It’s the final day of Mental Health Awareness Week and we are wrapping up our Weekend Takeover with a story about Doorstep Help. The scheme has been running throughout the pandemic to provide food, prescription and medical supplies to those who are over 70, shield or self-isolating:

Our winter fundraising appeal (raising £20,000) helped us continue vital support to over 750 people in Holborn.  Yet it was difficult for anyone to anticipate the impact of the third lockdown in early 2021 on mental health.  This saw an increasing number of people we reached through our Doorstep Help scheme, particularly older people who were asked to shield – used to living a healthy and active life.  Now they were isolated with many living by themselves, frustrated for feeling vulnerable.  This combination took its toll on mental health with 43% of older people receiving help through Doorstep Help reporting anxiety and depression through the winter.  Naomi our Community Link Worker role saw her delivering essential supplies, providing regular contact, and using our network of referral partners to link them to the right support.  She told us “in the past six months the impact of COVID has gotten more real and it’s become even more important that people feel their voices are being heard and they don’t just feel like they are a number on a list”. 

For more info on what we do get in touch with us at admin@holborncommunity.co.uk. You can also visit our activities calendar to see all our current activities.