‘Some Covid-19 support groups are winding down, but we’re ramping things up’

Organisers of a Covid-19 support group for Kingswood and Hanham have responded to over 1,000 requests for assistance from some of the area’s most vulnerable citizens. Their work has been made possible thanks to the efforts of a committed team of more than 300 volunteers. But, though the infection rate has dropped in recent months, their work is not over yet.

While a return to work has meant normal life resuming for some, the group are preparing for busy months ahead as the furlough scheme comes to an end on October 31.

BS15 Covid-19 Support Group coordinator Vicky Robinson, who lives in Hanham, was on a career break when the nationwide lockdown was announced by Boris Johnson. Realising how it would affect the most vulnerable in her area, and with lots of free time on her hands, she tasked herself with finding out if any initiatives had been started locally to offer support.

“I did a bit of investigating online and found out that Andrea Reid (Labour councillor for Kingswood) was setting something up. So, I sent her an email asking ‘do you need any admin help?’.” Within an hour, Vicky was at Angela’s house and the group soon sprang into action.

Vicky wasn’t the only one interested in helping out – some 60 volunteers from across Kingswood and Hanham had also registered their interest in just two days.

“By the time we started in March, many other areas had already started Facebook groups for their communities,” Vicky says. The Covid-19 BS15 Support Group now has nearly 3,000 members. But they soon realised they’d have to diversify the way members of the public could seek assistance. This would help them to offer support to people unable to access online help, including the elderly.

The BS15 Covid-19 support group has answered more than 1,000 requests for help so far. Photo supplied by Vicky Robinson

Within days, the team had set up a support hotline, manned by a rotating team of volunteer call handlers. The hotline allows the community access to assistance including help with shopping and food. The community has lent a hand too: on Tuesdays they run a food and clothing donation collection service, plus a prescription pickup service with the help of Kingswood Community Transport. A Lok’nStore storage centre in nearby Longwell Green offered a free unit to store donated household items, with Tollgate Hire providing free van hire to collect the donations

Many have found themselves in financial difficulty due to Covid-19. In such situations, the group has been able to work with a local foodbank to refer those most in need. “We’ve also been able to raise over £64,000 towards the foodbank’s running costs, thanks to donations from other members of the community,” says Vicky

All of these services can be scheduled and arranged via a single phone line, granting a level of discretion that might not be afforded through a more public, online forum.

When many shops in Kingswood were closed during lockdown, the support hotline was a vital lifeline for vulnerable locals. Photo by Ellie Pope

To initially spread the word, volunteers distributed over 19,000 flyers across the BS15 area, with a second batch currently being distributed. These share news of the help on offer, and list other community organisations: from mental health services for adults and children, to support for anyone suffering domestic abuse or sexual violence.

Before long, calls began to come in. “We’ve had over 2,000 calls – I’d say half of these are people offering to help,” Vicky says.

The team has worked around the clock to respond to calls for help. “We’ve completed every single job,” Vicky says proudly – an achievement she puts down to the tireless work of the volunteer team. It really has been a community effort. The seamless collaboration with pre-existing community organisations, including Southern Brooks Community Partnership, as well as local businesses, has been the group’s secret to success.

Their work has served as a bridge between the community, contributing to a growing sense of unity across Kingswood – for those using the phoneline, and its volunteers. “We had one man, who’d initially used our services, become a volunteer himself,” says Vicky. “He was helping to walk the dogs of those who’d been forced to self-isolate.”

With the furlough scheme ending in October, and the announcement that Britain has officially fallen into recession, Vicky says she fears there’ll be a sharp rise in numbers of those needing assistance of various kinds in the near future.

Employers have been required to pay at least 10 per cent of employee wages from August, rising to 20 per cent in October as the furlough scheme ends. If employers can’t pay, redundancies and unemployment rates could spike.

Months after the worst of Covid-19 itself, it is possible that the number of people in need of Kingswood and Hanham’s Covid-19 support group will rise drastically.

However, to Vicky, this means yet another chance to stand in solidarity with the wider community: “Some groups like ours across the country are starting to wind down now, but we’re preparing to ramp things up.”

For support or to get involved in volunteering with Kingswood Covid-19 Support group, visit www.bs15-support.org, or call the helpline on 01454 300186 Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, and Sat 9am-2pm.

Runako Celina is reporting on Kingswood and Southmead as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media

Main image supplied by Vicky Robinson

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