Residents of Stockland Green are now receiving Wellbeing Packs, packed with activities to keep recipients busy during the continued lockdown.

Using funding from the COVID-19 grant, National Lottery Awards for All England, the teams at The Pioneer Group and The Highcroft Community Centre have sourced and distributed activity packs to keep the elderly, shielding or isolated residents of Stockland Green occupied as lockdown eases.

The packs have already been successfully rolled out across Castle Vale by Compass Support, the charitable subsidiary of The Pioneer Group.

The recent holiday saw Easter Wellbeing packs being delivered, which included a ceramic egg decorating kit, mug painting set, paint by numbers poster and a reusable tote bag that residents could decorate.

Referrals have been received through the Methodist Church in Stockland Green, Highcroft Community Centre and directly from those who received food packs last year.

Another three weeks’ worth of new activities will be delivered throughout April, and Community Development Officer, Uzma Shaffiq comments:

The packs have been fantastic at raising spirits, boosting morale and giving those who are staying at home something exciting to do. Many of the recipients are isolated or elderly and they have feedback that the activities are a highlight of the week.

One recipient of the packs adds:

The wellbeing packs are delivered with a friendly doorstep chat – each bag contains an unexpected theme. I have particularly enjoyed ceramic painting and was able to stretch the paints further to use on plates I already owned. The chatty written note shows real thought and pride has gone into the planning and preparation of the packs. It is the knowledge that someone cares that has carried me through the last few weeks of shielding and helps me feel hope for me and our community as we move forward.

The packs are also aimed at engaging residents so that once Lockdown is eased more, they can join in where possible with face to face activities. This comes with consideration as from 12 April, in line with Government guidance, Highcroft Community Centre has slowly reopened with the first of the community groups taking place with safety measures in place.

Other outdoor activities are already underway, for example; cricket, walking football and bowling with scope for more to be added over the coming months. To find out more about what is available at Highcroft Community centre, you can visit their Facebook page for regular updates: www.facebook.com/HighcroftCommunityCentreUK