We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded £500 by Tesco Bags of Help, which will help us to continue delivering shopping to people who are vulnerable or shielding!
Tesco’s Bags of Help fund has kindly donated £500 to Mental Health Concern, as part of the supermarket’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. The fund, which is run in partnership with Groundwork UK, has been set up to support local communities during this time. We are so grateful to be chosen as one of the recipients of this vital support!
The grant will help our Chain Reaction service to continue doing the shopping for older people in Newcastle, who are shielding due to long-term health conditions. As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, the grant will also help us to support people as they begin to try to get back to normality. The team will accompany people on their shopping trips, assisting them during what could be a stressful experience after shielding alone for three months.
During the pandemic, Chain Reaction have been supported by over 50 volunteers, and this funding will also allow us to continue to partner with people who have been so willing to donate their time to help. Our volunteers have already started to telephone people, to better understand the types of support they need, and help them to feel as though they are not alone now that life has started to change.
This understandably can be a time of great anxiety for many, so we are so grateful that this grant will allow us to continue to help those that need it most. We want to express a huge thank you to Tesco and Groundwork UK for their support during this time!
Chain Reaction supports people aged 55 and over to lead happier, healthier lives, by supporting friendships to help combat social isolation and improve overall emotional health and wellbeing.