The aim of the charity is to care for our community, support our vulnerable/high-risk and other residents and build strong community relationships (internally and with other support networks) during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and subsequent years, by encouraging volunteers to contribute towards its success. Our message to the community is: “We wouldn’t be “BRIGHT” without you!”
BRIGHT was established in March 2020 when it became apparent that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to have a devastating impact on local communities and in particular Barlby, Osgodby and the surrounding region. As the country went into “lockdown” many vulnerable people were facing extremely worrying and potential life-threatening times. Those relying on visiting family members were then facing weeks and/or months of enforced self-isolation with no means of accessing help from the outside world; their survival channels had come to an end. The founding trustees of BRIGHT saw an urgent need to offer a lifeline to many vulnerable people and on 16 March 2020 set up a Barlby Village Helpers Facebook group. Within days local volunteers posted out leaflets to all the homes within Barlby and Osgodby to those self-isolating to let them know they were there to be of service to the community. As news spread throughout the community, family members living away from the area, concerned friends and neighbours contacted BRIGHT, to ask if a hot meal could be provided for their loved one, many of whom were and still are unable to access their finances or are unable to leave home to get food shopping for themselves.
BRIGHT achieves its objectives by:
. offering a meal delivery service
· pharmacy collections
· newspaper deliveries
· dog walking
· a well-stocked food bank (based at the charity’s registered office on York Road in the heart of Barlby
· food parcels to struggling families and individuals, also
· welfare telephone calls to those feeling lonely and isolated
This list is not exhaustive and evolves dependent on the needs of local people arising during this crisis. All of our services are delivered by volunteers. We envisage that our services will continue beyond this COVID-19 pandemic, to meet the needs of people that require support due to illness. disability, age or financial hardship. The food bank is kindly donated to by local food manufactures, Greencore, Bowker, Nestle, Warburtons and the Barlby NISA store as well as local residents.
