My name is Samantha and a couple of years ago I had an idea about making a change in my community. However, I was studying for my degree, working, raising my family and then the pandemic hit us hard and we had to go into lockdown. I had to put a halt to my plans temporarily.
Now more than ever after the pandemic people are suffering from loneliness, isolation, anxiety, depression and many more illnesses. All of the suffering people have endured has inspired me to continue with my original plans and make changes to my community.
I recently put my ideas out to my local community and the response I received was phenomenal. Many of the residents are in agreement that this is a service that is needed in our town.
What will the service provide?
My aims are to help people get to appointments which is a regular occurrence that residents are unable to do due to either a lack of funds, distance or feeling anxious about attending. No one's health should be compromised due to the issues mentioned previously.
The service will also help towards other ongoing issues such as residents being unable to go grocery shopping or picking up their prescriptions due to an ongoing illness, or other issues preventing them from leaving their home.
There are other issues in which we will help to tackle such as loneliness and isolation. We will provide a companion service in various ways such as face to face in their own homes, telephone calls, zoom calls or by accompanying them outdoors for activities such as walks, running, picnics and much more. Many residents are excluded from enjoying the countryside that surrounds us due to transport. Depending on their needs they would be accompanied by someone who does have transport. Research shows talking about worries and struggles with someone can improve our mental health.
Research also shows when someone is suffering from mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression then things can get on top of the individual extremely fast. It could be they have a lack of motivation to do anything which is a common characteristic of depression which can result in their housework getting on top of them and so we will provide a cleaning service to help them get back on top of this. These are just some examples of the services my community will help with. We can achieve a lot without premises, but with premises, we can achieve even more.
One of the main reasons I am starting this Crowdfunding is to help secure premises. The possibilities of the help we can give by having a base are endless.
We can provide computer use to job applicants searching for employment and help them with their CV'S, form filling, college or university applications. We can provide short courses on budgeting and how to eat healthily on a budget, routines and many more. The community hope hub will be a base for members of the community to come together and explore other ideas together and form relationships with each other and just get people talking to one another again.
But, unfortunately, this can't be made possible without funding. The areas I would need funding for is Enhanced DBS checks for volunteers, various types of insurances, training courses, website, management software where data can be stored safely and securely, flyers, premises, computers and volunteer expenses such as fuel.
I have the support of my local MP and I am waiting to hear from my local council to see what help they can provide us with. I will post regular updates on my progress.
If you have got to the end of this I thank you so much for taking the time to read it all. I am really passionate about helping people live a better quality of life. Life is very short and we need to make the most of it. I always put my everything into anything that I do and this project is no different. However, I can't do this alone and I need the help of caring individuals who has the same vision as me when it comes to wanting to help others in their community. Thank you.
Kind Regards,
Sammy Jane