Brereton Million is an exciting opportunity for residents in Brereton to use at least £1,000,000 to make a massive and lasting positive difference to our community. It’s about bringing together all our local talent, ambitions, skills and energy from individuals, groups and organisations who want to make our area an even better place to live. Due to the funding we are not able to spend outside the boundary of Brereton. The Covid Support Group has been able to support outside the boundaries with support from grants and donations from: Rugeley Morrisons, Brereton Co-op, Staffordshire County Councillor Alan Dudson, Rugeley Town Council, Western Power through Amanda Milling, Four Cannock Chase District Councillors through Councillor Mike Sutherland, Neighbourly Ltd, plus working with: Foodbank, Help a Squaddie, Rugeley Tesco, Amazon, The Ash Tree, Chase Light house, Rotary Club of Rugeley, Rotary Community Library Brereton, Lichfield and District Soroptomists, Time for Tea café, Hawkins Logistics, Redbrook Hayes, Hob Hill and St Joseph Primary Schools, including many local residents for various donations and many community groups joined us to volunteer. which has enabled us to help our neighbours in Rugeley, Pear Tree, Springfields, Etchinghill, Hawksyard, Hill Ridware, Armitage and Handsacre.
If you would like to make a food donation there is a collection point in Brereton Co-op.
2020! What a year this has turned out to be!! March 2020 – a time we will never forget. No idea as to what a lockdown would mean – perhaps a couple of weeks off to chill out and recharge, a mini holiday? When reality began to seep in I think we were all in a bit of a daze wondering what it was all about. I will never forget the day when I headed to the Co-op and came across a lady of 93. She was fragile and looked very frightened. I stopped and asked why she was out and if she had someone to help. She told me her son had Coronavirus and had been told to stay in his room to protect her. 10 days later she had gone 4 days without food and finally found the courage to go out. I realised then that she had no choice. I told her to go home and I got her shopping. I told the Co-op what had happened, we realised that there must be others like this and from there the Co-op donated food every single day. It was at that moment that the idea to go to every street in our village came about. No easy task. With only a small group and many members shielding too, it was a nightmare to pull it all together. I knew we had to reach out to everyone; young and old, isolating or furloughed, self-employed or recently redundant. Through the local supermarkets and the foodbanks we were able to supply food to people who had gone days without. We kept them all on our radar and supported the families for as long as we could, until they were able to manage again, or their benefits started to come through. Joining forces with CCSN enabled us to support getting prescriptions and continue to support shopping, helping those who were just too frightened to go to the shops and many who couldn't get online shopping for weeks. As we went around the village we found more problems than just food. Many families did not have craft supplies for schoolwork, colouring pencils, paper etc. So we set up kids craft packs. At first we all emptied our cupboards and created these through donations, we then received £2000 from County Councillor Alan Dudson, followed by another £1000 towards these and further food parcels. Residents also started to drop money to us - from £10 to £100 to help those in need too. As we continued our journey many more volunteers started to join us, without them none of this work would have happened. I think it was about week 7 of the first lockdown when I had my first melt down. I swore I couldn't go on anymore, we had been running everything out of my home. It was like a military operation. Everything came in, got wiped down and bagged up, ready to go back out again. Donations were flooding in and as quickly as they were coming in they were going out. I tried to be all things to all people and almost broke down because of it. There were two side of this operation – the more obvious one of providing help and support to people – but also the one I hadn’t expected. I found us supporting people who were really low and some who were really ill. It was not all about people not having enough money to feed themselves or their families. We found people isolated, lonely and fearful. People afraid to lean on each other. People afraid to call a doctor, people who had slipped through the net of social care, as well as people who decided they just couldn't carry on anymore. I can tell you our little village has been through the mill so far this year, with more to come. We all need to come together to support each other, both physically and emotionally. I see “Sue Brereton Million” as just a brand name, and I hope my teams do too. I may have started this covid support group but I certainly wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for every single volunteer no matter how little or how much they put in to it. Everyone can have a part to play so let’s continue to pull together and try to ensure no-one is left behind as we move forward – remember...
Your Neighbours, Our Community!
Thank you to all our amazing volunteers including our camera shy ones who haven’t been captured here. Thank you so much for all your hard work and support during this difficult time. Your kindness, compassion, dedication and strength are greatly appreciated! Thank you for being ‘Brereton Million’s Covid Support Group’ and the Guiding Light for our Community.
What we’ve achieved since March 20
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These are the teams of volunteers that can offer you support. See what there is on offer and use the contact details if you would like support from any of these teams Brereton Mental Health Buddies: Our team creates welfare packs and sends them out to help people know there is support out there and tips to support working on their mental health.
Brereton Youth Buddies: Helps to create craft booklets for children’s school holidays and school closures to ensure children have resources and activities, to entertain them and help them with their studies.
Brereton Disability Buddies: Our buddies are finding out what is missing in the village, supporting other projects that need to be disabled friendly. They are looking at all the facilities in the village, what groups we have and activities and ensuring we are accessible for all.
Brereton Donations Buddies Our donations buddies collect any donations that residents and businesses want to donate to us and pass them on to the correct groups. We are always looking for items and buddies to transfer these items.
Brereton Support Buddies: Our wonderful coordinator will discuss any issues over the phone so you don't even have to see us. You can fill in our form online and you will receive a phone call. Whether you need support tackling debts, checking if you can claim any benefits, find support to get food, or any care needs. The first step to tackling a problem is to speak up, and then support can get to you. You are not alone.
Brereton Million Volunteer Coordinator: Our volunteer coordinator will email you back if you complete our volunteer form. All our groups are always looking for more volunteers; many roles can be done from the comfort of your home. Or you can come out and help us support the residents. You can help once in a blue moon or every day. The decision is all yours; every tiny bit of help is greatly received. All of our teams will never turn anyone away, and we have all different personalities in our groups.
Brereton Phone Buddies A group of friendly residents who call each other as often as they need to stay in touch, especially during lockdown periods to help get through the lonely times.
Brereton Food Buddies A group of friendly residents who help collect in food supplies, deliver to the food bank and help package up hampers to deliver to residents.
Brereton Pen Pals: Our Coordinator matches up pen pals and encourages residents to write to each other. Residents too can write to local neighbours or all around the country to our friends in other Big Local areas. Helping another way of communication to keep going and residents to know there’s someone out there, reaching out to them.
Brereton Craft Buddies: We deliver wool and patterns so our craft buddies can create wonderful creations. Like teddy bears for the Buddy Bag group, the memorials in the park and our Acts of Kindness. If you would like to join this group we currently work alone at home but talk regularly through WhatsApp. With the hope of meeting up in the warmer months.
Brereton Admin Buddies: Helps find information to go onto our website, to keep our information fresh and up to date. Subjects vary and each admin buddy chooses a topic that they are interested in.
Brereton Advertising Buddies: Our advertising team creates posters, newsletters, and videos, photographs of our projects and much more. We are always looking for more exciting ways to get our information out.
Brereton Can Buddies: Brereton Million Community Fund Buddies: Helps to organise the Brereton Can project, Applies for grants throughout the pandemic. researches all areas of healthy and wellbeing lifestyles and information for the campaign and helps to keep the campaign on track. Brereton Skill Buddies: Brereton Million Park Buddies: Looks for what skills residents needs in the village and Moves the park project on so more funding can be helps to find and fund courses. sought and the projects we have put in the park can continue to grow and be protected Brereton Litter Buddies: Our Litter pick organiser has sticks, gloves, bags and risk assessments ready to go for anyone who wants to clean up our village. Or you can join our team and natter and help as we go. We don't wait, we make our difference.
Brereton Grows Buddies: We are encouraging residents to grow vegetables and flowers all around the village at home and in their streets. With Community planters in streets for residents to help themselves to home grown produce as well as free seeds and bulbs for residents to get growing in their own gardens.
Brereton Entertainment Buddies: Our Entertainment buddies organise events from small competitions like the Scarecrow hunt to our big events like the outdoor cinema. We need more people to join our entertainment team, to help create more competitions and work towards larger events when we are able to bring them back.
Brereton Wood Buddies: We can deliver wood, paint , varnish and patterns so our wood buddies can create wonderful creations. These items will be going in our woodland walk to help create an adventurous walk for all. If you would like to join this group we currently work alone at home but talk regularly through WhatsApp. With the hope of meeting up in the warmer months.
Brereton Games & Jigsaw Buddies A group of friendly residents who deliver jigsaws and games to residents. There are a range of puzzles so let them know the style or size you prefer and they will do their best to match your request.
Brereton Book Buddies Adults or children can request fiction or non-fiction books and one of the Book Buddies will deliver them to residents who need them. The Buddies will try to match books to people’s interests or favourite authors and will exchange them for different ones as part of the service.
Brereton Friend Buddies: These buddies go and check on residents when alerted by other groups, especially the Phone Buddies when people are worried about their buddies, neighbours. This could be because they haven’t answered the phone for a while, are not feeling very well, or their mental health is at an all-time low. The Friend Buddies will pop round for a chat and signpost them to the correct services, take them for walks, support them going back out to shops and eventually take them to the Hub to meet other buddies friends.
Do you want to get involved? We're always looking for new volunteers to help us make a difference in Brereton. Whether it's suggestions, helping at events or joining the partnership, any help is appreciated and welcomed!
We’re here to help, but there’s more help out there too... Rugeley Foodbank, Rugeley Community Centre, Burnthill Lane, Contact 07528 447504
Age UK Stafford & District, 01875 607060, reception@ ageukstafford.org.uk, www.ageukstafford.org.uk
NHS volunteer service 0808 193 646 provide volunteers to take residents to health appointments 7 days a week 8am-8pm
Staffordshire Womens Aid (Domestic/Sexual abuse), Call 24 hour helpline 0870 2700 123 Staffordshire womensaid.org
RESPECT Mens advice line 0808 8010 327
Beat the Cold, 01782 683813, enquiries@ beatcold.org.uk, www.beatcold.org.uk
Voluntary car scheme Cannock chase & Lichfield areas: Provide transport for local community members to attend health related appointments. 01543 303023 Jan.matthews@ voluntarycarscheme.co.uk
Mind 0300 123 3393
Rugeley ASD Support Group, Contact 07977 322695, Email helen@millerchip.com
MHA, 01543 415020, Lichfield.liveathomne @mha.org, www.supportstaffordshire .org.uk/organisation-directory/ mha-communitieslichfield-district
Staffordshire Health and WellbeingAction for children, 07811 023194, 11-3pm, StaffordshireEWB@ actionforchildren.org.uk, www.staffordshire-ewb. actionforchildren.org.uk
Cruse Bereavement: 0800 8081677
Margaret Beardsmore I am supporting the Brereton and Rugeley Food bank with a £2.00 donation from any of my Photography Calendars and Jigsaw Puzzles if I can deliver them in the Brereton and Rugeley area. This only applies if you buy them from my website www.margaretbeardsmore.co.uk or email/ring me to sort out a cash payment on delivery email: margaretbeardsmore@gmail.com mobile: 07581 794111 All my calendars, jigsaws, books etc have unique photographs taken by me and make a lovely personal gift for your loved ones.
Hello everyone. My name is Gill Shaw and I fundraise for Macmillan cancer support by making different craft items. I am currently making Christmas facemasks, adult and children aprons and floating cup and saucer arrangements. Facemasks are £2.50. Children aprons are £7.50 adult aprons are £15.00. I have different fabrics for you to choose from. All are 100 percent cotton and can be washed at 60 degrees. My floating cup and saucer arrangements are £15.00. You can contact via Facebook (www.facebook.com/67Shaw) or 07773001813
Message us via social media
The Crafty Hoarder Pleased to be supporting Brereton Million by lending our services designing newsletters, posters and social media posts, plus mental health and mindfulness gifts.
If you would like to enter or vote for the best house, or you wish to enter your home, message us via Facebook Brereton Carnival page or info@breretoncarnival.co.uk
Ways to get in touch... Phone Sue on 07837309697 Email breretonmillion@gmail.com Find Brereton Million on Facebook and Instagram www.breretonmillion.co.uk www.breretoncan.com
DARK CARS All Occasions Taxi Contracts/Airports
Call Annette
0791 349 9537
Christmas Day Traditional Lunch No one deserves to go without a Christmas Dinner Free hot dinner delivered by a volunteer
Christmas Hamper Nominate someone who you think shows... Kindness, caring, or has... been unwell, kept trying, stayed positive
For more details visit www.breretonmillion.co.uk then go to Covid-19 support or use the contact details to get in touch
Stay informed Don’t listen to the news all day, only listen to reliable sources or check for updated information on government websites and put your favourite tunes or movies on.
Stay connected Keep in touch with friends and family via email, post, social media, video conferencing or telephone Stay positive Remember that this period is temporary and follow experts advice to help contain the virus. Don’t look for what you can’t do, look for what you can do. New things Try and learn a new skills or try out a new recipe.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle Establish a daily routine. Get plenty of sleep and eat nutritious meals. Engage in exercise and physical activities you like Make space Having a clear our and organising your home can help you clear your mind too. Clear space is a relaxing space.
Acknowledge your emotions Write a diary of feelings/worries and include the positives of your day as well Seek support There are services available if you feel overwhelmed, or need specific help.