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City pulls together to support those who need help
Welcome to the first Peterborough Hub newsletter – I am bowled over by the energy and enthusiasm everyone has put in to get the Peterborough hub up and running.
Everyone has been amazing. Our SaferPeterborough Partnership has extended its remit to lead on the governance of the hub, our chair Claire Higgins, Chief Executive of Cross Keys Homes, is leading the way on residential social landlords providing additional support to vulnerable people in their homes and our voluntary, community and faith sectors are out there looking for people who need support and making sure they get it – whatever it might be. Our parishes are supporting the concept of being neighbourly and some have great leaflets describing what their volunteer parishioners can do in their local area.
Thank you to everyone involved in making sure our people in Peterborough get the help and support they need.
You can watch my vlog here.
Wendi Ogle-Welbourn.
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Residents get in touch asking for help
Almost 250 people across Peterborough who need help and support during the Coronavirus public health emergency have been in contact with the Peterborough Local Community Resilience Group (CRG). You can read more about the Hub here.
Do you have a need for volunteers?
As you are no doubt aware, we have been asking people to come forward if they can volunteer their time to support others in our communities who are in need at this difficult time – building on the great community response already happening.
We have been contacted by a significant number of people wanting to volunteer to provide support during the Coronavirus pandemic in Peterborough and so if you need the support of volunteers either now or in the coming weeks, we may be able to help you.
We are really keen to bolster the capacity of existing groups and to link these individuals up with local organisations who are seeking volunteers. This will ensure that key services that people rely on have the capacity that they need to be able to continue.
Please note that we are only able to refer potential volunteers to those organisations able to support volunteers with obtaining DBS checks (where appropriate) and where safeguarding and volunteer management processes are in place.
It may be that you don’t currently have a need for volunteers, but perhaps you might when we reach the peak of the pandemic, or when the lockdown comes to an end and life is returning to normal.
We have information about everyone who has offered their time, including their strengths and skills, so could link them with your service area based on your requirements.
If the support of volunteers is needed to help you to continue running your organisations and services at this very busy time, please get in touch by emailing Covid19Volunteers@peterborough.gov.uk with details of requirements eg the number of volunteers required and roles required.
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Community First helping residents source food
Community First has been encouraging and supporting vulnerable residents to stay at home. People staying at home have had problems sourcing fresh food and often have had to wait some time for a delivery slot for essential items. Community First has established a safe local supply chain, working with local businesses and wholesalers. They use delivery drivers who have been DBS checked to ensure food and other essential items can get to people at home when they need it, making sure they stay home and stay safe.
Due to growing demand, this week Community First established a dedicated food packing preparation centre, with the support of St Mark's church. Having a dedicated centre means local charities and businesses can donate food, food can be stored safely and packs can be made by volunteers to meet the growing need within the community.
Community First staff and volunteers take time to speak to people on the phone and tailor every pack to the person it will be delivered to. Many of the people are very vulnerable, have been told to stay at home and yet do not meet the thresholds set by the local government for assistance. They may be waiting for a food delivery and have little or no food in the house; they may need prescriptions collecting; they may need a hot meal or ready meals to help them get by (especially if they are elderly and struggle to cook for themselves). As food packs are prepared and delivered by staff and volunteers who have spoken to the person receiving the food, only food people will use is packed which reduces waste and costs. This week, since moving to the hall, 67 food packs have been delivered.
Peterborough Hub features in the local media
The work of the Peterborough hub has featured in the media a lot in the past week, as the number of people being supported increases.
You can listen back to two interviews on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire here.
Listen here to Wendi Ogle-Welbourn speaking about the hub on the mid-morning show today. The broadcast starts at 11.27 and lasts for around eight minutes.
Listen here to Andy McGowan, Head of Carers Services, on behalf of Caring Together, speaking on Monday's breakfast show about the difficulties of supporting family, friends and other loved ones at this difficult time.
Update from Cross Keys Homes
If you are a tenant of Cross Keys Homes (CKH) and need help or support during the Coronavirus pandemic, please make sure you get in contact with them.
CKH has set up a ‘Be Kind’ fund specifically to support any tenant who is suffering from the impact of COVID-19. If you are a CKH tenant, or if you know someone who lives in a CKH home who needs support, please complete their online form: www.crosskeyshomes.co.uk/be-kind or call 01733 385000 to see how they can help.
CKH has been supporting vulnerable tenants with sourcing and delivering food shopping or getting medical supplies, as well as assisting with wellbeing calls and offering advice on loss of income. Whatever the concern, CKH wants its residents to know that is there to help in any way it can during this difficult time.
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Fire Safety
As we are all spending much more time at home at the moment, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue has produced some top tips for staying safe in the home.
You can find out more on its website.
You can also download a useful leaflet about fire safety in the home.
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Castor and Ailsworth COVID-19 Support Group produces newsletters
The Castor and Ailsworth COVID-19 Support Group has now produced two newsletters for local residents about their activities. You can read them here.
Martin from the group said:
“The newsletters are delivered to all 750 homes in Castor and Ailsworth by volunteers who wear gloves and observe strict social distancing.
The group has five co-ordinators who have recruited and briefed 80 volunteers. There are six sub teams, each with its own 'WhatsApp' group. A volunteer agrees to do a task and reports back via 'WhatsApp' when it is completed. The scheme is working really well”.
 Islamic centre doing its bit for the community
Members of the Husaini Islamic Centre (HIC) have joined the effort to support members of the community who need help and support - including producing online sermons.
The HIC is providing crucial services with the help of a strong team of volunteers who are in regular contact with those deemed vulnerable, whether that is due to age or illness, to ensure that their needs are met.
This team of dedicated multi-lingual volunteers undertakes many activities to reach all members of the local community, from organising food shopping and prescription deliveries to those who cannot access them otherwise, offering someone to talk to for people experiencing loneliness, and delivering PPE to those who require it.
The Husaini Islamic Centre has also created a fantastic ‘broadcast team’ using state of the art technology to produce sermons, lectures and prayers to be streamed into our homes. They also host weekly quizzes for families to enjoy, keeping everyone at home entertained, as well as providing people with the appropriate technology to access these online benefits.
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Support for the city’s young professionals
Peterborough’s City Leadership Forum launched the Young Professionals Network earlier this month. The purpose of the network is to provide young professionals who are newly arriving or returning to Peterborough, with the opportunity to get involved in both personal development and social activities.
By providing a series of events for its members the network helps businesses to support their young staff and boost recruitment and retention whilst helping young people to meet others in the city, extend their network and develop professionally.
Given the current crisis, the network has set up a Facebook group which is open to all young professionals across the city. The Facebook group is designed to give young people a place to share useful resources on training, talk about their experiences, ask questions, and offer advice. It provides the opportunity for peer-to-peer support, from what it means to be furloughed to coping techniques during this unprecedented time.
The Young Professionals Network is also hoping to host a series of online workshops and sessions for these young professionals including wellbeing and employee rights and advice.
If you know of any young professionals in your business or community who would benefit from or be interested in being part of the group, please ask them to join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1012028799193196.
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Citizens Advice Bureau Peterborough
Citizens Advice Peterborough has moved to a telephone-based assessment and appointments service. The service is available from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. You can receive information and where necessary arrange a telephone appointment with a skilled adviser.
If you need advice or information from Citizens Advice Peterborough, please call Adviceline on 0344 499 4120, or 0300 330 065 if you are calling from a mobile, to speak to one of our advisers.
You can also leave a voicemail message and your call will be returned within three working days. You can also find lots of helpful information on the Citizens Advice Bureau website.
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