During the latest lockdown, you are not alone.
The Argus' We’re in it Together campaign is here to help direct you to any services you may need and show what services are on hand that you may not know you needed.
For our full list of services all over Gwent, click here.
A CHARITY based in Monmouthshire which has been helping vulnerable people during the pandemic, has now turned its hand to offering lifts to vaccination appointments.
Bridges Centre, which is based in Monmouth and offers services across the county, plans to spend the next couple of months “doing our bit to speed up the vaccination process”.
So far almost 113,000 people in Wales have received the first dose of a vaccine, which is about 3.6 per cent of the population – and with one of the oldest populations per head in the country – the charity said they couldn’t think of a better use of their time.
Lead coordinator for Bridges Community Car Scheme Faye Mear explained: “It’s understandable that a lot of vulnerable and elderly people don’t want to use public transport, and many of them might be on their own.
“Our volunteers agreed it would be a great idea and we started putting the word out that we’d do lifts starting this week.
“We’ve had lots of calls and it’s been pretty manic since, but it’s great to know we can help.”
READ MORE:
- One health board in Wales asked pharmacies to deliver vaccines
- Boss and driver stole thousands from Tata Steel in Newport
- 100 coronavirus deaths already confirmed in Gwent in 2021
It’s been a particularly difficult time for the charity too, with 60 volunteers pre-Covid now whittled down to just 22 for the whole region.
“It’s not been easy but we’re fortunate we’ve had Welsh Government funding to get us through, and we had good news this week that the funding is going to be renewed for the next year, so we can really crack on with helping as many people as we can.
“We’re envisaging a very busy time but we’re ready for the challenge.”
As well as the car share scheme, the Bridges Centre has also done free befriending calls to residents living alone, and has done lifts to help people get to the supermarket.
For lifts the charity charges a £2 administration fee and mileage costs.
For more information call 01600 22878 or visit http://www.befriendingmonmouthshire.org.uk/carscheme/.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here