Welcoming back familiar faces to The Apton

Time has seemed to go so quickly this year for us as we have rallied in response to the changes that have come with the pandemic. This rollercoaster of a year has certainly curtailed many of our plans for 2020 and have seemingly passed in a blur. Yet, for some like our members time has been something they seemingly have had too much of - on their own.

Closing the centre

Back in March we took the heart breaking decision to close our doors to our members and to take a course of action which was so alien for us all here at The Apton. We asked our members to go home, shield and stay indoors; knowing for many this meant being home alone, socially isolated and potentially lonely. The very position we strive to keep our members from.

Whilst closed we have been actively involved in a community project, Operation CommUNITY which was led by our staff and an army of volunteers and has allowed us to continue our support for our members and the wider community since March.

The project delivered support to those shielding or impacted by the pandemic with practical support, advice, and welfare guidance and referrals for the most vulnerable members of our community. Delivering some 3000 hot meals to families and those shielding, completing 1030 shopping trips and errands, sending out over 450 care packages and managing over 4000 calls via a virtual call centre. Our volunteers supported 73 people with befriending services, advice and guidance thanks to the many volunteers who have collectively delivered over 5000 hours of support to date.

Our dedicated team continue to make regular phone calls and some have had help to get out and about with home visits and social bubble befriending to ensure we can keep in touch with old and new friends alike. Whilst these activities have certainly allowed us to continue to provide support in the community, the centre just hasn't been the same and we have missed our Apton Family. So, we were delighted on the 5th October 2020 to welcome back many familiar faces and welcome some new ones too with some