Food for body and mind from volunteers in Eastbourne

How should a community club, trying to increase happiness in Eastbourne, carry on entertaining local people but obey social distancing during the coronavirus lockdown? One group in the town has an answer: instead of offering soup and a roll at drop-in events, volunteer helpers now take their food — along with specially-made activity packs — to elderly, isolated or vulnerable people in the town. The leaders of "Community Stuff" said they're combining a lifeline food service with something to "flex the grey matter", too. Organisers said they came up with the idea after realising they needed to adapt quickly, because existing projects such as lunch clubs and play sessions always involve many people in the same place at the same time. Instead, a grant in the "Awards For All" scheme, originally intended to provide home-made hot snacks for weekly wellbeing activities at the Seaside Community Club, has been turned to help fund weekly deliveries in the community for older people in some of the town's sheltered housing. But what about the activities for mental wellbeing that so many people enjoy? Community Stuff directors Clare Hackley and Sue Morris now add to the food deliveries a weekly activity pack, containing crosswords, word searches, sudoko, drawings for 'mindful' colouring, and quizzes. Clare said: "People love it — it keeps their brains ticking-over and is something to think about and focus on, other than what is going on in the world at the moment. "They get excited when the pack arrives, and it is a lifeline for some people as much as the food. "One person even sent us back their quiz answers to mark!" She added: "When we drop off the food, our volunteers make sure they stand two meters away, and have a chat. "People really enjoy the personal contact, and it's important to know they are not forgotten — we are a vital link to the community for them." For residents in the Devonshire West area, a five-day-a-week service has been made possible thanks to the Devonshire West Big Local — a resident run, lottery funded organisation. Now, the Sussex Community Foundation has brought additional finding to enable "Community Stuff" to add other areas of Eastbourne. The organisation says it welcomes referrals from people who are, or who know someone who is, aged over 70, self-isolating and needing support — via phone on 07576 847038. More Radio is continuously dedicated to providing a quality news service on-air and online, reporting local stories that matter across Sussex. If you found this story useful, then check out our home page at moreradio.online where you can find the latest from the county, along with features and competitions from our presenters, as well as listening to the station live. You can also sign up to our news alerts to receive updates on new stories. Simply click on the bell at the bottom right of the home page. This will then allow a pop-up which will ask if you would like to receive alerts. Press ‘allow’ and you’re all signed up! You can also follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.