Burnley recovery service to benefit from £10,000 in National Lottery funding

A charity providing a range of recovery services across the North West, has recently been awarded £10,000 in National Lottery funding.
Acorn management team from left to right Nicola Crompton Hill, Stacy Garvin and Vicki Howard.Acorn management team from left to right Nicola Crompton Hill, Stacy Garvin and Vicki Howard.
Acorn management team from left to right Nicola Crompton Hill, Stacy Garvin and Vicki Howard.

Acorn Recovery Projects, who operate a residential rehab in Bank Parade, Burnley, plan to invest in smart phones, tablets, activities and gardening equipment to provide more accessible and engaging support for clients in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The successful application was submitted after a period of adjustment for Acorn’s services following lockdown restrictions. Each of the services has had to adapt the way they work to comply with government guidance.

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The additional funds will allow Acorn to secure a number of items that will be beneficial to their clients.

For Acorn’s residential services, funding will go towards providing additional indoor and outdoor games for clients as well as tools, plants and flowers for the garden.

Lockdown restrictions have forced Acorn to find new ways to keep clients engaged outside of the treatment rooms. While actively engaging in the therapeutic process, residential clients would ordinarily go out at weekends for family visits or trips out as a group.

Elsewhere, funds will be used to provide a library of smart phones and tablets to allow Acorn community service clients to engage with groups remotely.

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Acorn is currently providing these groups over video call to ensure support remains available and conforms to Government guidance.

However, access to smart phones or tablets had been an obstacle for some clients, preventing them from engaging fully with the new look services. By creating a library of devices, Acorn hopes to eliminate these obstacles and ensure support remains accessible to all who need it.

Kerrie Lang, primary housing lead at Acorn Recovery Projects, said: "The pandemic has been a real struggle for everyone, but for those accessing services and the providers themselves, it has been an extremely difficult time that has tested the resilience of everyone.

"The donation from the National Lottery is absolutely fantastic news for the staff as we can now ensure that all clients have what they need to get the most from their time in our services.

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"Those that could not join the community groups will be provided with tablets so that they can access the support on offer. For the residential clients it means that the downtime outside of the therapy can be much more constructive and lots more fun."