Support for Peterborough residents struggling during lockdown at hub

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Countywide Co-ordination Hub was set up last year to provide vital support to those who need it most.

This included providing food parcels, checking in with clinically extremely vulnerable people while they were shielding and, more recently, arranging transport to vaccinations.

The Hub coordinated the redeployment of 420 members of Cambridgeshire County and Peterborough City council staff to support the response to the pandemic.

Councillor Irene Walsh, Peterborough City Council Cabinet Member for Communities said: “I know that all our officers and volunteers working within the hub have worked so hard to provide vital support to those who need it. I’m pleased to see the hub has helped so many people and I’d like to thank all those involved for providing such an important service.”

Councillor Steve Criswell, Chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities & Partnership Committee, said: “I have seen what a fantastic job our countywide hub has done

in helping vulnerable people in our local communities. The pandemic has affected all of us and it is vital everyone has access to essentials such as food and wellbeing support. I’d like to thank all our officers and volunteers who work within the hub, many of who were redeployed into new areas of work.”

Throughout 2020, the Countywide Hub:

· Provided regular support to 7,811 clinically extremely vulnerable people including: 31,734 check-in emails, 8,481 check-in texts and 15,207 check-in calls.

· Worked closely with the British Red Cross to provide 3,590 people with food parcels.

· Responded to 19,433 requests for support. These were via phone calls, emails or online forms and involved providing practical support, signposting or by offering advice and guidance.

· Supported 32,000 children and young people with access to food over the Christmas break as part of the Winter Support Grant scheme.

· Helped 46 people to self-isolate where the national scheme was unable to assist. This was mostly through providing financial support to those who needed to self-isolate, as well as linking people to other services such as providing access to food.

· Assisted 3,493 households in other ways including providing information and support, as well as offering warm clothes, utilities and hygiene supplies.

· Provided 23 people with access to transport for vaccination appointments who otherwise would not have the ability to get there.

The Countywide Hub continues to provide vital support. To contact the hub call 0345 045 5219.