Group at the heart of community-wide response supporting Essex’s care home residents receives National Lottery funding

An Essex community group that brings together local volunteers, charities and organisations to tackle loneliness and meet challenges in the county’s care homes has received a much-needed National Lottery grant to support its efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

My Home Life Essex Community Association – with the help of the volunteer Friends and Neighbours (FaNs) network - usually supports care home residents, staff and families, by running a wide range of intergenerational social activities, seasonal events, wish-granting schemes and outings.

The Friends and Neighbours network is made up of over 2,000 individuals and organisations in the local community working together to keep care home residents connected and supported.

Since the lockdown, the charity’s volunteers have worked tirelessly to adapt the programme of support to help reduce loneliness, deliver essential supplies and care packages, and keep spirits raised in the county’s care homes.

The £10,000 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, means that the group has been able to continue expanding and adapting its provision, focusing its support on care homes and residents in Colchester, Clacton and other parts of North and Mid-Essex.

One example of this is the group’s popular Wishing Washing Line initiative, which collates the wishes and needs of care home residents and shares them with the local community so they can be granted by kind-hearted people and organisations. Over the past few weeks wishes granted have included a CD player and CDs, board games and care packages, including hand creams, shower gels, coffee and sweet treats.

Residents of Colchester Care Homes are even now able to enjoy a sociable pint together again thanks to Colchester Brewery, which sent out small kegs of specialist beers to local homes after much demand!

My Home Life Essex Community Association is also working alongside local, award-winning charity Lads Need Dads to run an intergenerational pen-pal initiative. This scheme, which began in May, matches up young people with male care home residents to form bonds and friendships through writing letters to each other. Volunteers are also organising tablets to be used in care homes for video chats so residents can stay in touch with loved ones, and are running pop-up essentials shops in some of the county’s care homes to help meet the needs of residents and staff.

The group has also co-ordinated a truly inspiring community response to the coronavirus pandemic by sourcing a massive amount of Personal Protective Equipment, donated by the Friends and Neighbours network, and distributing it to over 80 care homes across Mid and North Essex.

Ryan Moring, Manager at The Haven Residential Care home in Colchester, said: “Being a care home during the coronavirus crisis has been incredibly difficult, and being connected to our community is something that is vital to the mental health of both our residents, senior management and staff.

“Without these Friends and Neighbours volunteers our experience at this awful time would have been hugely different. We’re not saying it was easy, but they absolutely made it the best it could be, not just for us, but for many care homes across Essex.”

Pamela Graham, Trustee at My Home Life Essex Community Association, said: “Thanks to this grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the charity will be able to manage the increased demands and the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 impact on the Essex care homes we work with. Along with some amazing care home staff we are working tirelessly to respond and adapt our activities to maintain our community connections with care homes, particularly to prevent isolation and loneliness when the usual visits of family, friends and our Friends and Neighbours volunteers have been so sadly disrupted by this pandemic.

“We are hugely grateful to all those who play The National Lottery to make funding awards like this possible and to our Friends and Neighbours network, Essex community and partners who have stepped up to support us even more than usual at this vital time.”

Helen Bushell, Head of Funding for South East England at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “The strength we’re seeing in communities across the East of England is inspiring. Although we’re beginning to see lockdown restrictions ease, community organisations – big and small – are still grappling with the impact caused by the crisis.

“National Lottery funding is life changing for projects like My Home Life Essex Community Association in keeping their communities connected and reaching those who need the most help. Our priority is to continue getting funding, which is more vital than ever before, out to community groups so they can rebuild and recover from this pandemic.”

Thanks to National Lottery players, almost £6 million of National Lottery funding has gone to more than 400 projects tackling loneliness and social isolation across England since the lockdown began, enabling them to provide people with much-needed support.

Going forward, The National Lottery Community Fund will continue to prioritise getting funding to groups best placed to support their communities at this vital time and also towards those seeking to rebuild as the crisis abates.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk