continue further with our essential work within our community and take this beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.”