Thanks to funding secured through Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership, Lifeline Community Action continue to successfully support families and help to rebuild community togetherness across Newton Aycliffe throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The organisation was successful in applying for and securing funding through the GAMP Area Budget fund. The project is two-fold, it helps to provide much-needed essentials for families and secondly provides community based activities to address social and economic isolation across Newton Aycliffe.
Since the beginning of pandemic LCA have provided essential packs to individuals and families who were experiencing financial difficulties and struggling to purchase the cleaning and personal products they needed to keep themselves, their belongings and their homes virus free. However, in their latest project they have gone one step further and began to directly target isolation within the community, by delivering activities where families and individuals can enjoy taking part in activities in a group setting again, in a local venue.
Pauline Chambers, from Lifeline Community Action, said: “The demand across the area for our service dramatically increased when the outbreak took hold, with more families and individuals requiring our support. The funding received helped us greatly in the ability to support those additional families, that found themselves in need during this difficult time. This project with the ‘rebuild’ element has allowed us to help bring the community back together, once restrictions were lifted, helping to ease the isolation so many were facing”
To date the project has helped support nearly 400 individuals/families and is on track to exceed its target of over 500.
Brian Riley, Great Aycliffe & Middridge Partnership Coordinator, said, “Lifeline Community Action have provided an invaluable service to local Newton Aycliffe residents during the pandemic crisis and their efforts are greatly appreciated by the Great Aycliffe & Middridge Partnership Board.”