Sheffield community groups join together to help the most vulnerable during coronavirus pandemic

While the nation gradually eases its way out of lockdown, charities and support organisations across Sheffield have rallied together to support people who are still self-isolating and struggling to make ends meet.
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Nether Edge and Sharrow Foodbank, Manor and Castle Development Trust and Big Brother Burngreave are just some of the community groups who have adapted their services to help those in need while the country remains in lockdown.

Co-founder of Nether Edge and Sharrow Foodbank Nighat Basharat, came up with the idea to create free packs of halal, vegetarian and vegan food for elderly people who are self-isolating and single parents, in March.

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The 43-year-old who is a part time mental health worker, collaborated with charities, Families Relief, iAspire and Thalassaemia South Yorkshire to provide resources food to people in need after she identified a lack of halal food options in existing foodbanks.

Project manager, Safiya Saeed who runs youth club Big Brother Burngreave has turned to phone and internet calls to help young men keep in touch during the pandemic.Project manager, Safiya Saeed who runs youth club Big Brother Burngreave has turned to phone and internet calls to help young men keep in touch during the pandemic.
Project manager, Safiya Saeed who runs youth club Big Brother Burngreave has turned to phone and internet calls to help young men keep in touch during the pandemic.

Nighat said: "People have told us that they don't know where else they would have turned.

"If we hadn't put this support in place we don't know what would have happened to people who have no money.”

Community organisation, Manor and Castle Development Trust which works to regenerate the area, have re-designed their usual physical services with phone calls and video chats to help people stay connected during the crisis.

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The trust has also been deploying staff to collect shopping and prescriptions for vulnerable people who are self-isolating.

Young men from the Big Brother Burngreave youth club have continued to have difficult conversations about mental health during lockdown.Young men from the Big Brother Burngreave youth club have continued to have difficult conversations about mental health during lockdown.
Young men from the Big Brother Burngreave youth club have continued to have difficult conversations about mental health during lockdown.

Chief executive Debbie Mathews said: "We’ve been working with the partners across the city to make sure our communities are well supported and everybody has stepped up to make sure we don't miss anybody.”

Youth club Big Brother Burngreave have also turned to online resources to help young men in the community feel supported during lockdown.

The group which usually meets in person have kept in touch through video chats, cooking tutorials and social media live streams.

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Reach Up Youth project coorindator Safiya Saeed commented: "They used to have places to go to and all of a sudden there is no other entertainment, they're just expected to sit there – it's really hard.

“Social media is life-saving right now to keep that conversation going and just be available.”

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