Cotswold District Council has approved £15,000 in grant funding to a Cirencester charity supporting vulnerable older people, families and unemployed people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The funding will ensure The Churn Neighbourhood Project can continue to deliver frontline support services for the South Cotswolds.

The council approved the grant as part of its Community Resilience Fund to support the voluntary sector in helping local communities through the coronavirus crisis.

Cllr Jenny Forde, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: "Maintaining good mental health is vital during this crisis. People are worried about their own health and finances, for family members and for their neighbours. The Churn has the experience, infrastructure and a comprehensive network of partners enabling them to offer a bespoke personalised service to meet our residents' individual needs.

"The council's community resilience team is actively triaging and referring cases from the Gloucestershire Community Help Hub to any one of the amazing local support networks or, in more complex cases, to The Churn where people are being supported directly by the charity.

"The Churn provides frontline services to deal with safeguarding issues in the community and it's amazing to see how quickly they have responded to the crisis, to ensure the most vulnerable individuals in our communities continue to receive the best care available."

The Churn Project is supporting people through the crisis by providing early help and interventions, encouraging personal and community responsibility and making use of the best resources through wise procurement and positive relationships.

Fran Embleton-Smith, CEO of The Churn Project, said: "The Churn team has adapted swiftly to this crisis, adapting our services to carry on supporting our existing clients and by recruiting over 80 new volunteers to help take on new ones.

"We work with people who have complex social needs, including mental health issues, to ensure that they have the support they need and are able to manage until our own and other services reopen.

"The number of complex cases in our community has seen an increase due to this crisis. I would like to thank the council for their continued support. This grant funding will help to sustain this support in the longer term."

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