In April 2020 when the pandemic hit and our county went into lockdown we were no longer able to run our usual monthly groups.
For many of our members the monthly meetings provide an opportunity to socialise with others and offer that all important sense of belonging as well as a boost of self -esteem, confidence and achievement.
We felt that it was really important that we reached out our members and other people in our community who were most hard hit , suffering from the effects of isolation and feeling low, depressed and anxious.
We were fortunate to received funding from many different organisations such as Darlington Borough Council, Tesco, Tees Valley Rural Actions, Bishop Auckland and Shildon Area Action Partnership and The Neighbourly Fund.
With this money we were able to create around 700 activity packs which were designed to stimulate mind and body and included activities such as planting, baking, crafting, drawing and painting and embroidery.
We opened up nominations online each month and with the help of an army of volunteers we delivered the packs right to the doorsteps of our recipients.
The thank you cards came flooding in with fabulous feedback about our work. Many of the recipients were overjoyed to have been remembered and told us how much joy that act of kindness brought them during such dark times.