What’s Happening
Fulham Good Neighbours lockdown support
Urban Village LDN enjoyed speaking to Jamie Hilton, Director, of Fulham Good Neighbours about the work they’ve been doing during lockdown. Since 1966 Fulham Good Neighbours (FGN) has provided older and disabled people with neighbourly support in their homes and gardens.
Their vision “to create an inclusive community where neighbours look out and care for each other” and mission to “enrich the lives of older and disabled residents of Fulham by providing practical help, creating opportunities to contribute to society, connect with others and live life to the fullest” has certainly been put to the test during lockdown. With the closure of their community centre at Rosaline Hall they, like so many others, have had to adapt and move as many of their free services as they could online.
Jamie told Urban Village LDN “older and disabled members of the community have been hit particularly hard by the Coronavirus lock-down. As such we have had to think creatively about how we adjusted and transitioned our services to maintain safety for all. Projects such as the chair based exercise and art groups have gone online; we will look to maintain these services alongside the in-person version of these once it is safe to do so. The befriending and reading groups are now both via telephone, as is digital inclusion support. Our Good Neighbour Scheme, providing support for essential tasks, has seen a huge surge in demand and we have introduced new projects such as online gardening workshops”.
To date during lockdown:
27 beneficiaries have received free hot meals, food packages and toiletries; delivered up to four times a week
84 residents have received technical support to prevent digital exclusion
118 have attended the online art group
250 have attended online chair based exercise classes
300 essential tasks have been completed including shopping, medication delivery, dog walking etc
521 befriending phone conversations have taken place to prevent social isolation and exclusion
“The last volunteer who came was perfect, the shopping was perfect. I phoned to say thanks you for the help. It's wonderful.”
"I like her, it’s such a good match. She’s been great and offered to call twice a week and we speak often now. She even went to the pharmacy to take my prescription. She brought it to the door and I’ve seen her. I know what she looks like now! It’s been good since I’ve meet you at Fulham Good Neighbours, it doesn’t feel so lonely."
We felt it only fitting that we conclude with some words from Joyce a Fulham resident who has been involved with the Fulham Good Neighbour Service since the early 1970s; she also takes a mean selfie. Joyce started as an office volunteer and became a senior member of staff until her retirement. Joyce has now become a beneficiary attending pre lock down pub lunch clubs, is currently taking part in exercise sessions via Zoom and is still volunteering at the age of 92.
“As I expected, as soon as coronavirus arrived in this country FGN started making contingency plans. Their HQ, Rosaline Hall, was not suited to social distancing so staff prepared to work from home. Social groups, meeting there or elsewhere, could no longer take place and befriending volunteers could not continue to visit people in their homes. The gardening and decorating projects had to be suspended. This meant contacting, individually, all the participants, not only to keep them informed but to find out whether they had any needs which FGNS could meet (I was one of those telephoned). Weekly telephone contact was arranged with those who felt they would benefit. Where shopping was involved, this was undertaken under strict isolation conditions, with delayed payment arrangements to avoid handling money, i.e. an honesty system. I myself (luckily not living alone) am now in regular phone contact with a vulnerable person, thus fulfilling FGNS’s overall aim to enable older people (I am 92) to continue to take an active part in their community.”.
If you know anyone that needs support please get in touch. Sadly a large chunk of their income has been lost due to the cancellation of the annual Parsons Green Fair, and so now more than ever they are looking to the public for support with fundraising please contact info@fulhamgoodneighbours.org or get in touch on 020 7385 885
Take a look at the Fulham Good Neighbours Art Group on line art exhibition here https://fgns-art-group.weebly.com/
Free Cakes for Kids
Local resident Monika got in touch to tell us about Free Cakes for Kids Fulham. This new group was set up in May as part of a non profit nationwide organisation which was founded in 2008 by Henriette Lundgren in Oxford and has since grown to nearly 60 volunteer groups around the country.
This group of amateur bakers share the simple belief that every child deserves a birthday cake no matter what their circumstances. Monika told us “we bake birthday and celebration cakes for families who find it difficult to provide a birthday cake for their child for reasons such as financial hardship or illness. All cakes are baked 100% by volunteers, who operate locally and independently in their own private kitchens. Our cakes are homemade and delicious, usually featuring the child’s favourite theme and colours such as their favourite football team, Disney princesses or Cartoon character. We do this because we love baking and are passionate about our communities. We bake cakes for families in need. A single birthday cake may not end poverty or hunger, but it will make a huge difference to the birthday child and their families”.
Free Cakes for Kids Fulham is a growing community and they are working to secure more referral partners and recruit enthusiastic and talented volunteer bakers to bake the cakes for children in the area who might not otherwise have a cake to celebrate their birthday. In the first month of setting up the group they agreed a referral partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank, Crosslight Advice and are working to connect with more organizations and Fulham bakers.
We Rise Together
To celebrate inspirational acts of human kindness in Hammersmith and Fulham during the COVID-19 pandemic the council have launched the “We Rise Together” awards. The community has certainly risen up to the many challenges presented by these unprecedented times. Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham says “If there’s anything uplifting to come out of this terrible pandemic it is the inspirational acts of kindness that have been happening in a myriad of ways each day during the current pandemic. I want us to celebrate these thoughtful and often heroic acts, to reflect how our community has come together with resilience and compassion. That is why we are launching the We Rise Together awards to mark those individual and collective kindnesses that have helped and inspire all of us”.
The categories include:
Individual - someone who has selflessly devoted their time to help their neighbourhood or wider community during the current crisis.
Community organising – a local organisation or group of neighbours that has swung into action to support vulnerable residents or to adapt their activities to ensure people stay connected.
Local business – a local company that has used its skills or facilities to support the local community and ensure people can access the goods and services they need.
School or college – a local educational establishment that has worked hard to ensure that students and families are supported and has adapted to help them learn in new ways.
Technological or creative innovator – a person or organisation that has developed new solutions that have helped to protect people, enabled them to keep connected in new ways or ensured they can get the support they need.
The deadline for nominations is Friday 10 July and you can nominate anyone who lives, works, studies or volunteers in H&F or any community organisation working in the borough using the form below. All entries will be considered by a panel of judges. There will be three awards for each category and plans for awarding the winners will be announced soon. Due to the current circumstances winners can’t be awarded in person but alternative plans are being worked on.