The people of Telford & Wrekin are doing a lot to help each other out during these tough times. Here at Healthy Telford we wanted to share some of these inspiring good news stories:
Keep on keeping on
The ongoing Covid-19 crisis has increased feelings of anxiety for many of us and this can be particularly tough for those people already suffering with mental health conditions. However, our Mental Health Team are carrying on their vital work, both by making daily phone calls, and visiting people’s home across the borough, with added PPE.
One of the team recently sat in the garden with a resident who has severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and usually spends all their time indoors. During the visit the resident agreed to do some gardening and spent time planning how they could encourage wildlife into their garden.
Some of the Council’s services have had to close during the pandemic, including the Calm Café which previously ran three times a week. Calm Cafés are havens for those who need them, providing safe spaces to go for a chat and a cup of tea.
However, although the Calm Cafés are closed at the moment, Leonora, who runs them along with Telford Mind, has continued to keep in touch with previous attendees.
Telford & Wrekin Libraries
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic Telford & Wrekin Libraries have moved their popular Bounce and Rhyme sessions online, delivering them through Facebook Live. This has served as a chance for parents to feel connected with others and to provide different entertainment and learning opportunities for young children.
Library staff have also been trialling an online reading group via Facebook. Sharing links to free online short stories each week staff are then leading discussions about the stories to keep their readers connected while unable to visit their local library and borrow physical books.
The online library service has also seen increased usage, with many more residents borrowing eBooks and audiobooks via the Libby app to get their reading fix.
Volunteer phone calls
At the beginning of the lockdown the Council identified a number of people in the borough who might benefit from Keeping in Touch (KIT) calls. These are calls made by volunteers to vulnerable residents to check in with them and see how they are.
Paulette is a KIT volunteer, and she calls three vulnerable people twice a week to have a chat. Her thoughts on the scheme give a flavour of how important these calls are for some:
“We chat about everything, it’s so nice to chat about normal things and I love it. It’s nice for me as well, as I am also in lockdown. I know that once we can return to a semblance of normal life, I will still keep in touch and hopefully I shall meet up with one of my ladies for a coffee and to continue our chats. I think that what the Council has done is a fantastic scheme … just to talk and hear other people’s worries and their life stories is so rewarding.”
Volunteer dog walkers
Another volunteer scheme running throughout the pandemic is our band of dog walkers. One of these is Russ from Donnington, who takes Sebby out for his daily work because his owner who lives nearby is shielding and has to stay at home. As Russ says:
“it’s a pleasure to give him [Sebby] some outside time, and hopefully relaxes his owner knowing he is getting his walks. I also get some fresh air. Win win.”
Brightening up the day
At a time when everything has been feeling quite grey Telford and Wrekin residents have also joined in with the national movement to create beautiful rainbow pictures. These have been put up in windows and porches around the borough to brighten up the area for those passing by. Here are just a few photos that people have shared with us on social media:
Love for our key workers
While many of us are staying at home some members of the community continue to go out to work to keep essential services ticking over. This includes our refuse collectors who continue provide a vital service. Residents all over the borough have been showing their love for these keyworkers in a variety of ways. Emily left a lovely picture for the crew (with very neat colouring-in), others have been waving, leaving notes, or shouting out a thank you as the refuse truck drives past.
Clap for carers
Every Thursday at 8pm residents have been taking part in #clapforcarers to show their support for those people working on the frontline trying to manage the spread of Covid-19.
One local paramedic, Jordan, told us on Facebook:
“To every single one of you who took the time to clap for us tonight, please understand that it has given us the biggest confidence boost. You have no idea how much it means to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
You’ll never walk alone
And to elevate #clapforcarers the residents of Telford joined the nation in expressing their appreciation for the efforts of keyworkers and acknowledging the tribulations faced by the population because of Lockdown by singing together the words of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
CoronaBot
During the Covid-19 pandemic children have been learning from home, which has meant more freedom in the activities that they choose to do. Finlay, aged 7, decided to make a robot out of a cardboard box as part of his art activities.
When asked what the robot was called, Finlay told us:
“This is the Coronabot. I created him to help keep people safe and his special power is making people stay two metres apart.”
“I feel sad about Covid-19 because people are poorly and having to stay at home and children can’t see their grandparents or their parents if they are poorly.”
Finlay is having fun spending time with his family and playing games, playing in the garden, walking the dogs, reading books, colouring and writing stories. He knows that these things are safe activities and will stop the spread of Covid-19 to other people.