Support for Communities in third national lockdown

Published: 6 January 2021

Communities can be reassured that they will be supported throughout the new national lockdown, Exeter Community Wellbeing has said.

Extra capacity has been added to the Exeter Community Wellbeing hotline so that more queries can be received.

The hotline was set up in March 2020 by Exeter City Council and Wellbeing Exeter, to assist individuals and community groups to help and support each other during the COVID-19 outbreak.

With the latest lockdown, people in Exeter can be reassured that the support offered by this group of partners continues.

The hotline can be contacted by phone on 01392 265000 or online at www.exeter.gov.uk/wellbeing. The hotline is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Cllr Amal Ghusain, Lead Councillor for Communities and Culture, said: “This latest lockdown is a blow to everyone in the New Year, but it’s important that we continue to do whatever is necessary to keep our families, friends and communities safe.

“There is a robust network of local community groups, dedicated volunteers and organisations including Wellbeing Exeter, Exeter Connect and ECFC City Community Trust working together to support the people of Exeter through this latest stage of the pandemic. The Exeter Community Wellbeing hotline continues to receive calls and arrange urgent food and prescriptions deliveries to vulnerable members of our communities.

“Exeter has shown great spirit and togetherness throughout the past months and I’m confident that we will continue to work together and take care of each other in this national lockdown.”

Exeter Community Wellbeing can:

• Help connect individuals with people or services who can offer advice and support
• Arrange priority food delivery slots from local supermarkets
• Help with food shopping & delivery for isolating households and the clinically extremely vulnerable
• Arrange urgent prescription collections or delivery of other essential supplies
• Provide food vouchers or one-off grants to those experiencing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic
• Refer people to Exeter Foodbank
• Connect individuals to community groups close by

Shielding / Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV)

For those who are shielding or clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV), a letter from the government will be delivered shortly. The government may again ask some people to shield. For those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, the advice is still to stay at home as much as possible but there is encouragement to go outdoors carefully to exercise or to attend health appointments. Advice is to work from home if possible, but if this is not possible then to stay at home. Further updates will be provided on the Exeter Community Wellbeing website as soon as they are available.

Exeter Community Wellbeing is co-ordinated by a team including Wellbeing Exeter partners, Devon Community Foundation, Exeter Community Initiatives, Exeter Connect, Exeter City FC City Community Trust and Exeter City Council. Funding partners include Exeter City Council, Devon County Council and Sport England.