NWN-18062020

Thursday, June 18, 2020 12

NEWBURY NEWS

Newbury Weekly News

Resource centre steps up to the Covid crisis The Community Furniture Project store opened its doors to the public on Monday , but the shop is just one part of the Newbur y Community RecseouCrentre, whichbheaesn operational throughout the lockdown period, tr ying to maintain a sense of ‘ norma’ flor the many people who rely on its ser v ce . Geraldine Gardner talks to its CEO Kelvin Hughes

“We supply to them direct – fresh, frozen and tinned foods – and we are also donating food, such as yogurts and healthy snacks, to five schools in the area.” In addition, any leftover produce has been delivered to other food distribution charities, such as the Fair Close Centre, Loose Ends and Newbury Soup Kitchen. “There are also smaller village groups that have sprung up during this crisis and we have supplied fresh and dairy foods to them as well,” Mr Hughes said. “If you don’t use it, it ends up in landfill, which is not accept- able.” The charity has also continued to supply essential and white goods to people who have moved out of hostels into permanent accommodation, homeless people who have been put into accommodation and victims of domestic violence who have been

moved to safety. Mr Hughes said: “We have 50 staff and throughout this period 11 have continued to work along- side a large number of volun- teers.” He added that one of the most difficult things had been telling volunteers who are over 70, and therefore in the vulnerable age group, that they can’t help. He said: “It’s been really hard telling them they are not allowed to help – they are so keen.” Because the premises in Hambridge Road are so large the charity has also been able to continue its bicycle repair work- shops and furniture building sessions as part of its social care remit. “Many of the people who come to the workshops are young and have learning disabilities such as autism, so change for them is very difficult,” Mr Hughes said. “By running the workshops in a safe and protected environment it maintains some sense of normality for them, as well as giving their parents or carers some respite. “It has worked really well. “They understand the process and the rules and restrictions in place and have all accepted and followed them.” For those that are still at home, the charity has provided social inclusion via phone calls and WhatsApp groups. “Even if someone just rings to chat about what’s on TV – just “We will continue to follow the Government advice and we want to assure parents and carers that the safetyof children who use our transport in the future will be dealt with to the highest stan- dards.” To qualify for the refund, parents and carers will need to complete the dedicated refund form at https://info.west- berks.gov.uk/article/36932. The information needs to be completed correctly as the payment will be made by bank The grant will support 12 fami- lies suffering hardship since the schools closed and school meals are no longer available. Lesley O’Rourke said: “Thank you to Newbury Town Council, on behalf of myself, the schools I support and the families who will receive fresh meat and fish hampers throughout the summer due to this generous grant. “The Covid crisis has added additional financial hardship to so many families. “The hampers will enable parents and carers to provide a blanket of warmth that comes from being able to prepare your family a home-cooked meal – a vital ingredient in helping a

ONE of the key areas that has kept the charity busy has been food distribution to families and schools, as well as other groups that provide meals and food parcels for the homeless and vulnerable in their area. Newbury Community Resource Centre chief executive Kelvin Hughes said that it had been working flat-out from the moment lockdown was imposed. Mr Hughes said: “The first thing we did was buy a chiller van, so that we could deliver the fresh produce that comes to us each day from Fareshare, a food distribution charity that supplies us with our goods. “It’s all about getting it in, then sending it straight out to the people who need it.” Before March, Mr Hughes said that the charity would normally supply food to 30 people over the course of a month. He said: “Since lockdown that has gone up to 440.

Sharon Chapman, Kelvin Hughes, Joe McKay , Kevin Ding andaWyne Mcshane

little small talk – it is important to keep in contact with our young people so they don’t feel aban- doned.” Newbury Community Resource Centre has also been supplying activity packs to fami- lies with young carers. Mr Hughes said: “We have been sending them craft sets and old-fashioned games, so that they don’t just spend their time in front of a screen, but have some- thing creative to do. “Our aim has been to main- tain a sense of normal as much as we can for everyone.” Another part of the charity is the Growing 2gether project, based in Kingsclere, which is a horticultural therapy and envi- ronmental education centre for young people with learning and physical disabilities and those with mental health issues . Although lockdown meant it had to temporarily shut down, it still sold all the plants it had. “We managed to sell all our stock online, delivering 10,000 plants across the area, including transfer. The refunds will be processed and either a full refund madeor a partial refund if there is an outstanding invoice on the account for the farepayer. The closing date for refunds is July 17. Send the form to transport@ westberks.gov.uk. The council said it was unable to backdate refunds for the two weeks from March 23 to April 3 if it had not been claimed before April 30. family flourish.” Town council grants subcom- mittee chairman Gary Norman said: “Last month we awarded £2,350 to four very deserving organisations and we are pleased to be able to help two further causes at this time who are both doing extremely good work during the Covid-19 pandemic.” With funding still available, any charities operating in the Newbury area that need £1,000 or more of funding to help those impacted by coronavirus should apply via The Good Exchange. Applications for less than £1,000 should be sent via email to grantenquiries@green- hamtrust.com

donations to all West Berkshire Council care homes to brighten them up.” As lockdown restrictions ease, Mr Hughes said the charity had worked hard at getting the store safe and ready to welcome the public when it opened earlier this week. He said it is selling all its usual goods, apart from books – “we decided that it would be impossi- ble to control the handling of books, so it was easier to just remove them from the shop”. The maximum number allowed in the shop at any one time is 20 and there are eight staff and volunteers on hand. The shop opens at 10am, then shuts for an hour at lunchtime, for a clean. The same cleaning routine happens when the shop closes at 4pm. Mr Hughes said: “Our mantra is distance, distance, distance and handwashing, handwashing, handwashing.” Sanitisers have been placed all around the shop for customers

and the volunteers and, following Government guidelines, gloves, visors and masks are also avail- able. Mr Hughes says he has been overwhelmed by the way people have stepped up to help during this crisis. “People basically are good and if given the opportunity to show their good side they always do – everybody has been pulling together.” The Community Furniture Project shop in Bone Lane, on the Hambridge Road Industrial Estate, is open Monday to Friday 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4pm. Household collections have also started this week and you can book a collection by calling (01635) 43933. If you want to take in donations, call and book a time slot so that the charity can safely manage the movement of people and goods in the loading area. For more information, visit www.cfpnewbury.org

Social distancing obvsedr in the showroom

Refund offer for home-to-school transport PARENTS andcarers canapply for refunds on school transport fares paid for terms 5 and 6. has not been used for the last few months so it’s only fair we offer the refund to help families across the district.

and countryside Richard Somner (Con, Tilehurst South & Holy- brook) said: “We know this pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty for all, but this announcement to provide a refund for school transport will provide some financial relief to parents and carers across West Berkshire. “I’d encourage all parents and carers to complete the paperwork carefully as soon as possible in order to receive their refund.” Executive member for children, young people and education Dominic Boeck (Con, Aldermas- ton) said: “With the Government restrictions in place and only slightly easing, school transport of every working day. It is also going to provide educational toys for those chil- dren who receive support remotely. Greenham Trust has pledged to match-fund the council’s grant. Fresh Food Parcels for Disad- vantaged Families works with vulnerable people to address their immediate nutrition needs. It is the brainchild of Lesley O’Rourke – a West Berkshire Council family school support worker – and volunteer Zena O’Callaghan. Its work has assumed particu- lar urgency through the lock- down.

West Berkshire Council isoffer- ing the refunds in response to the Government directive to only open schools for certain year groups during the coronavirus pandemic. A refund will be given to those who have bought a farepayer seat on home-to-school transport. Separate applications for each term will be accepted. If a child is returning for all or part of term 6, parents and carers need to indicate when the child started to use school transport. Executive member for transport NEWBURY Town Council has given grants totalling £1,914 to two local charities. Fresh Food Parcels for Disad- vantaged Families has received £1,464. And Dingley’s Promise – a support service for young chil- dren with special needs – is the recipient of £450. While Dingley’s Promise reopened its dedicated Newbury centre last week, some children have not returned and it has been providing aid to 29 families remotely. It needs funding for cleaning equipment and materials to ensure a deep clean of the build- ing and all its contents at the end

It asked parents to re-apply for the farepayer scheme for the academic year of 2020-2021 as the closing date is tomorrow (Friday). Grants will help charities to continue vital work

A train carriage is sprayed with the sanitiser Deep clean for carriages

employing the treatment for its services. GWR interim managing direc- tor Matthew Golton said: “For those who need to travel, we are doing everything we can to carry as many people, safely, as we can. “This new trial is just one example of that, helping those who do need to travel to do so with confidence. “But please do help us by plan- ning ahead, travelling, where possible, at quieter times, and wear a face covering to keep yourself and our staff safe.”

GREAT Western Railway is trialling a ‘virucidal’ sanitiser inside its train carriages. The treatment is sprayed inside the carriages while they are out of operation. Overnight, it coalesces into a fog, covering all surfaces inside the trains. The sanitiser reportedly kills 99.99 per cent of bacteria and viruses, and provides surefire protection against Covid-19 for up to 28 days. It is non-toxic and non-alco- holic. South Western Railway is also