LS14 Trust boss praises COVID-19 volunteer effort

That’s the view of Howard Bradley, the strategic lead of the LS14 Trust, which is coordinating the community response to COVID-19 across the Seacroft and Killingbeck ward.

A team of 60 volunteers has been helping families, elderly and vulnerable people with a raft of things like food parcels, prescriptions, shopping, and keeping in-touch calls.

The Community Care Volunteering scheme is a city-wide project co-ordinated by Leeds City Council and Voluntary Action Leeds. People call a central number, 0113 378 1877, and their calls are patched through to local volunteers, like the LS14 Trust, who can help.

Howard said: “It has been an amazing example of local people coming together. Both those that work in the area and also those who call Seacroft their home.”

Normally, the LS14 Trust draws people together at its base on Ramshead Hill, Seacroft. But the health restrictions have obviously meant that isn’t possible, so it has had to reach people in a variety of different ways.

Howard knew collaboration was key to their response, so the Trust brought together Third Sector organisations in Seacroft and Killingbeck like Seacroft Good Neighbours, Chapel FM, Fall Into Place Theatre, Kentmere Community Centre, churches and ward councillors.

Since lockdown they have been meeting virtually on Zoom at 9.30am daily to discuss what needs to be done that day.

Places and services have had to be repurposed to meet needs. For instance, Kentmere Community Centre has been turned into a hub to assemble food parcels.

Howard added: “A couple of weeks ago we were working with up to 600 people a week, supporting them in various ways. That’s families and individuals. We helped them with ongoing food parcels and emergency provisions.”

These have been delivered by an army of volunteers. Howard said: “We have got about 60 volunteers on our books which we didn’t have before, all new and amazing people from the community who have stepped forward.”

Another key aspect that was identified early was the benefit of having a chat with people may feel lonely during lockdown.

Howard added: “One of the things we knew straight away was their was a need for a virtual cup of tea.”

So a chat, check in service to help with wellbeing was launched with an arts therapist and Fall Into Place Theatre.

Fall Into Place Theatre has also worked with LS14 Trust before on the playbox scheme in Rein Park. Usually, families would gather at the shipping container three times a week to do activities. But all this had to stop because of the COVID-19 restrictions. But the duo teamed up again to deliver mini playboxes to bring activities, games and fun to families.

Howard said the whole scheme had been driven by “amazing” volunteers supporting their communities. But the big question for him is what happens next? Howard said:“There is a real potential now that a community has come together. We have seen this all across Leeds and the country. People have come together and there is not just one hero.”

Howard added: “How do we build on that amazing good will and commitment from the community to support itself? And how do we make some real, lasting changes? That’s the exiting bit for me.”

FACT FILE:

The LS14 Trust was set up in 2009 by a group of residents who wanted to change their community for the better.

It is striving to improve things for the residents of Seacroft, Swarcliffe and Whinmoor.

The trust is run out of an old rent office in Ramshead Hill, which has been was transformed into a drop in centre with digital and training facilities. There is also a cafe where people could meet up pre COVID-19. The trusts’ leader Howard Bradley is a firm believer in the power of hospitality to prompt change. He said: “If you don’t have good food and don’t drink lots of cups of tea in communities you can’t change anything, in our view. You change the world by sitting and eating together, by dreaming together and talking honestly together.”

Hospitality is just one of the six tenets of the trust. The others are authenticity, empowerment, collaboration, fun and systemic change. Howard stressed collaboration was a key element. He added: “We supported the relaunch of the summer gala, always working with other organisations in the community. Collaboration is really, really important. You can’t change communities as one organisation. It has always got to be working together. If you really want to understand our organisation, those six values on our website, if you join them together that’s our theory of change.”

For more see: www.ls14trust.org.