We have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure we are best prepared for whatever situation might unfold. We at Cultivate Cornwall CIC are proactively helping and supporting the community needs working to ensure that the most vulnerable can safely access everything they need while social distancing. Some of the services we have in place or are in the process of finalising include.

LOCALISED DISTRIBUTION CENTRE

We have created a distribution centre for aid and essential items in the crisis, this will be done through The TeX shop on Bodmin Fore Street as well as continued operations from groups like the Food Bank, in the heart of the local community. Dignity Bags, which we have been providing to those in need for several years have been adapted so their contents can support those who are having to self-isolate. The bags are being prepared for distribution filled with essential items for those in need. We have come together as a collective of different grassroots community groups to support the distribution of dignity bags and other aid and support from the distribution hub we create. We will shortly be calling out to the wider community for people to help make dignity bags from home, giving people a purpose and providing us with enough bags for aid distribution.

SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Another area we are prioritising is engaging with the community to establish their needs, we have set up a dedicated email (help@cultivatecornwall.com) to manage this, the email will help us identify who is in need, what they need and where they are. Soon will also be introducing a local free phone support line, finance dependant, that will help us identify those in need and ensure they can be provided with the support they need.

Together we will facilitate the distribution of information and support for those in need, this will focus on the community where we will be working with key community leaders and influencers to ensure the community is informed and able to access the support they need, this will be through the purpose built Facebook page.

MAP

We have seen so many people in the community come forward and offer help and equally there has been a huge number of people who have identified themselves as needing help and support from the community, from dog walking to shopping and collecting medicine. However, with so many people from across the community involved, this has become difficult to understand who needs what and who is offering what. We have therefore made a map that is open to anyone form the Bodmin community. This map can be used to pinpoint who is offering what and where, and who needs what help where. The map can be found here; https://maphub.net/CultivateCornwall/bodmin-coronavirus-response, please feel free to add an offer or a need. Don’t forget to include contact details.

SOCIAL INCLUSION AND SKILL SHARING

We are also continuing the sharing of skills and opportunities to come together as a community through online workshops and tutorials. We want to ensure we can still come together social but virtually rather than physically, initially through how-to videos but as a time frame becomes clearer, other methods like live stream workshops will be explored. Some of what you can expect includes, sewing workshops delivered by TeX and many more workshops and tutorials are in the pipeline.

But this is not an extensive list, much more is happening and we are making significant progress each day, introducing new responsive services and evolving our support as the situation changes each day, but to achieve this we are having to make quick decisions each day and maximising our staff and volunteers resources so change can be realised at unprecedented speed. These changes and updates will be shared through our website, social media and fundraising campaign to keep you informed.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

We appreciate that there are still details missing, we are working around the clock to address this, the situation is changing day by day and we are constantly adapting to the daily changes. We will regularly post updates and additional information through our website, social media and updates on the fundraising campaign.

We have listened, learned and acted on information from funders, government, the Charities Commission and Corporate Partners while we have also come together as community leaders to share our own knowledge and perspectives that have been gained through in depth research and analysis, academic interpretations of the science and data and knowledge gained from others, not only from those in the UK but from those in Europe and the US who can give us an idea of what might be to come.

Considering these points, we believe that it is of imperative that we are prepared for any situation, we have planned for the worst but will hope for the best to ensure that no matter what is next, those that need it can get the help and support they need. We have been, strategising and ensuring that every community need can be catered for but that we can remain responsive, this will ensure we can adapt to any changes in community need and ensure the service we provide is the safest and most beneficial to the local community and we will use continuous improvement to help develop and improve our services as we move forward.

WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT

The slow response by the Italian government has left staggering statistics with a health care system that is overwhelmed. News reports make it clear that hospital staff have had to make devastating decisions about who gets treated and who they must let go. As of this morning, Italy was reporting nearly 64,000 Coronavirus cases and over 6,000 deaths. We cannot adopt the same slow response or similar outcomes will be mirrored.

Today, March 24th as with every day, countries are making huge decisions, the UK has started an initial 3 weeks of 'lockdown', but Spain today are exploring extending the current measures. This means huge restrictions on movement for a month. We should expect similar here soon but when that happens, an emergency plan must already be in place and ready to act on immediately.

This crisis will pass. There was once a time that we struggled with the Plague. That was until the implementation of quarantines which are the most popular theory for how that virus ended. Our country's smartest medical researchers are working on this, and like before, they'll find an answer.

And, when they do, people will return to normal, life will be celebrated and victory will be declared but now is the time to ensure that we support this outcome and are on the right side of history for our quick and well considered actions. The community are looking to you for help and the time to act has passed so the next best time to act is now. Your donations will mean that when the help is needed, and its only going to become more in demand before it gets easier, we are prepared, ready and able to offer what is needed.

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT US/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ACCESS SUPPORT/OFFER SUPPORT AND GET THE HELP YOU NEED.

For more information, please visit our website, we have a dedicated page for this campaign which can be found here; https://www.cultivatecornwall.com/coronavirus.html

We are also looking for support in the form of volunteers. If you are able to help in this way, please visit our website where there is further information on the different volunteer opportunities. https://www.cultivatecornwall.com/coronavirus.html

If you are able to volunteer please fill out our volunteer questionnaire by following this link, https://forms.gle/UZjgMg83hrJTze8N8

if you have any questions about how you can help us email us at; help@cultivatecornwall.com

We are also looking for help with donations to fill our dignity bags, a list of what we are looking for can be found here; https://www.cultivatecornwall.com/coronavirus.html

If you or someone you know is in need of any help and support, please follow this link to a survey so we can ensure the right help and support is provided. This can be found here; https://forms.gle/FJp5FRZzQja5mzwSA

If you have any questions, or for any reason are unable to complete the survey, please email help@cultivatecornwall.com