Had my regular work meeting with a health network yesterday. I always look forward to it as it is full of pretty inspiring people. The group is made up of volunteers and charity workers and NHS staff who all want to improve wellbeing and mental health in our area.
So many people have been left behind and let down by our government but it is comforting to know there is an army of people behind the scenes trying to do what they can.
Our guest speaker yesterday was a young mum who had started her own sports group for children with additional needs, as none in the area were willing to put anything on for children like her son. Her group has grown and now has various groups in surrounding villages having a huge impact upon the parents and children they support.

It’s difficult to stay cheery at the moment, but this one meeting made my day.

What other amazing groups and people are there in your communities doing great things?

The awesome MrsRNP started a local community group – she’s tied it in with the local food bank and take their fresh goods donations that they can’t use and cooks them into delicious meals using the local church’s kitchen facilities using volunteers. They are then frozen and distributed weekly to various referrals from people who are on free school dinners, vulnerable isolating and people who are just struggling with Covid/job loss etc.

They did 300 frozen 3course turkey or vegetarian Xmas dinners and have continued since doing ~100 a week a growing.

The sense of community and inpouring has been awesome – from people wanting to volunteer manning the phones, doing deliveries, cooking, cleaning, and local supplier and businesses offering assistance and donations.

https://www.facebook.com/shineonproject/

That is amazing RNP. Without community groups like Shine On and people like MrsRNP, far far more people would be struggling and in dire straights. It restores your faith in humanity hearing about things like this.

There are plenty of people wanting to make a difference

she’s tied it in with the local food bank and take their fresh goods donations that they can’t use

Apologies, has RAFT sorted itself out yet? The issues seem to have dropped out of sight during lockdown but it’s not clear if they are resolved or ignored.

My gf started a little project called ‘Coats for Kids’

Billy Connolly once said ‘Theres no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes’ and she feels bad weather shouldn’t be something only the poorer people in society experience, especially here in Scotland. So she endeavours to give kids the right clothes.

She spends the year haranguing outdoor clothing suppliers (she can write a great email)  and in the winter matches up great coats with great kids. I top up the commercial donations with a cash float so that there’s a shopping budget to fill the gaps where the donations don’t meet the needs