Charity that helps thousands of people across Burnley and Pendle praises 'sensational' response of dedicated volunteers during the pandemic

Volunteers with the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service (BPRCVS) have stepped up to go 'above and beyond' in response to the coronavirus crisis. The charity responded immediately, jumping into action from day one, working collaboratively and closely with partners in each of the district hubs.

A spokesman for the BPRCVS said: "Much of what has been achieved (and there is still a long way to go) is down to the hard work and dedication of volunteers.

"Their response has been nothing short of sensational and they deserve every bit of credit. The feedback from people who have been helped has proved just how valuable these volunteers are."

BPRCVS reached out to its huge network of VCF contacts to find out how community groups and voluntary organisations were being affected by the pandemic.

Many were struggling before the crisis due to funding cuts, but now more so than ever before and don’t have the resources or capability to continue delivering services which support hundreds of vulnerable people across

the county.

BPRCVS helped some groups and organisations to repurpose their funding. Groups are still operating, supported by BPRCVS, albeit in a different manner, with social distancing preventing face-to-face meetings and group support sessions.

Suspecting that food would be a critical issue for many, in partnership with local borough councils, BPRCVS purchased food and essential items to be offered to people in need for a suggested donation of only £15.

BPRCVS already has a successful food share programme at Gannow Community Centre which offers free food bags for the most vulnerable people in the community, even before this current crisis.

The food share is currently supporting over 300 individuals.

BPRCVS has an extensive knowledge of volunteering and is a vital part of the coordinated response

efforts in Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, receiving an average of around 100 referrals daily from the Burnley Together Hub, Pendle Community Support Hub and Rossendale Connected Hub.

Since receiving the first referral on March 24th there have been over 1,000 referrals from the community hubs across the three areas. Many independent referrals have come in via The CVS centre’s main office telephone line, general email and staff emails.

Many people have asked for help with shopping, prescription collections (including several veterinary prescriptions), befriending, and mental health support.

Sadly there has been a substantial increase in requests for befriending and mental health support during the imposed lockdown so for additional support BPRCVS mobilised a volunteer response team to provide befriending, mental health support, food, shopping collections, prescription deliveries and other vital services.

There have also been a number of referrals for dog walking because residents can’t leave their homes.

BPRCVS has received over 800 volunteer inquiries since the crisis began and signed up 250 volunteers to help out so far.

For the organisation’s staff it has been a hugely stressful period and often highly emotive, but all are committed to ensuring residents are healthy, supported and get what they need, when they need it.

Room hire which is a significant form of income generation for BPRCVS has ceased. The charity, like

many others, is losing money and having to utilise reserves, but it has vowed to keep going for as long as there is a need in the communities of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale.

BPRCVS is already starting to consider the long-term impact of this unprecedented crisis and how to

respond in the future.