As the country was hit by this awful pandemic, it became clear that communities would have to pull together.
In response to the needs of the local community, Blackpool Council established 12 Community Hubs that would provide food parcels and well- being checks in a variety of areas. One of these hubs is currently running in the Bloomfield area by volunteers associated with Blackpool FC Community Trust.
Volunteers have provided several hours of their time to the Community Hub, visiting up to 80 homes a week; delivering food parcels, checking on resident’s welfare and providing comfort in these troubling times.
Volunteers discovered that in certain homes, they were the only other people that the residents were communicating with. Seeing their friendly faces and having a chat provided some stability for them.
Jack is one of our elderly residents, who is currently socially isolated. When asked about the volunteer’s visits, he said ‘I love you visiting me, I look forward to seeing you at my door. You have kept me going recently.’
Other residents have been extremely grateful for the support of providing a food parcel in a time when financial hardship is at an all-time high.
The Community Hubs would not be possible without the volunteers providing their time. Many of the volunteers have found working at the Hub extremely rewarding.
Michael Brown is a Blackpool resident himself and had this to say about his time spent volunteering, ‘As a local resident of Blackpool, I take pride in my community. The Corna Kindness scheme has given me the opportunity to give something back to the community where I have been brought up. It’s great that Blackpool Council are providing this service for our community in this difficult time for everyone.’
Many of the volunteers have now been visiting the same residents on a regular basis and as a result have been able to direct them to certain provisions, provided by Blackpool FC Community Trust, to ensure that the support within the local community continues. Residents who were previously socially isolated or nervous about leaving the house, now have a familiar face to engage with within the community and feel more confident about joining social and active groups when restrictions are lifted.
The Bloomfield Hub has also been supported by other volunteers at local primary schools who have close links with Blackpool FC Community Trust. Children from Hawes Side Academy and Christ the King designed posters with good wishes, pictures and jokes on them to be included in the food parcels. Residents, again, were extremely grateful and appreciated the effort the children had gone to.
Blackpool FC Community Trust would like to take the opportunity to thank all the volunteers who have spared their time over the last 11 weeks and to those who continue to support the local community.
