Kingswood Safety Net

VACCINE TO THE RESCUE!

The Kingswood Safety Net, run jointly by the KVCA and the KRA, has continued its work over the past, difficult winter to ensure that none of our Kingswood residents is without essential support. If you need to make contact, or know someone who does: Email: kingswoodsafetynet@gmail.com Phone: 07310 054159

I am pleased that, despite winter weather and lockdowns, calls to the above number have been few, and there have also not been many requests for help by email. I am sure that this is largely because the main work being done to support our older and more vulnerable residents is being delivered on the ‘front line’ by the volunteers in our Local Area Groups – good neighbours looking out for those who may need help in their local road or part of our village.

Despite the tragically high national death toll, and the impacts of long-Covid, school closures and business disruptions on our society, we do now have the enormous positive of the vaccination programme. By the end of January, many Kingswood residents had received their first jabs, most of them at the mass vaccination centre at Epsom Downs. The Kingswood Safety Net has recruited a number of volunteer drivers for any who need help getting to their appointment. An early vaccine recipient, Susan Mitchell, has written a very helpful guide, with photos, based on her experience, which we have issued via our network of Kingswood Safety Net volunteers. If anyone would like a copy, please email me. Please, please have your vaccination when you are offered one, and seek help, if you need it, to get there. It is the way out of this pandemic for all of us.

At Christmas we were able to provide a number of Kingswood residents, who were in particular need, with a Festive Feast delivery as part of a scheme organised by the Borough Council and Age Concern Banstead. I know that there have also been a considerable number of good neighbours helping out others with meals during the winter, as well as with shopping. Thank you.

You can read elsewhere in The Village Voice about the Food Bank Donations Scheme (run by Maxine Swan) and Plant Sharers (run by Sarah Wilson). Both of

these schemes were set up as part of the Kingswood Safety Net initiative, but now have, I am pleased to say, lives of their own. I hope that they will still be operating when Covid is a distant memory.

One other more recent initiative is Laptops. We are collecting suitable laptops on behalf of the Level Up scheme. This scheme, set up by the Council, will thoroughly data-clean and refurbish the machines and then pass them on to schools for use by children who are struggling to learn from home. If you have a laptop which meets the following specification, please contact me. • Laptop or tablet (not desktop computers) • Ideally with Windows 7, 8 or 10 (sorry, no Apple computers) • Now also accepting tablets (for primary school children) • All laptops will be securely wiped or have hard discs removed and destroyed. • They are then refurbished before distribution. • All tablets will be reset to factory setting.

The Kingswood Safety Net has now been in existence for almost a year. Throughout that time I have had valuable support and advice from our Steering Group of Valerie Evans and Des Camblin from the KRA and Sally Fish and, latterly, Juliet Quartermain from the KVCA. Sally Fish has now stepped down from this role as she is leaving Kingswood. Thank you Sally for your wise advice and enthusiastic help.

To all of our Kingswood residents, please stay safe. We can get through this if we continue to work together. And if you need us, we are here to help.

Bob Gunn Kingswood Safety Net

KINGSWOOD FOOD BANK DONATIONS

Since April last year bags of food have been left in our various Drop Off Points round the village. Residents have been most generous, especially over the Christmas period, enabling our community Food Banks to offer support to those most in need in our area. Thank you!

Food Banks provide essential supplies to keep families going until they find a longerterm solution. Clients have to be referred by a local agency, for example Citizens Advice Bureau/Raven Housing Trust/East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services. If approved they are given a voucher to collect essentials to keep them going while they are having difficulty feeding themselves and their families. This can arise through redundancy, benefit delay, illness, an unexpected bill, bereavement or too low an income to make ends meet. All have been exacerbated by Covid 19.

Food Bank Drop Off points can be found outside houses around the village, at Kingswood Village Store, Kingswood Wines and Waterhouse Café. Please consider donating to this very worthwhile cause, as there is still great need in the area.

For further information contact Maxine.swan@mail.com.