Health Screening - Important Updates.

Screening is an important way of checking for early signs of disease or a condition in people that don't know that they have symptoms. Screenings were disrupted earlier this year due to COVID 19 but the good news is that screening appointments are now up and running and are still available during the FireBreak and local lockdowns. There are some important changes and messages that you need to be aware of.

Types of Screening 

There are three main types of screening appointment, Maternal & Child, Cancer and Non Cancer

Cancer Screening

Cervical: Women aged 25 -64. Every three years for women aged 25-49 and every five years for women aged 50-64. Tested via cervical smear.

Breast: Women aged 50-70. Every three years, tested via breast x-ray.

Bowel:  Men and women aged 60-74. Tested every two years via poo sample kit, completed at home and returned by post

Non Cancer Screening

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening: Men aged 65, a one off test with an ultrasound scan.

Diabetic Eye Screening: Everyone aged 12 and over with diabetes. Tested every year with photographs of the eye.

Maternal & Child

Ante-natal Screening

New-born Bloodspot

New-born Hearing

Key Messages 

 Taking part in screening is something you can do to look after your health.

•    Even if you live in an area that is in a local lockdown, PHW are still encouraging people to attend their screening appointments.

•  All of the programmes in Wales are now inviting people for screening. If you have missed your appointment, are due for screening or your screening invitation has been delayed, be assured PHW are working very hard to catch up

• It is really important that you let PHW know if you will not be attending your appointment, for whatever reason. They might be able to offer your appointment to someone else

COVID Secure Measures

PHW have introduced measures to keep you and their staff safe when you attend for your screening appointment. These measures may include:

•   Waiting outside until called
•   Staff wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as they will need to be near you (within 2 metres)
•   Being asked to wear a face covering when attending
•   Having fewer people in healthcare buildings – you will probably only see the person taking your test
• Deep cleaning of equipment and waiting areas
•  Having hand sanitiser available
•  To stop the spread of coronavirus do not attend for screening if you have symptoms of coronavirus, have tested positive, or have been advised to quarantine or self-isolate.

Remain Vigilant

PHW are working hard to catch up with appointments delayed due to COVID 19. Appointments are being prioritised according to those who had their appointments cancelled and those who have been waiting the longest. Screenings are taking longer to work through due to extra cleaning measures and restrictions in the number of people able to attend a clinic. In the meantime it's important to monitor your health and wellbeing. If you are worried about any changes in your health please do not wait to be invited for screening. It is very important you speak to someone at your GP surgery even if you have had a previous normal screening test. 

Welsh Gender Identity Service

Powys Sexual Health Network met recently, marking its second birthday as a network, updating members on the Test and Post STI testing, pregnancy terminations and update about the Welsh Gender Identity Service. John Morgan, Transformation Manager for the PTHB told us more about the Welsh Gender Identity Service and how it works.

Welsh Gender Identity Service

Background

Previous to the establishment of the service in Wales adults aged 17.5 and over who presented as gender dysphoric were referred to their local Mental Health services via their GP, where they were then diagnosed and referred to a specialist clinic in London. This led to long waiting times for patients from Wales, as they were included in the English waiting lists. This idea for a Welsh Gender Identity service was proposed by Vaughan Gething in 2017 and became established in February 2019. Adults who now present as gender dysphoric can be referred by their GPs directly to the Welsh service, based in Cardiff. 

Current Service.

The service is commissioned by the Welsh Health Specialised Services (WHSSC) on an all Wales basis. Patients who are non complex are assessed by the Welsh service and if appropriate, are endorsed for hormone replacement therapy, they then are discharged back to the local gender teams. If the patient as part of the pathway requires surgery to change some of the physical attributes in relation to their gender, then they are referred through to the specialist clinic in London, where the surgery takes place. 

Umbrella Cymru.

The Welsh service is based in Cardiff at St David’s hospital, with a core team of nine staff. The first patients were seen in September 2019. The Welsh service is slightly different to some of the other gender identity services in England, as peer support is embedded into the service. People accessing the service are supported by a third sector provider Umbrella Cymru. Umbrella Cymru offers a range of support, from the first point of contact with the service, to when the transformation has been completed. There have been 42 referrals from Powys in the last year, which is close to what was predicted and in line with the population of Powys, representing approximately 4% of the total Welsh referrals. 

Third Sector support for the service. 

Changes. 

There have been some changes to staffing in Wales with Dr Sophie Quinney, one of the leading gender specialists for Wales joining the service this year. The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic has lead to the service  embracing new technology, with digital access and attend anywhere software. This allows virtual consultations to take place with the continuation of service provision. A new website with a new website platform is currently being adopted. The new website will include information about what an appointment with the service looks like, as well as general information about making a transition and what hormone surgery entails. There is quite a long waiting list for the service, due to the fact that WHSSC anticipated 365 referrals per year, but in the first year 400 people were transferred back to Wales from London, when the Welsh service was established. The service is currently in the process of developing a business case to seek funding from WHSSC in the hope that this will help to enhance the service and reduce the waiting time. 

Powys

The service in Powys is a virtual one. GP Jonathon Shaw is the clinical lead, based in Machynlleth, with support from the PTHB Sexual Health team and Speech and Language services. There has been some confusion and lack of clarity about the service in Powys, with primary care services and GPs unsure of how to refer to the service. The Sexual Health team as a result aim to send info to all the GP clusters in Powys with details about the Welsh Gender Identity service and how to refer to it.  This confusion is echoed with third sector organisations and whilst a lot of work was done last year to raise awareness of the service it’s clear that this needs to be reiterated and a continual promotion of the service to remind people of what is available. The Powys service will virtually link in to the All Wales service on a fortnightly basis to keep up to date with developments and help people link to the service, accessing the support they require. 

Digital Companions - A Powys Perspective

The power of technology to connect us and help to combat the detrimental effects of social isolation, became increasingly apparent during lockdown this year. For those without the skills or technology, it was one more barrier to social inclusion. We met recently with Ian Smith from Digital Communities Wales  to find out more about their Digital Companions scheme. Find out more about the scheme and the support, training and equipment that can support our communities in becoming more digitally active in supporting their health and wellbeing.  

Support 

What is your support  coverage / offer in Powys?

Digital Communities Wales covers the whole of Powys. Ian Smith was appointed to his post as Digital Inclusion Adviser for Digital Communities Wales 12 months ago and is currently building his patch and role. Digital Communities Wales are able to offer support and training to organisations to in turn support volunteers to become Digital Companions. The service is able to provide training and has a limited amount of equipment available for loan. There’s a focus on digital skills to improve health and wellbeing as the project is partly funded by the Welsh Government Department of Health. 

How can people access this support? What’s the application process? 

Organisations can request support by contacting Ian and the Digital Communities Wales team. A session can be booked through Ian that can be attended  via a link and booking form. If there is a large enough group with specific requirements and a date in mind, this can be forwarded to Ian who then look at arranging this with his trainers. Bespoke training can be arranged, or a mix and match combination of existing training modules.

Do you have some examples of how you  have worked with people? 

Mary's Story - Digital Volunteer with Newcis

Peter's Story - Digital Volunteer West Wales

Are you still operating as normal during lockdown?

Services are still available but have had to be adapted and changed to comply with COVID 19 restrictions. Face to face training has not resumed yet, though some 1 to 1 work is now possible outside whilst observing social distancing if deemed necessary. All training is completed digitally online via Zoom. Training can also be given on how to use Zoom. 

Are there DBS check references and training for participants?

Digital Communities Wales do not provide or source volunteers although a volunteer coordinator was appointed during lockdown to look at developing the role of volunteers. Digital Communities Wales do not have a pool of volunteers or a network of Digital Companions. Volunteers to be Digital Companions would be sourced by the organisations providing the service.  Responsibilities for safeguarding and DBS checks are the responsibility of the organisation providing or co-ordinating the volunteers.

Equipment 

Is there access to borrow equipment to test it out, see what suits an individual. (phone/tablet/ipad) Could this idea be developed?

At present there is a limited amount of equipment that can be loaned. Welsh Government provided 1100 tablets for distribution in Wales to care homes during the pandemic. 19 care homes in Powys benefitted from receiving one of these. Digital Communities Wales have a limited amount of tablets, smart speakers, virtual reality headsets available for loan. These are loaned on agreement to organisations, who can lend them to volunteers / service users. Digital Communities Wales can then  help with the developing a  loan process and have model loan forms. Equipment can be loaned for a set period of time to try it out and see if it’s beneficial and useful. If organisations are then interested in buying their own equipment then support can be provided to apply for funding. Equipment is available at present and can be accessed by all geographical areas in Powys. There are discussions at the moment on improving and adding to the amount of equipment available. 

 

How would the Virtual Headsets be used?

Virtual headsets have been used by organisations with a focus on reminiscing with memory films such as Welsh Shops. There are also films with an outdoor focus such as beaches or countryside for people who are unable to go out, bringing the beaches and countryside to them. These headsets can be tailored to meet individual needs. Ian gave the example of an unresponsive older man who had been a Liverpool football fan. A film of a match was provided with the man responding and singing to “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” DMIP currently have 5 of these headsets and are trialling their benefits. Another virtual initiative currently in development at the moment is a bicycle with handlebars, pedals and hand crank linked to a laptop and street view, allowing people to ‘cycle,’ and ‘see,’ places of their choosing. The added advantage is that people get some exercise whilst accessing street view. 

How do you monitor the security of equipment on loan?

All equipment is linked to a mobile device management system. The advantages are that apps can be added remotely, the location of equipment can be monitored and located if necessary.  It’s also possible to monitor whether equipment is being used and to follow up to check if there are any problems if equipment isn’t being used.

Training

Are you aware of the Game Change project and do you have any plans to set up something like this? 

Digital Companions currently support the Game Change Project. Sian from the project has two tablets from Digital Communities Wales and DCW have provided the training for Game Change. It is not a project they would set up and run themselves but they would be able to support similar projects. 

Is there a local capacity for training volunteers to support elderly / isolated people to use IT? (COVID 19 support groups)

Digital Companions offer training for frontline staff and volunteers. Most training is online now. There are a range of programmes to support volunteers to support other people, including practical information like online safety, how do you differentiate between good and bad information, equipment but also soft skills around communication skills.  They offer practical sessions on how to use tablets and also smart speakers such as Alexa and Echo Dot.

Is there access to peer teaching to get people going  with their new tech tools? Either over the phone or otherwise? 

Digital Companions offer several training courses and modules. They have a 6 week Digital Skills course composed of 6 x 1 hour modules made up of: 

Basic Digital Skills 

Introduction to Comms - Social Media & Online Videos

Handling Information and Content - How do you find what you’re looking for online? How do you know if it’s any good? How do you store it?

Transacting - How to buy things online, how to register, how you can take money online.

Problem Solving - Finding solutions to problems and answers to questions.

Safe and Legal  -  Keeping safe and legal online.

Do you offer training to help people stay safe online?

Most training packages include safety modules such as how to tell if an email is genuine, spotting fake information and internet scams. 

Can you help people who have no skills whatsoever to get started online?

It’s not easy showing someone remotely how to begin to access digital services. This is where the role of the Digital Companions has its benefits. A Digital Companion is often somebody known to the person being trained which helps to build the relationship and trust. Materials are available on Digitally Unite  to help people show others to become digitally competent. 

. 

We would like to upskill our volunteers so they can support clients to access online social groups and will be looking for training courses.  Do you offer courses?

Yes Digital Communities Wales offer a range of courses and training to enhance people’s digital skills and knowledge. This can be organised as a group session.

The Ins and Outs of Problem Gambling

 

GamCare is an independent charity and  the leading provider of information, advice and support for anyone affected by gambling harms across Great Britain.They offer a wide menu of free, flexible and confidential support to those affected by gambling problems, as well as a range of training, outreach and risk reduction programmes.

We asked Urtha Felda GamCare outreach officer for Wales to tell us more about the support services provided by GamCare. 

Anyone can be affect by problem gambling

Tell us  a little bit about  GamCare

We are aware that organisations are likely to encounter individuals who are negatively impacted by their own, or someone else’s, gambling behaviour.

GamCare is an independent charity and we are the leading provider of information, advice, and support for anyone affected by problem gambling across England, Scotland and Wales. We offer a wide menu of free, flexible, and confidential support to those affected by gambling harms. We support around 40,000 each year through our Helpline and treatment services.

Our team can support your clients to change their relationship with gambling and improve their quality of life through face to face, online and telephone therapeutic interventions. There is no wrong door to accessing our treatment services – clients can refer themselves, or you can do this on their behalf.

Why do people gamble?

“Why do I gamble when it causes so much damage?” 

“Why can’t I just stop?”

“Why am I putting myself through this?”

The answer is rarely a simple one.

Many people gamble as a fun past time, but for many others gambling can become a serious problem.

It can sometimes feel like the urge to gamble is completely out of their control. Many people find themselves unable to explain why they continue to gamble despite the problems it causes in their everyday lives.

You may be tempted to say ‘for the money’, perhaps for that ‘big win’, but this rarely the whole truth. When the gambler wins, more often than not they spend their winnings on gambling more, and keep going until they have nothing left. This can leave them feeling trapped, like there is no way out of the cycle.

Problems with gambling can often represent problems elsewhere in someone’s life. Perhaps they tend to gamble at certain times, or when they begin to feel a certain way – as a way of escaping from something else they are not ready to deal with yet. Gambling may also have been a part of someone’s life since they were young, and can make them feel safer for a short time.

 Who is affected by problem gambling and gambling related harm?

Anyone can be affect by problem gambling. If someone lives with problem gambling then other people connected to them will also be harmed by the consequences of problem gambling.  1/3^rd of families of problem gamblers do not have enough money to buy food or pay for rent.  Problem gambling leads to debt, poor mental and physical health, family breakdown and suicide ideation.  Other people affected could be colleagues, friends, or family.  GamCare series are available for anyone affected,  information, advice and support is available today. 

Problem gambling leads to debt, poor mental and physical health

Are there any particular groups of people in society who are most at risk from problem gambling

There are many explanations as to why people develop gambling problems.  We know there are some groups more at risk of becoming vulnerable to problem gambling than others.  People living in areas of high deprivation are more at risk, anyone experiencing poor mental health, people who have lived with traumatic experiences, a child growing up in a problem gambling household is 4 times more likely to develop problem gambling as an adult.  This is not an exhaustive list, nor do all vulnerable people develop problem gambling.  Looking at risk factors is helpful to assist us in identifying people who may be a risk.

What effects does gambling have on the health and wellbeing of the family of an problem gambler? 

The impacts for families is wide and includes debt, poor mental health, family breakdown, homelessness.  The trauma of losing one's home can leave lasting anxiety issues, as does the stress of not knowing when someone may gamble again.  Problem gambling is recognised as safeguarding issue, because the impact on the family and children is so wide.

Problem gambling affects families

What barriers might prevent people from accessing gambling support and how do you work to overcome those?

Lack of knowledge is the biggest barrier to accessing services.  An increased awareness by health and support professionals would assist others accessing the help on offer, and getting the treatment needed today. other barriers could be that a person does not recognise the problem, or is in denial, or due to the stigma they feel too ashamed to come forward and ask for help.

The right environment sending the message that no one will be judged because of their gambling, and that this is a safe place to talk about gambling, will help people share the problem and access the help they need.

Are there particular issues which arise in rural areas like Powys for people with problem gambling?

The biggest issues in rural areas is accessing the right services – this is equally so for problem gambling support, especially when gambling is less recognised as a health problem..  Statistics across the health range show a higher health inequality for rural areas.  Being a gambler in a rural area has been shown to increase a number of risk factors, in particular the likelihood of suicide.

CAB can help with both debt and addiction counselling.

Do you work closely with any  other organisations or statutory services to provide support to people?

GamCare has a strong relationship with CAB debt advice service.  Anyone experiencing problem gambling will benefit for both debt and addiction counselling.

To access support today…

Phone the National Gambling Helpline 24/7  0808 8020 133

 aragamblingservice@recovery4all.co.uk

 0330 134 0286.

A particularly inspiring example of someone  that has recovered from problem gambling is Kelly.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP_bYyQ1SWw

If anyone would like to discuss accessing support they can contact  Urtha Felda at GamCare 

by Email  Urtha.Felda@gamlcare.org.uk

 or

by phone 07869 998110

New Foodbank going from strength to strength.

A new Foodbank has been created in Ystradgynlais to support people during the pandemic. The Foodbank is making good progress and is going from strength to strength.

Donna Davies from Ystradgynlais Volunteer Centre (YVC) describes the new Foodbank.

 "The Foodbank was launched on the 7th April and in the first three weeks to the 28th April   350 people have benefited from free food parcels. This shows there is a need and we believe this will grow as more people get to know about our service and as pressures on family finances increase over the following weeks

In mid-May we will relocate the main Foodbank operations to the YVC premises located opposite Tesco, Ystradgynlais. This will improve access and be highly visible to people. When relocated YVC intend to have a weekly mobile van service in the Penrhos estate, where there are high numbers of families and older persons facing poverty. The outreach van service is very popular in more rural areas where people / families have no transport or are unable to leave the house for a number of reasons. 

outreach van service

We are in weekly contact with local Councillors in the communities we serve. They have been very supportive and there are positive sharing of information arrangements to the benefit of local people. We also have support through small grants and donations -  Powys Regional Partnership, (just secured today) £6,200, Nant Helen (Celtic Energy £500) Ystradgynlais Town Council £800, PAVO £500 – plus individual personal donations -  the funds are used largely to purchase food.

Volunteers are important to the service. We have secured an additional pool of 50 volunteers over the last 4 weeks. Volunteers help at the Foodbank centre and outreach mobile and many are assigned to people who need help with shopping etc.

We are grateful for all donations to the Foodbank. At the end of each month we will publish a list of people names to thank them. We've published the April donations for all those who have provided consent. We do not specify the values, money or food, as it purpose is to thank all our donors or their kindness in helping people.

We have good relations with local statutory organisations (Social Services) and other support agencies where we supply food parcels to their clients and we identify and refer (by consent) people who visit the Foodbank. We also undertake a number of home deliveries for these agencies. Once a week we deliver to the wardens of Sheltered Housing Schemes e.g. Pont Aur,Ystradgynlais,for their distribution to tenants:  fresh bread, fruit and other fresh foods. We connect with local free food schemes -  for example the Wednesday free lunch deliveries provided by the Ancient Briton Public House to older shielding residents in Ynyswen and Penycae area. We provide volunteers to support their work and Foodbank excess supplies of breads, fruit etc. are also offered by the YVC to people as part of the free lunch.

Fareshare UK and Wales has been a source of support too, we have registered with the scheme and make full use of the benefits of maximising the surplus food chain. Both Tesco in Pontardawe and Ystradgynlais provide us with fresh bread, veg and fruit through these arrangements.

Partnerships are important to the success of the Foodbank, we are connecting with key agencies  such as DWP to enlist our support in distribution of information that can be shared with Foodbank clients about claims for benefits and other support.  

YVC can’t thank Sally Richards the local community Connector (PAVO) enough for her support and the invaluable connections and opportunities she pointed us to. She is a true ambassador for her community and we are very proud and lucky to have such an enthusiastic and professional partner."

Sally Richards PAVO Community Connector

Border Village presents a United Front

We asked Duncan Borthwick of Llanymynech COVID-19 support group, to tell us about the ways in which the local community has come together to support each other during this lockdown period. From sunflowers to sing-a-longs this is a community that's truly presenting a united front.

“When the Covid 19 crisis started to hit, we quickly realised that things needed to be put in place. I work in the local shop and post office. So along with a friend of mine in the village, Susanne Walker, we set up Llanymynech Covid 19 Support Group. We put out a call for volunteers, as we weren’t sure how big this was going to be and we had so many people offer their help. We haven’t fully utilised our volunteers as yet, as we’ve been trying to keep everything together by reducing the amount of people out at any one time. 

Duncan Borthwick & Susanne Walker

We quickly registered with all local surgeries, introduced ourselves to the councils on both sides, and made contact with PAVO. And we also leaflet dropped the entire area. This was all before the lockdown so we were in a good place once everything shut down. Between myself and Susanne, we have now delivered several hundred bags of prescriptions and around a hundred food shops, including full trolleys for people. We have volunteers making phone calls to those isolating too.

PAVO, in particular Sheela Hughes, have been a godsend in terms of information and advice and our community can’t thank you enough for this. We have had referrals from PAVO, the doctors, social services, councils. We have been collecting from food banks for people, as well as making up our own food parcels to ease pressure on food bank services. We have been involved with people who literally have no money due to their jobs disappearing overnight due to this crisis. Through PAVO we have arranged help and advice, and have been easing the pressure on them through regular contact and food drops.

Because of our location on the English/Welsh border, acquiring funding is an issue. The border runs down the road in the middle of the village. So we set up a fundraiser privately. None of us know how long people are going to need support, and we desperately do NOT want to ask people what side of the border they live on- if we get a pot of money from one authority, it cannot be spent on the other side. So we took it upon ourselves to ask our community for help. They overwhelmed us. We did two separate fundraisers. One was open overnight, and they donated around £800. The next one raised £3500 over three days more or less. We cannot thank our community enough for this, it was humbling. We have also been inundated with food, offers for help with fuel costs, etc. This is to provide fuel costs, emergency food help etc. We are aware that children aren’t getting their fruit and balanced meals in school so we are looking into things to help with that too.

Local food drops

I am aware that there are many people that need help, but don’t want to ask- I urge anyone in our local area to get in contact if they feel they need anything. We haven’t been just sticking to our village- we are helping people from Sarnau (near Arddleen), to Four Crosses and Llandrinio, Wern, Llanymynech, Pant, Morda, Oswestry. We collect from pharmacies in Welshpool, Oswestry, Llanfyllin, Knockin, Four Crosses. Anyone who has come to us for help, we have helped. Even if out of area. Anyone we couldn’t help; we have contacted the relevant people to provide help. Privately myself, I have purchased Sunflower, Dwarf Peas, and Sweet-peas, compost and pots. I’ve bagged them up into packs containing all three sets of seeds, for every child in the village that wants one. A few people made donations to help with this. They have been distributed, and we are having a competition to see who can grow the biggest sunflower, largest crop of peas etc. while they are off school. Had a really good uptake with this. I have also organised a mass community singalong where people are filming themselves singing a particular song, and I am putting it all together into a music video, and a music producer friend of mine is going to work his magic and overlay all their voices and cut a full song from it. Again, something fun to take the children’s minds off being isolated. Had MASS interest in this too.

Seed packs & compost for local children 

We are an amazing community here, and we’ve all come together to help. My motto is “Non nobis solum nati sumus”. (Not for ourselves alone are we born), and every member of our village has proved this. Every single member of our community should be proud at how they’ve dealt with this, how they’ve come together to help, and I look forward to a stronger, closer, and more involved community after this. I would like to thank my partner Paul, I don’t drive, and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without him. Our wedding was cancelled this year due to the crisis, so it has taken his mind off things doing this. "

Duncan Borthwick. 

Llanidloes COVID-19 Volunteer Effort Steps Up-Free Fish and Chips

In keeping with the Good Friday tradition of eating fish, Llanidloes’ older and most vulnerable residents did not lose out this year despite Covid-19 restrictions and had free fish and chips delivered to their door.

On Good Friday this year Llanidloes Covid-19 Support Volunteers  delivered free fish and chips to 300 people across the Llanidloes district.  The volunteers were supporting an idea from Evans Fishbar to brighten up the day of some of the town’s residents.

The local fish and chip shop have been closed for a couple of weeks, due to safety reasons. However, they opened their doors especially for this effort.  Volunteers from the town were co-ordinated by experts in health and safety, to ensure timings between collection, social distancing and other stringent measures are in place, with 19 volunteers delivering fish and chips to 300 residents in a 3 hour period.

Chris and Lorraine Evans of Evans Fishbar, “We wanted to do a random act of kindness, to let people know they have not been forgotten.  We needed assistance from the volunteer group and other organisations to nominate recipients to receive the lunch. We then needed the support of the volunteers to help with the deliveries, to make this happen and the response from Llanidloes Covid-19 volunteers to do deliveries has been overwhelming”. 

The free fish and chip delivery is yet another voluntary initiative from Llanidloes and district, in response to Covid-19.  Volunteers have been active since the 16th March.

Clare Bound of Llanidloes Covid-19 Support Group, “The initiative from the fish and chip shop is an amazing generous act, and our thanks to Chris and Lorraine from Evans Fishbar.  So many people from the town have come together to respond to this challenge, it has been truly humbling.”

Town punching above its weight responding to this pandemic

· A telephone system set up and 3500 leaflets designed and printed in one day (funded by Llanidloes Town Council and Aztec Print.

·       Support group on Facebook set up currently over 1100 members

·       Over 130 local volunteers have come forward, eager to give to their community.

·       Leaflets delivered by volunteers to 70 areas of Llanidloes district in just four days.

·       By 19 March the first calls for support received, since then well over 348 calls for assistance have been responded to. In addition to this 471 deliveries have been made to people in the community.  Our system was set up before the government’s and does not just include those in the ‘extremely vulnerable category.

·       Llani Pantri set up as a food bank, to respond to those whose who need help.  There have been many generous donations.

·       Prescription delivery service set up in liaison with health services and PAVO, using the Support Network’s Volunteers.

·       Local resident GP is on board, to provide generic evidenced based advice through our support network to clarify information.

·       Numerous businesses have stepped up to provide deliveries, covering a large rural geographical area.

·       Businesses are ‘paying it forward’ by accepting donations, for example a limited number of free loaves available.

·       We have a dedicated team of 14 befrienders, if someone feels isolated and needs to chat, they know there is someone available at the end of the phone.

-  A website built and funded by PCQ will soon be available with more information about community support and how to get involved or access support www.llanic19.co.uk -

- Donations from the Fish and Chip event raised £1500 allowing the support group to set up the Llanidloes Covid 19 Mutual Aid fund. 

Appreciation

The town’s residents have been appreciative of local efforts,
“We have just moved to Llani, we have no family or friend network but we both with underlying medical issues.  We she just broke down crying in relief when we knew we could get support.”

Another resident thanked a volunteer,
“Thank you for risking your life to help someone in need, you are an angel sent by God to respond to someone's prayer.”

These sentiments of gratitude have been echoed by all the residents we are answering requests for help from. The town is really pulling together and seeing the cross generation links being forged is a magical moment in these desperate times.

For more information please visit https://llanic19.co.uk/contact/

-       Photos thanks to Stephen Smount