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Community Centres’ Christmas Cheer

7th December 2020

Spelthorne’s community centres have produced new Christmas initiatives to ensure elderly residents are supported during the holiday season.

The Greeno, Fordbridge and Staines Community Centres have produced Christmas hampers for members, as a replacement for the traditional Christmas meal. The centres have also produced ‘boredom buster bags’ to support those residents who will be facing a quieter Christmas than usual. These hampers were supported by local traders who kindly donated items to support our elderly residents.

The Greeno Centre has undergone a facelift to be fresh and welcoming when members are able to return. A new sign, which was hand painted has been donated to the centre, the treatment rooms have been refurbished and there is a new accessible wet room. The Fordbridge Centre has also refurbished its treatment room. Both centres are supporting the SPAN (emergency) Alarm that allows residents to seek help if they need assistance at home.

Despite the Coronavirus pandemic, Spelthorne’s community centres have continued to support our elderly residents with a number of projects.

During the summer, the community centres transformed into outdoor cafes to provide an opportunity for residents to socialise in a Covid secure manner. The centres have also been providing welfare calls and visits throughout the pandemic to ensure vulnerable residents were supported and not alone during these difficult times.

Our Centres supported vulnerable families over the October half-term by redeploying our cooks and assistants to offer children eligible for free school meals a healthy meal whilst they were off school.

Cllr Maureen Attewell, Portfolio Holder for Community Wellbeing, said: “These Community Centres are proof that localism works best in times of crisis and I am proud about how our staff have responded to the Coronavirus pandemic. I know that many residents have missed being able to visit our centres but have been so appreciative of the support they have had available to them. I would also like to thank the traders who have donated so generously to allow the hampers to be made. Finally, I would like to wish members a safe and Merry Christmas and, like them, we are looking forward to the day we are able to open our doors once again and welcome them back.”