Emergency funding for Age Concern to help vulnerable during Covid crisis

The award-winning charity has been given £144,000 from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by the National Lottery Community Fund.

The grant will cover the cost of running frontline services put in place during the pandemic.

Since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown period, Age Concern Central Lancashire has brought in a raft of measures – such as a dedicated helpline and adapted dementia services – designed to give direct, immediate support to Lancashire’s older population.

As part of the initiative, more than £50,000 worth of food and essential supplies were sourced and delivered to local people, while the charity’s team also made over 6,000 welfare calls to check in on the health and wellbeing of service users.

In total, more than 150 volunteers have supported Age Concern Central Lancashire, making weekly shopping trips, delivering food parcels and providing hours of support over the telephone as part of the charity’s ‘befriending’ service.

Suzanne Carr, CEO at Age Concern Central Lancashire, said: “Like many charities across the country, we were hugely impacted by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“From creating immediate pathways of support for our service users and members of public, to closing our shops and centres and cancelling fundraising events and activities that, ultimately, allow us to keep going – it has been an incredibly challenging time.

“So, we welcome this funding with open arms as it will enable us to effectively cover the unexpected costs that were incurred during lockdown.”