Battersea Coronavirus Angels Update (23Oct20)

Canon Simon Butler, Vicar of St Mary’s Battersea (and a trustee of KLS), has just written an update to the Coronavirus Angels volunteers. As we’re a partner in this group we thought we should reproduce it here. 

Dear fellow Coronavirus Angels,

I hope you are all managing the complicated balance of competing emotions and challenges as we continue through this period of pandemic. Now we’re in Tier 2 in Battersea, the Angels’ Team decided it was time to put our thinking caps on and give some thought to what we might do in the event of a local lockdown if we go up into Tier 3. We think that it is likely that this will be a moment where the Angels could well be needed again and so we’ve been making some plans.

These include:

  • Preparing some new flyers to go out with an offer of help and to recruit new volunteers.
  • Liaising with key partners, such as KLS Elders Team, the Dons Local Action Group and Wandsworth Foodbank, who have now relocated to the old Curry’s site just north of Wandsworth Bridge.
  • Giving thought to a bit of fundraising.
  • Keeping you lovely people up to date.

The plan will be to reimplement the practical help element of Angels in the event of going into Tier 3, alongside the ongoing befriending work. We think we will get a little bit of notice on this, especially as cases in Wandsworth are now over 100, but not rising as quickly as many other areas. If we do, we will be keen to get the flyers out quickly again and mobilise those who are able to volunteer still, so that we can hit the ground running like we did in April, but with the experience of what worked and what didn’t to build on.

But meanwhile…here are three things you can do to help us now.

1. Update us on your availability to volunteer: if you are still able to help us, you need do nothing. If you aren’t in a position to help now – e.g. you’ve moved away or if work commitments prevent it, please email [email protected] to will ensure you’re taken off the database. On the other hand, if you have a friend or family member who would like to volunteer, please ask them to text the Angels hotline on 07394856557 to receive a link to the sign up form.

2. Volunteer to be an Angels Coordinator: our team of coordinators has been significantly reduced so we will need a few more people willing to help in this way, who have some time in the day during the week to help. We think that we won’t need teams of two this time, but we want to get everyone trained up to run the work by the time any lockdown comes. Again, please email [email protected] if you can do this.

3. Consider being a Telephone Befriender: we would like to expand this team to be able to help more people. Let us know if you can help.

That’s it for now. We all hope that another lockdown doesn’t come, but if it does, we want to be ready.

Best wishes,

Simon Butler

Canon Simon Butler
Vicar of St Mary’s Battersea
07941 552407
stmarysbattersea.org.uk

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