It’s been a tough 2020 and approaching the end of the year, we mustn’t stop thinking of others and especially those with less than us.

So the Sunshine Radio Toy Appeal is back and it’s more important than ever and The Hope Centre will be again receiving toys as part of this appeal, please check the Sunshine Radio website for a list of donation stations.

We need your generosity for the underprivileged kids in our area this Christmas – but we also ask you to be Covid safe about the toys you buy.

With this in mind we’ve taken the tough decision to request you purchase ‘Hard Toys Only’ –So we’re asking for your boxed and sealed new toys for all ages 0 to 16 years. If unsure here is a useful video below to explain more:

All toys must be boxed, and rest assured that they will all go into a 72 hour quarantine before the charities place them with local underprivileged children.

Are you lonely? Do you need someone to talk to?

This is how we helped Martha (name changed)

Martha called our Hub telephone back in July after being in lockdown alone since March. She told us that her husband passed away last year, her family live abroad and she was alone, not able to see friends and struggling after having a fall. Our team of support staff put a plan in place to include: putting Martha in touch with adult social care services, deliveries of cooked meals made by our hub kitchen, weekly telephone calls to check in and chat about anything and everything and we even supported Martha to learn how to use Zoom so that she could ‘see’ her family face to face for the first time in months. Martha tells us- ‘I am glad I picked up the phone that day after having a leaflet through my door about the community hub. You have helped me so much. Having meals delivered to me after my fall really helped me. I wasn’t able to cook for a couple of months and they were always lovely. I look forward to our chats every week and I am so happy that I can now use the computer to see my family, especially my grandchildren who have grown so much’.

Our café will be shut from November 5^th due to the change in restrictions.  All our other services remain open. Contact Centre sessions and CAB appointments remain in place and we will continue to offer those in need locally meals and support via Hope Community Hub.

Call/text 07395 959240 for CAB appointments and Hub enquiries.

We hope that you all stay safe and well and hope to see you soon.

 

Day one of our new services went brilliantly yesterday and we were so pleased to see people attending their appointments.  Some people had never visited us before and we had really good feedback about the venue, the safety and how useful the advice was.

The Hope Centre, Bromyard and Winslow Town Council and CAB are hopeful that this new partnership has come at just the right time. There is a lot of anxiety, concern and worry about and we hope that everyone in Bromyard has heard about the new support available.  Booking essential by calling or texting 07395 959240 or email info@hopefamilycentre.org

Hereford Times had a feature about the service which can be seen here and Sonya Gregory, Services Manager, spoke on BBC Hereford and Worcester on Monday evening. Click here to read the article Hereford Times

The Hope Centre are pleased to be working in partnership with CAB for the first time.

 

 

A new partnership offering advice on debt, benefits, money, housing and other matters will be available from October 27th, thanks to support from Bromyard Town Council, Citizens Advice and the Coronavirus Community Support fund administered by The National Lottery Community Fund on behalf of the Government.

This new services complements other support available in the community and will be managed by The Hope Centre and Citizens Advice Bureau.  Both organisations have responded quickly to an enquiry from Bromyard Town Council who were seeking support for the local community.  The service will be available either via socially distanced, face to face appointments at The Hope Centre or as virtual meetings. Support is available for both.

Sonya Gregory, Advice Services Manager for Citizens Advice Herefordshire, said   “Advice services are particularly important at the moment, as many people have found themselves facing difficult problems due to the financial and social consequences of the current Covid 19 crisis and are not sure where to turn to”.  Heidi Mulholland, Services Manager at HOPE, who helped to set up the service recognises that this will be a huge help to the rural community in Bromyard, “We hope that people who already know about us and are familiar with our team will find it easy to contact us and ask us for support if they need it”.

To arrange an appointment or get advice, please call 07395 959240 or email info@hopefamilycentre.org