Covid-19 crisis fund is supporting Home-Start East Lothian

The Community Windpower and BeGreen Dunbar Covid-19 crisis fund is now supporting Home-Start East Lothian, a family befriending service covering the whole of East Lothian.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the service is supporting families with telephone and video support.

It is also looking at different ways it can support families, now their circumstances have changed, particularly those with children who would normally be at school and nursery.

Among the support measures it’s taking is working with Wee Red Upcycles to provide free craft packs to families who are staying at home and supplying hundreds of meals to those struggling at this time.

The latter is in conjunction with Dunbar Community Council.

The Community Windpower and BeGreen Dunbar Covid-19 crisis fund has allocated Home-Start East Lothian £2,500, which will be used to support both the craft packs and meals – half the money to go towards adult craft packs and the other half to funding meals within Dunbar.

Almost 1,000 packs have already been distributed, but the Home-Start East Lothian is hoping to increase that number in the coming weeks, hence the support from Community Windpower and BeGreen Dunbar’s Covid-19 crisis fund.

It started to provide meals last week across Dunbar and Area, reaching 357 in the first seven days. That number is expected to rise, so the funding is going to help meet that demand.

The meals have been well received and are taking the pressure off a range of people within the community including the elderly, people shielding and families.

Diane Wood, community benefits director at Community Windpower, which operates the Aikengall Community Wind Farms in East Lothian, said: “Home-Start East Lothian is a fantastic service for the region and we’re delighted to be able to help them continue support families through our Covid-19 crisis fund.

“It’s so important to provide people with mental health support during this time, across all our communities affected by the Covid-19 virus, and we know the £2,500 we’ve provided to is going to make a difference right where it’s needed.”

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