Yesterday, the Children’s and Young People Scrutiny Committee, Herefordshire Council met to review a proposal made by Herefordshire Council to move services in house.

The meeting was recorded and can be viewed here Children and young people scrutiny committee – Tuesday 19 January 2021 10.00 am – YouTube

This link shows the public questions put to the Council in response to the proposal Public Questions

At the end of the meeting, a unanimous Scrutiny Committee vote recommended a deferral of the decision and an extension of the current service for up to 12 months.

A decision is due to be published on January 22nd by Cllr. Felicity Norman and more details can be found here

The Hope Centre Children’s Centre staff team and Board of Trustees would like to thank everyone who sent in their comments of support.  They have all been sent in an anonymised format to the Council and a copy of what everyone said is available here.

Although the Council did not formally consult the local community, we are glad  you had a chance to tell us what you thought and to see how much support there was for the Hope Centre and its many services.

We would also like to acknowledge the support and involvement of Bromyard & Winslow Town Council who held an Extraordinary Meeting last week to discuss this item and also give thanks to the Ward Cllrs. Alan Seldon, Jonathan Lester and Nigel Shaw all of whom made representations on behalf of the community in Bromyard. Finally, our thanks to Sarah Kelly, Chair of Trustees, who was called as a witness to the meeting and delivered a very powerful endorsement of Hope’s services.

Thank you, Heidi Mulholland and Sarah Eardley

When the current contract ends at the beginning of April, Herefordshire Council would like to deliver the Children’s Centre service instead of HOPE. This is a link to the council’s proposal
http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.…

What is the current Children’s Centre service in Bromyard?

HOPE have always delivered this for nearly 20 years. The service is about helping families with children 0-5. This includes the groups we run, the family event days, the café activities, the advice and guidance you get and many other things that HOPE offers.
You might have used us in the past or are using us now. Either way, it is really important that a locally provided service can continue, especially when the pandemic means getting help is really difficult.
Bromyard’s rural location means it is not always easy to access services. As a local provider we think we know what people need and can respond quickly when help is needed. We know the local community and think we are in a good position to know Bromyard pretty well. This means that the future of Hope will be affected if the services are moved.

You can send us a comment, messenger us or mail us and we will collect all the comments and give them to the council. It is really important to say what you think about local services if you want to protect them. You can mail us heidi.mulholland@hopefamilycentre.org and this is our Facebook account @HOPECentreBromyard.
If you prefer to comment directly to the council on the proposed changes, you can write to Amanda Price, Amanda.Price@herefordshire.gov.uk or Richard Watson, Richard.watson@herefordshire.gov.uk

Herefordshire Council offers support to the most vulnerable people and those struggling to cope during lockdown –
Residents told to STAY AT HOME now as COVID-19 case rates rise – Herefordshire Council
If you need to isolate and there are gaps in your plan which means that you require additional support, please contact the Herefordshire Council Talk Community Helpdesk by calling 01432 260027 or email talkcommunitycovidresponse@herefordshire.gov.uk.

The WISH website has lots of information on where you can find local support
Coronavirus: Local community information – WISH Herefordshire (wisherefordshire.org)
For advice on money, debt and budgeting and information about the council’s Better Off Service and financial support visit www.wisherefordshire.org/money

CURRENT LOCKDOWN UPDATE ON SERVICES

January 5^th 2021

We are all aware at Hope of the difficulties many of you will be facing during the current lockdown.  We will continue to offer all our services during the current lockdown, although we have had to make some adjustments in order to remain compliant with current lockdown guidance.  This means that most of our staff team are working remotely and most of the services will continue to be offered but either virtually or by phone.

Below is some information, which we hope you will find useful. One of the things we are here to do is help offer advice and guidance on lots of different matters, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need help.

For all general enquiries during this period, and until further notice, our main reception and phone line are not staffed.  Please call or text us on 07395 959240 instead or email info@hopefamilycentre.org.  Someone will get back to you as quickly as possible. Our office hours are 9am-5pm. All visitors must make a prior appointment before turning up at the Centre.

Our Children’s Centre, Contact Centre, Early Years services and Hub food deliveries are fully operational. Here are the numbers to call or text if you need to get in touch:

Early Years 07851962461             

Children’s Centre 07377318386/07395 959240

Child Contact Centre 07495 470476       

Hub food/lunchbox deliveries: 07395 959240

Please leave a message if no one answers and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Shopping / meds deliveries: If you require help with shopping or meds deliveries, please call 07395 959240 or email info@hopefamilycentre.org

Citizens Advice Service: If you want to access advice and guidance on specialist matters, we can offer you an appointment with Citizens Advice Bureau. Please call 07395 959240 to make an appointment.

We have been advised by PWP that Parenting classes are being offered virtually now and so Tuesday classes are not running at the Centre until further notice.

On behalf of us all, we hope to be back together as soon as it is safe to do so and hope you all remain safe and well in the meantime.