Community champions sought to support those most at risk from Covid-19
Telford & Wrekin Council is looking to recruit community champions to support those most at risk of Covid-19.
The council is launching a community champions project to reach residents most at risk from coronavirus, after securing £50,000 funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Borough residents are urged to volunteer to help make a difference in the communities they are living in.
In particular, volunteers from 'seldom heard groups' are being asked to come forward, from groups who might be struggling to access council services (such as people from ethnic minority backgrounds or from disability communities) but applications from other communities across the borough are also welcomed.
The community champions will be trained by the council to support their communities by spreading essential Covid-19 messages, helping people follow safer behaviours and reducing the impact of the virus on themselves and those around them.
At the same time, these volunteers will be listening to what communities need and will be feeding this back to the council.
Councillor Paul Watling, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for co-operative communities, engagement and partnerships, said: “We already have a strong network of council volunteers in place to connect with and help communities, such as health champions, feed the birds volunteers, community connectors and many others.
“However, living in such a diverse borough, we recognise there are still groups and communities that struggle to get essential information or do not have the same chance to access our services as others do.
“We want to help more of these groups – in particular ethnic minorities and disabled communities – especially as the pandemic still continues to present challenges.
“The community champions volunteers will be recruited from their own communities. They will be people that these communities trust and that can represent their interests and make their voice heard, as well as enabling us to share with them essential, useful information related to the pandemic and support services.”
Telford and Wrekin Interfaith Council, Telford and Wrekin CVS, Parents Opening Doors and Signal will work with the council on the project.
To apply to become a community champions volunteer, go to the council's volunteering website or email community.champions@telford.gov.uk
Any other community group that would like to take part in the community champion programme and work with the council to recruit volunteers can contact the Telford & Wrekin Community Services team on cpt@telford.gov.uk.
