The last 15 months has been an incredibly difficult time for so many. We are not out of the woods yet, but we can see some much-needed light at the end of the tunnel, at least when it comes to the easing of restrictions. It has been an emotional rollercoaster and we are very aware that there is still so much to do to support young people and their families.
The easing of lockdown is not easy for everyone, there are a lot of people who are struggling with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues which prevents them from adjusting back to ‘normal’ life. We have seen a big rise in cases regarding mental health and we are doing our absolute best to help, support and advocate for everyone we can, with the staff and resources we have available.
During this time, we have seen how incredible our community is and how they have come together to help each other. The generosity and support of the people in Fleet and the surrounding areas has been fantastic. Whether this is donating food, toiletries, cleaning products, clothes, toys, money, craft items, services and more, we have been blown away by the effort of so many. A huge thank you to the staff and volunteers who continued to work during the pandemic to ensure others did not go without the essentials they needed.
Also, a big thank you to the businesses in Fleet who donated fresh produce, pre-cooked meals, toiletries, fridges, money, vouchers, lunches, Easter eggs, fixed our minibus and more! We could not have supported so many in community without their donations. To name a few: Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons, Heron on the Lake, Starbucks, QinetiQ, The Lions, Court Moor School, Fleet Town Council, Bentley Brown, Marks and Spencer and so many more.
Over this time, we have helped: 1,360 adults, 1,561 children. Delivered: 1311 hot meals, 894 food parcels, 15 large household items, 93 clothes/toy bundles, 310 craft kits, 471 items of uniform, 10 pet food items plus other help like pharmacy collections, hospital/doctor trips and more.
We continued with our Open Door service throughout the pandemic, changing the way we worked to virtual support and covid safe deliveries. Unfortunately, all other clubs had to be cancelled, especially our indoor youth clubs. We were lucky enough to be able to run our summer projects as these were outdoors, so this was a positive during July and August 2020.
We are now starting to do a little more face-to-face contact with young people and families who need this. We are starting to welcome back other clubs but only when we can and it is safe to do so. All covid safe procedures continue to be observed to ensure everyone stays safe and well.
We are looking forward to opening our doors to all our projects. We will keep you all updated on our social media pages of when this can happen. If you need our help, please do not hesitate to contact us.
As a charity and as individuals, we learnt a lot during this time. The flexibility and creativity of the charity and staff team, how committed the community is to helping, how committed the staff team are to the community, how to work closely and more effectively with partners, how much can be achieved with a little bit of faith and pulling together and how the smallest gestures of kindness, consideration and compassion can change and improve someone’s day – this is as simple as a smile or a kind word.
Thank you for your continued support.