LOCAL charity Active and In Touch (A&IT) has seen demand for its services shoot up throughout the pandemic.
The group’s admin volunteer, Patricia Baker, reports, “During the course of the pandemic, numbers have increased. In March 2020, 115 members were supported by visits from 75 volunteers with weekly Monday and Tuesday group meetings, but no supporting phone service.
“A year later, the membership has increased to 237, with 180 volunteers carrying out visits and Tuesday group meetings occurring when guidelines permitted. A phone service contact is also fully established. An additional 52 volunteers give support via a ‘Shop For Me’ service and community drivers facilitate lifts to and from vaccination centres and ensure prescription deliveries.
“Currently, 10 to 12 new members are joining A&IT each month, with a noticeable increase in ‘young mums’.
“Recently a series of on-line training sessions were held for 17 volunteers, who will help with the on-going support of members.
“A&IT has a particular and vital role in supporting its members who are isolating. This is even more so when families are not local, and indeed, contact has been made by family members as far away as Singapore and Hong Kong, requesting support, which has been acted upon.
“Support bubbles for more than 20 isolated and vulnerable members have been provided by volunteers and phones have been supplied by the charity for three members who had no form of communication available to them.
“One new member Joe, whose 81st birthday is on the horizon, contacted A&IT upon the advice of a Dorothy House nurse.
“Sadly, after 19 very happy years together, Joe’s partner, Glennis, died four years ago, leaving as he said “a massive hole”.
“Once the pandemic took over, meetings with relatives, who are resident in Yorkshire and Yeovil, became impossible because of periods of lockdown and travel bans.
“Gwen Corbet and Di Rogers, A&IT co-ordinators were soon on the case and able to match Joe with Mike, based on their similarity of interests, including their mutual love of speed walking.
“This pairing has clearly worked as after sharing a number of telephone calls, Joe describes Mike as a “smashing chap”.
“It is a happy coincidence that Joe and Mike live quite close to each other and so Mike can walk past Joe’s house, to give a friendly wave.
“They can also, once favourable weather permits, meet for a conversation over the garden fence and in the future they can have a coffee as well as going on walks together. Mike has also offered to carry out shopping for Joe who says, quite simply, “contact with Mike makes me feel secure”.
“Joe has a fund of stories about his working life at Notts, the local company which used to be based in Saxonvale.
“Originally manufacturing Carley Life Floats and Bouyant Apparatus, Joe worked on the engineering side and it was here that he had first met Glennis.
“He also recounts with great excitement the “fantastic experience” which was his first ever parachute jump, undertaken two years ago on Battle of Britain Sunday and a subsequent flight over Frome in a Spitfire, with R.A.F. pilot “Smithy” handing over control of the aircraft to Joe for part of the flight.
“Before too long, hopefully, Joe will be able to share these reminiscences with Mike whilst they are on a walk together.”
And as they reflect on a year like no other, A&IT are already looking ahead to the future, planning to reintroduce a number of services as restrictions are gradually lifted; and also making plans to celebrate their 10th anniversary this year.
“As it approaches a year since the first lockdown was introduced on March 23rd 2020, a range of A&IT trustees, staff and volunteers were recently united via Zoom. These meetings have taken place at regular intervals, as a way of keeping together, seeing each other face to face and sharing information.
“A&IT reports that although the main focus for this meeting was a social gathering, director of service, Dougie Brown took advantage of the opportunity to share exciting news with those present.
“In response to the “road map” shared by the Prime Minister – which will soon permit outdoor gatherings of up to six – Tuesday Group meetings, observing social distancing and grouping requirements, could resume in Victoria Park before too long.
“Very positive too was the news that all Frome Community Drivers have, thanks to the hard work and organisational skills of the NHS, received Covid vaccinations.
“Volunteers not only had the opportunity to meet each other, some for the first time, but also to ask questions ranging across a wide area, one being the association and connectivity between A&IT and other organisations including Health Connectors, Fair Frome and Citizens’ Advice.
“It was a very positive gathering, giving everyone present a chance to comment on A&IT’s vision to combat loneliness and isolation in adults in Frome and the surrounding villages – a very important key in improving health and wellbeing.
“Becoming The Frome Times’ Group of the Year is particularly wonderful, as it coincides with 2021 being A&IT’s 10th anniversary year, for which a variety of exciting celebrations and activities are being planned.”
