We’ve created a little hub where you can find information and resources during the third lockdown. If you’re feeling down and are struggling to keep positive, here you will find resources from partner organisations that can help you take care of your wellbeing. Or if you’d like to help, partner organisations across the borough have great volunteering opportunities available that we will promote here as well.
Although it’s great news that vaccines are on the way, it is going to take time to get everyone vaccinated. You will hear from your GP when it’s your turn. Meanwhile we are in lockdown and cases are still high in Islington, so please stay at home as much as possible.
Simply click on the section that you’d like to read and you will automatically jump to the section:
Volunteering Opportunities
Feel like doing your bit? There’s plenty of ways in which you could help! Local organisations across Islington are working tirelessly to support people that need it most.
There are a number of volunteer befriending schemes across the borough, at Manor Gardens Welfare Trust, and Stuart Low Trust also have a good young people focused project.
Centre 404 are looking for volunteers to help out at their group activity sessions for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.
Octopus Community Network are looking for volunteers to help with food sorting and packaging, and essential item delivery.
VAI are looking for Resource Centre Volunteer to support the Resource Centre Manager to run the Resource Centre which hosts voluntary and community sector organisations.
Holloway Neighbourhood Group are looking for Tech Support Volunteers working from home, that can help people who are digitally excluded to engage with online activities via telephone and online support to access the Zoom platform. They are also looking for Stress Project In-Touch Telephone Volunteers that can provide support to people who are facing social isolation by maintaining regular telephone contact with them.
🆕 SFT Foundation is now calling for Volunteer Mentors who will help in delivering her youth mental health project. Volunteer mentors are pivotal in being role models to BAME young people age 12-24 whose mental health and wellbeing are challenged as a result of their vulnerability to gang/knife crime or due to the effect of Covid-19.
Mer-IT are currently donating computers to schools and residents in need. Some of their users need a bit more support than just the provision of a device as they lack basic digital skills. It is often very simple things to get them started like: how to connect to Wifi, how to find/open a program, etc. They are looking for volunteers that could offer one morning a week of basic phone and IT support.
Manor Gardens are looking for community interpreter volunteers to provide interpreting for members of the community who require support in accessing local services. Many of the service users are from minority and/or vulnerable community groups, with limited English language skills.
Become a Covid-19 Health Champion: You will be provided with the latest and most up to date guidance on Covid-19 including on: NHS Test and Trace, Social distancing, Self-isolation, Shielding. After you are all trained up you can be involved as little or as much as you want with the network.
You can also register to the NHS Volunteer Responders programme to become a community response volunteer or a steward volunteer for the Covid vaccinations.
Find details about volunteering opportunities with many groups in Islington through our partners at the Voluntary Action Islington.
Mental Health and Support
If you’re feeling down from time to time and are looking to improve your mood or just have some good time online, partners around Islington are offering a lot of options for you.
You could start your Talk For Health journey, a training programme that can give you space to reflect on your own life. At Mary’s Youth Club they have put together a Lockdown 3.0 Programme with crafts sessions or social action projects. Or if you feel like dancing, why not join Centre 404’s Friday Night Social Disco?
Stuart Low Trust have put together an arts, nature and wellbeing calendar of activities for February.
🆕 Holloway Neighbourhood Group are offering one-to-one Tech Support sessions are every Tuesday afternoon – from 2pm to 4pm – with each session lasting 30 minutes.
Or if you know of someone that can’t get online, Help on Your Doorstep have a volunteer phone befriending service to support isolated residents.
Body&Soul’s MindSET series 3 is back: sign up for free online practical support for your mental health delivered through science, creativity and community.
Check VAI’s working from home, being active, health and wellbeing podcasts.
We Are Islington & vaccine rollout
The We are Islington helpline, run by Islington Council, connects residents with hundreds of volunteers organised in partnership with local charities, community organisations and mutual aid groups. The service offers assistance for anyone who is vulnerable or self-isolating with food drops, medicine and other practical support, as well as arranging someone to talk to if people are feeling lonely while self-isolating. Open daily from 9am-5pm.
Phone: 020 7527 8222.
Minicom line to assist people with hearing or speech difficulties: 020 7527 1900.
Email: weareislington@islington.gov.uk.
Vaccine rollout
Islington Council, together with NHS and voluntary and community organisations is working closely together to deliver the Covid-19 Vaccination.
An independent group of experts has recommended that the NHS first offers Covid-19 vaccines to those at highest risk of catching the disease and of suffering serious complications or dying from Covid-19. This includes:
• Older adults resident in a care home
• Care home workers
• All those 80, followed by 70 years and over
• Health and social care workersp.
Volunteer Stewards are really needed to help voluntary organisations support patients when they arrive for their vaccination, find out more.
If you’d like to learn more about the vaccination, this leaflet explains more about it, who is eligible and who needs to have the vaccine to protect them from the virus.
Give to support your local area
It is crucial that we keep supporting our local groups reaching out to people most affected by the pandemic. If you can, please give.
