Charities across Manchester soldier on during coronavirus outbreak

National Lottery-funded groups across Manchester have come up with some ingenious ways to continue to support local people and keep their communities connected during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Brain and Spinal Injury Centre (BASIC) in Salford, has been using apps such as WhatsApp and Zoom to deliver essential exercise sessions. The charity works with people recovering from brain and spinal injuries, as well as long term neurological conditions, and has become a vital service for people in the local community.

Despite the introduction of the nationwide quarantine, dedicated staff at the Centre are still working hard to ensure people are getting the help they need. Physiotherapy classes are continuing, with the charity switching to teaching useful chair-based exercises through video calling apps. The charity is also conducting psychotherapy sessions over the phone and online, to make sure people using its services get the support they need during this challenging time.

BASIC recently received more than £112,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, to build an onsite café which has become a hub for older people with neurological conditions. Now the café manager has joined the drive to keep people healthy and connected during the lockdown by producing daily online healthy eating recipes.

Wendy Edge, CEO, at BASIC, says: “I asked staff to ‘think outside the box’ and look at how we can use our skills online to continue to support people despite the lockdown. They have really stepped up to the challenge and we have already received some very positive responses.”

Speaking to the wider community Wendy added: “You are not on your own. The voluntary sector is mobilising to support their various client groups and those who need help in their local areas. Keep moving, it’s important to exercise and there are lots of exercise classes online, especially on YouTube. Walk outside if you can. Fear can paralyse us so it’s important to try and stay calm, follow Government guidance and talk about any worries with people on the phone or facetime/email.”

Levenshulme Inspire, a multi-purpose centre based inside a former church has also been finding innovative ways to keep their communities connected and to reach out to those who need the most help.

Home to a variety of different community groups in Levenshulme, the centre has not allowed the current situation to stop their vital work. One of the groups affected is the Inspire Taskforce, which works with older people in the area and delivers workshops and activities to help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. The group received more than £156,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Kate Williams, Inspire Taskforce, says: “We have been getting creative with our activities. As we run a choir, we have now started singing outside sheltered accommodation complexes for residents. Our weekly exercise classes are now taking place in the local park and we ensure people maintain an appropriate distance from each other. Our film club is now a DVD swap club. We’re taking these measures as we know the prolonged social distancing for older people is going to be hard and will have a negative effect on their mental health and wellbeing. Once the next few weeks are over, most young healthy people's lives will go back to normal...but not for the older folks who are being told to stay in for 12 weeks.”

Duncan Nicholson, Head of Funding for the North West at The National Lottery Community Fund, says: “In this time of crisis it’s heartening to see the way communities are coming together to provide each other with support. The charities and voluntary sector organisations we fund, including BASIC and Levenshulme Inspire, are playing a vital role in their community. We are incredibly grateful for their efforts and we are doing everything we can to make it easy for them to adapt to the difficult circumstances we are all finding ourselves in.

“National Lottery players can be proud that the money they have raised is helping to fund some of these efforts. Thanks to them we can bring forward plans to spend £300 million to support communities across the UK during the crisis.”

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Last year it awarded £1.4 million a day on average to projects that help people and communities thrive. 90% of the grants it makes are for under £10,000 – going to grassroots groups and charities across the UK that are bringing to life amazing ideas that matter to their communities.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk