'Hundreds still need support during pandemic' says Age UK Scarborough
The charity says the experience has brought the community together
Age UK Scarborough and District says helping people during the pandemic has been transformative for them.
The charity says there are still hundreds who need support and the experience has brought the community together.
Neil Bradbury, Chief Executive, said: "It was last year when the charity was carrying on its normal business and then obviously Covid hit and we faced with the dilemma of 'do we furlough the majority of our staff? Or do we stand up and be counted along with other voluntary groups in the area? And of course, the answer was that we were going to do the second option.
"We just worked on what needed to be done. So whether it was providing food, going out doing people's shopping, the pharmacy, reaching out to people, contacting them over the phone, cooking hot meals and all kind of things that we've not done before, and not contemplated on doing, within weeks we were doing them.
"I think it's been transformative for our charity. It's made us see so much community need that we weren't maybe not aware of, knew existed but weren't addressing, and it's made us recognised as a place that people can come to for support.
"People have come forward and asked for help which is amazing. We can't let those people down. We can't stop seeing them and supporting them. The work certainly continues for now, we're certainly working with North Yorkshire County Council to continue providing all the support as there's still hundreds of people who are needing support."