B&Q St.Helens

It all started with newspaper deliveries - our very first phone call came through a relative of a vulnerable resident asking for help getting their daily newspapers. And so we started in the run up to the very first lockdown - This very soon became a full newspaper round! With the help of our sponsors/partners we have: •local residents/pharmacies with prescription collection/delivery •Grocery shopping •TV collection, testing and distribution to care home - enabling the residents could watch the 75 year VE Day whilst in lockdown measures •Support local care home events •Woodland Trust path clearance •WODAC Food donations and volunteers for hamper preparation •Room at the Inn - food and clothing collections (Rucksack appeal) •The Verve - starter packs with easy to follow recipes •Fundraisers for; local schools’ PFAs, Cancer Research, Alzheimer’s Association, Blood Cancer UK, local care homes’ events •Litter picking •Supported victims of the local community during the floods •Defibrillator fundraisers for community 24/7 access defibrillators and cabinets •Community events - Mothers Day, DDay80 remembrance Ongoing support to the community: •Emergency supply packs, available 24/7 (referrals from Schools, Social Services, local GPs/Medical staff etc) •Supply packs - ongoing requests •Support with new homes (Domestic violence victims/New mums), this can be as simple as collecting items on behalf of families and/or a starter supply pack. •Advocacy •Birthday/Christmas gifts for families who otherwise could not afford •Veteran support - Food hampers, support in new home, social engagement support •Community events; Mothers Day afternoon tea, Remembrance anniversaries, Remembrance Sunday refreshments •Each year we team up with our local Residents Association at Christmas to provide a 3 course meal with entertainment for the lonely and vulnerable •Flower donation and volunteer time for our ‘Friends of St Mary’s’ volunteer group - who lovingly maintain our local graveyard, where numerous soldiers are laid to rest •Save surplus food - families in need are offered first then any surplus is promptly offered to the local community to avoid waste •We also distribute surplus food to local animal rescues/Sanctuaries - apparently the chickens love overripe bananas! All our key volunteers have Food Hygiene and are DBS checked. We have first aid (including doggie first aid and mental first aid trained volunteers. To see our upcoming events, please visit our Facebook page Our future plans? Well we are always actively engaging with local authorities/services/community to identify any gaps where we can support! We operate at various locations within the Penketh community - new base announcement coming soon! ALL our team are dedicated VOLUNTEERS, who put their time and commitment into the community. We are registered with Warrington Voluntary Action and have social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Chesnut Lodge School is a community special school in Widnes that caters for pupils with Complex Physical and Medical Difficulties as well as Cognition and Learning Difficulties. We cater for pupils from age 2-16 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC plan) as well as taking Vulnerable 2's and nursery age pupils on mainstream places. Chesnut Lodge offers a full curriculum that is tailored to meet the needs of individual pupils, both academically and medically. We work closely with medical professionals providing a range of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and many more. Our experienced staff work closely with parents and carers and other professionals to ensure that each child receives the curriculum and care that they require. Our current cohort has 62% of pupils in receipt of Free School Meals. Pupils in receipt of FSM and/or Pupil premium (66% of pupils) are targeted for any additional support. Over the last few years Neighbourly has enabled us to collect from Marks and Spencer, Aldi and B and Q in our local area. The school uses their surplus donations to ensure that children have access to additional food and resources in school where needed. As a school for complex physical and medical needs our costs are significantly higher than most schools and these donation's have a huge impact in school.

The Brick is a small charity that delivers big results for the community it serves. As its name suggests, it provides a safe, solid building block for people in crisis to begin to construct a new life and become valuable members of society. Since it began life in 2008, The Brick has become a real force for social change in Wigan Borough. The charity’s original aim was to support homeless people and help them make the transition from the streets back into independent living. The Brick’s remit has developed and evolved significantly over the years and it adopts an holistic approach to supporting people in need. The organisation seeks not just to help get people out of crisis but to transforms lives through training and work-experience opportunities that lead to real independence. In a typical week The Brick sees nearly 200 people who need help with issues such as financial hardship, fuel poverty, homelessness and domestic violence. It speaks to more than twice this number over the phone. It delivers 150 food parcels, serves 50 hot lunches and provides training opportunities for more than 30 people. The Brick is seen as an honest broker between its clients and the statutory service providers both in the borough and beyond. Working closely with other public services, The Brick has become a fundamental part of the care and enablement pathway for people in crisis in the borough. The organisation has attracted a diverse range of volunteers who know that in order for the community to thrive, each individual member of that community must thrive. Ultimately, The Brick provides the fresh hope of a brighter future to those who are, for a variety of reasons, struggling with their current circumstances.