Photo attached: Supplied by Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland.
Monday, December 21, 2020
Hinckley charities working with some of the town’s most isolated and vulnerable residents this Christmas have been given a helping hand by the Heart of England Co-operative Society.
The Society has shared out £5,000 between five local charities working with people in need – many of whom have been affected by the events of 2020, whether financially or in terms of being isolated from family and friends.
The money is part of a wider £25,000 shared across the Heart of England’s trading area of Coventry, Warwickshire, south Leicestershire and Northamptonshire to help the most vulnerable members of society over the festive period.
.Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland, which works with older residents, received £1,000.
The money will be used towards the charity’s ongoing work in providing practical help and advice to older people in Hinckley and the surrounding areas.
Nick Ladlow, Grant, Trust & Corporate Bid Writer for Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland, said: “We were delighted to receive some money from the Heart of England Co-operative Society.
“In fact the Society was among the first of our supporters to really grasp the nettle and respond with a donation which has been excellent as it has enabled us to hit the ground running in the help we are providing during the pandemic.
“A lot of the people who use our services have been very lonely and isolated since the start of the virus but thankfully we were inundated with people wanting to help and manged to recruit 26 new volunteers. Their work collectively can really make all the difference. It enables us to call older people who are on their own every other day to make sure they are all right and this can really make a huge difference to someone in that position – especially at a time when they are not able to see family or friends or get out on their own.”
Hinckley Foodbank received £2,000 and the Salvation Army received £1,000. The remaining £1,000 was equally divided between Hope Church and a Stoney Stanton community group supporting vulnerable people.
All will use the surprise donations to help continue their work in supporting society’s most vulnerable over the Christmas period.
Jo Dyke, Community and Membership Adviser at the Heart of England Co-operative Society, said: “There are so many fantastic causes in Hinckley and the surrounding area, working tirelessly to combat hunger and poverty and to help struggling families to feed their children, especially at Christmas.
“Poverty, hunger and isolation are among the issues which we know are close to the hearts of our members and customers and we are delighted to support these fantastic causes who work so hard all year round to make life a little easier for people less fortunate than themselves.”
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