Two Cambridgeshire charities, Lighthouse Ely and Sutton Parish Council, have received a welcome and timely boost towards their support for older and vulnerable individuals this winter, thanks to a donation from Hopkins Homes.
Hopkins Homes donated the money to support the charity’s work through its Hopkins Charitable Fund – a half a million-pound fund distributed to charities and community groups across Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire, over the course of five years.
Sutton Parish Council, which is working in collaboration with the Sutton Timebank and Sutton Helping Hands community organisations, distributed the £2,500 it received from the fund to help those in self-isolation with shopping, post office trips and picking up prescriptions, particularly vital during these shorter days and longer nights.
Lighthouse Ely similarly received over £4,300 from the fund to go towards the cost of a dedicated coordinator, who will oversee a program which connects local volunteers with 100 elderly people to tackle the issues of isolation, medicine and food delivery.
Joshua Hopkins, of the Hopkins Charitable Fund, said: “Staying at home at the moment is the right thing to do to ensure that members of our communities who are most at risk are kept safe, particularly in these colder months, however for vulnerable people this can lead to feelings of loneliness and negatively impact their mental health.
“The ongoing pandemic has intensified these issues and it highlights the need for this vital work in our society. The money from the grants will help fund the ongoing delivery of contact and specialist support to those who need it most.
“Hopkins Homes has been part of the East Anglian landscape for over three decades and we are committed to leaving a positive legacy on our built environment to enhance the Cambridgeshire community we are part of. We are delighted to have been able to offer support and look forward to hearing more about the extraordinary things these organisations in Sutton and Ely are doing in the future.”
The coronavirus outbreak brought new challenges for the two charities and staff needed to quickly adapt to the sudden change. Most noticeable was a significant increase in people needing to access the services both charities provide.
Rosie Hughes, Parish Clerk at Sutton Parish Council, said: “The donation from Hopkins Homes is a fantastic, well needed contribution and helps us deliver vital support to older people who feel acutely vulnerable, especially at the moment.
“When lockdown hit, Sutton Time Bank had only been operational for less than a month and needed to urgently rethink how it delivered the service to ensure the safety of staff and service users. Throughout lockdown the group has maintained daily contact, either by telephone or doorstep visits and successfully delivered essential groceries and prescriptions.”
Giles Cornell, Senior Pastor at Lighthouse Ely, said: “At Lighthouse Ely, we help older and vulnerable people with a range of services, such as a friendly phone call, food delivery, prescription pick up and an occasional hot meal to keep the community fighting fit in these cold winter months.”
“We are so grateful for this crucial support from Hopkins Homes which helps members of our community who would otherwise feel forgotten about and isolated.”
Hopkins Charitable Fund is working with the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation through its coronavirus fund to support charities and community organisations in the county.
For more information about Hopkins Homes please visit www.hopkinshomes.co.uk
Press release from Hopkins Homes
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