August

Whilst The Balsam Centre has been
closed since the end of March, it
doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy.
When Covid 19 arrived, no one knew
what life would be like the following
week, let alone 4 months on. What we
did know though was that people would
still need our help in different ways. Sue
Shelbourne-Barrow, the Mayor, moved
very quickly to build a support plan,
bringing the Town Council, the Live At
Home Scheme and The Balsam Centre
together, to pool our volunteers and sort
out food and support. Sue Place, the
manager of The Balsam Centre, worked
with other mental health support charities
at the request of the NHS to form an alliance
across Somerset with one phone 24
hour number for anyone needing mental
health support - 01823 276 892 - and our
counsellors increased their hours to meet
the extra demand, all working from home.
Kelly, working with mums struggling
with post-natal depression, held Zoom
sessions rather than face-to-face, and
encouraged mums to get creative. Claire
held her flexercise classes via Zoom and
she paired up the young people in her
youth group with single older people in
their community to write letters to one
another. Yes! Real letters!
Within Wincanton we posted little yellow
cards with phone numbers for the Town
Hall, the Food Bank, the Live at Home
Scheme and The Balsam Centre, along
with all the fantastic local businesses that
stepped forward and changed their working
methods to deliver food to people.
Not everyone is online, although we often
assume they are, so getting the cards out
was vital - MANY thanks to the volunteers
who tramped the streets to do this. You
have no idea how many houses there
are in Wincanton until you have to post
something through each one - unless, of
course, you are a postal worker.
Covid 19 has been grim, keeping us
indoors, away from family and friends,
and for many, unable to even collect their
shopping. But there have definitely been
rays of sunshine too. Most of the people
I’ve met whilst delivering shopping or food
parcels to I’ve never met before and it
has been such a pleasure to chat them.
Retired actresses and chefs, someone
who learnt Tai Chi in China, people who
travelled the world, and those who knew
Wincanton before much was built here;
they have all been fascinating to listen
to. My husband was born in Iran, and
one person left me a box of slides when I
delivered her shopping, pictures of Iran in
the 1950s that she thought my husband
might like to see. We dusted down the
slide projector that night and had a slide
show; it was wonderful. The volunteers
involved have all had similar experiences
of new friendships formed, plant cuttings
swapped, and chats over the gate, and
the real pleasure it has given them.
Although the Town Hall covered food parcels
in Wincanton, we were getting some
out to the villages around Wincanton too.
The government food box service was
great but not everyone could use the contents
so we were collecting the surplus
and delivering them out to families who
needed support. People were so generous;
donations made by rounding up the
shopping bill allowed us to buy fresh milk,
fruit and veg to top up food parcels of dry
goods. Other donations paid for emergency
energy key top-ups or nappies. One
man even paid for someone’s shopping
for 5 weeks until she was back on her
feet. A donated laptop and printer went
to a family with no IT so their son could do
his schoolwork. People have been so kind.
Getting the food supplies was essential
but keeping contacts in any shape or form
has been vital too. One of our counsellors
suggested a jigsaw puzzle swap so
we put out a call for puzzles and received
them from as far as Gillingham. It’s been
popular for many people and another
opportunity to stop and chat as we swap
them, but for others a jigsaw is just a
perfectly good picture chopped in to 500
pieces. So we added books and raided
our bookshelves. Harper Collins then
donated several crates of new books too;
Sudoku and crossword books along with
fiction books arrived. My dining room has
disappeared.
Key to all of this has been the volunteers.
Wincanton, you are amazing! Many people
stepped forward to help us - THANK
YOU - we could never have done this
without you. From delivering leaflets and
food boxes, shopping once or twice a
week, collecting prescriptions, shifting
furniture to make way for a hospital bed,
walking the dog, sorting IT problems and
shower hoses to phoning people for a
chat - they’ve done it all. Some have gone
back to work but are still fitting in the odd
shop around their hours. And firm friendships
have been made that I hope will
continue when this is all over. One of the
volunteers has even got a job from the
volunteering role she had. The Balsam
Centre had 37 volunteers alone, not
including those that worked for the Live
at Home Scheme or the Town Hall. Some
of our volunteers also helped our local
fruit and veg shop get free deliveries out
to Wincanton and all the nearby villages.
You have all been FANTASTIC.
In numbers? From The Balsam Centre
: 376 shopping trips, 159 prescriptions
collected and delivered, 52 food parcels
or surplus box deliveries (and that’s just
from The Balsam Centre, not the Town
Hall or the food bank), and 55 jigsaw puzzle
deliveries, along with the trips to take
dogs to the vets, key-top ups, post office
visits, etc. But it has been so much more
than just the numbers. This is a community
that came together to help each other
in uncertain times that I hope will have a
lasting impact. Kindness has been at the
heart of it all.
If you need help or just fancy a jigsaw
puzzle, Sudoku, Crossword or reading
book, give me a call! Annette 07395
326932.
Annette Yoosefinejad. Volunteer Coordinator.
The Balsam Centre.