Many people across Wokingham and Reading have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with the lockdown leaving parents/carers and their children feeling isolated and disconnected from their families and friends. For the children supported by Me2 Club volunteers, their favourite weekly activities have had to stop, and they are missing being able to spend this time with the friends they have made.

Over the last three months, everyone at Me2 Club has been working hard to move our support online so that children can continue taking part in fun social activities to help tackle feelings of isolation and to give parents/carers some valuable respite. We are really excited to be able to tell you about how we have continued to work, our plans for the future and how you can help us carry on supporting children and their families.

Our weekly online sessions, and support, costs from £13 per child and we offer a varied programme of activities from arts, crafts and games as well as physical exercise, working in partnership with local sport providers. More than ever we need your help to enable us to continue supporting our vulnerable families now and when we can restart our face-to-face activities. Please donate and give children with wide ranging additional needs and disabilities the vital opportunities to feel less isolated.

How we have continued supporting children and families:

Regular phone, text or email contact for every family we work with. For our most vulnerable families, including those with no other support networks, this is weekly. We are hearing directly that this situation is leading to a huge increase in stress levels and pressure on our families and we are doing everything we can to continue supporting their mental health and wellbeing. Families of children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) are typically more isolated than other families, and due to the complex needs of some of our children they will be caring 24/7 with no break at all during the pandemic.

Weekly online group activities, including games, craft, chats and exercise sessions, with different groups of our children and Teenagers. We have adapted our service to help combat loneliness and bring people together. Activities are chosen by our young people and are facilitated by staff. We ensure that there are no barriers to participation by posting out materials and instructions where necessary. Parents/carers, siblings and volunteers are also invited to join in, and the feedback has been very positive.

Sending out craft and sensory activity packs to include those children who are not be able to take part in our online projects either because of their complex needs or due to the lack of the necessary technology.

Regular phone, text or email contact with every volunteer we work with in order to stay in touch and be prepared to resume face-to-face activities as smoothly as possible.

Birthday cards are being sent to volunteers and young people as yet another method of staying connected.

Signposting families to invaluable information, links and resources through our private Facebook parent forum and on our other Social Media channels.

Consulting with parents to better understand their needs and what support they would like through digital surveys

Recruiting and training new volunteers so that when it is safe to resume face-to-face activities, we are ready to meet the growing demand for our unique service.

We wish you, your families and your communities good health over the coming weeks and if you have any comments on how you could support our work please contact: Shaun Polley, Chief Executive at Shaun@me2club.org.uk

or

Lori Day, Acting Chair of Trustees at Lori@me2club.org.uk