Posted on Thursday 12th January 2023
Pictured are members of the Burntwood Be A Friend Walking Group, with volunteer coordinator Kathy Lewis seen second from right.
A local charity is being supported to expand and help more people.
Staffordshire County Council is using its community recovery fund to back the Burntwood Be A Friend group, which is doing great work in its community.
Founded to help people through the Pandemic, the group now does many things including running a community food store, offering cost of living advice and organising wellbeing walks.
Talking about the impact of the walks, Kathy Lewis, a volunteer coordinator at the group, said:
A lot of people were frightened of coming out of their house after the pandemic and they were stuck at home feeling lonely and isolated.
We started the walk to help and people can come along and they don’t have to talk to anyone, just get out and experience the beauty of Chasewater and get a bit of exercise.
We’ve found the walks help people who are experiencing mental health issues, who are anxious or stressed, they get out of their own thoughts and talk to different people.
It's great to see people coming along and getting so much out of it, talking to people, and it opens doors, they feel able to start doing other things and get more involved in the community.”
Based on a partnership of local charities, churches and organisations, Burntwood Be A Friend group also works with local businesses to provide practical support to those who are socially isolated.
Support can include involvement in the community garden, finding someone to talk to those alone and referring people to other agencies if more specialist help is needed.
Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Communities and Culture, is leading the authority’s ‘Here to Help’ winter campaign and was full of praise for the work of the Burntwood group. She said:
The ‘Cost of Living’ crisis can affect people in different ways. Not only does the Burntwood Be a Friend group offer practical help, it offers emotional support too and draws people out of their homes and into the community.
It’s an excellent example of how we can help residents make a difference to each other’s lives.”
Issues covered include managing debt, paying bills, food and essentials, staying warm and helping others. Access to the online benefits checker and information on funded childcare are also available.
Information on council schemes to help people with the cost of living pressures, including the Pre-Loved School Uniform Market, are also available on the website, or by visiting a community help point, library or children’s centre.