Way Ahead Support Services
THE WPH CHARITABLE TRUST AWARDS £3,000 TO WAY AHEAD SUPPORT SERVICES
A Leamington charity which offers a range of services to help local vulnerable people live full, active, independent lives has been awarded £3,000 by the WPH Charitable Trust.
Way Ahead Support Services, affiliated to Mencap, provides supported living and social activities for some 70 adults aged 18 and over living in Warwick District.
The effects of the pandemic have placed a huge strain on resources for Way Ahead. As a result costs have escalated as the charity maintains its much needed support to service users and their families.
Covid testing has had to be introduced for all 50 staff – including two lateral flow tests per week as well as one weekly PCR test. This is taking up 50 hours per week, at a cost of more than £2,830 to the charity.
Regular communication channels have also had to be introduced with the families and carers of its service users to avoid the breakdown of families living in lockdown together – a service which costs almost £400 per month, with a minimum weekly phone call, or more frequent if families are struggling.
Demand for Way Ahead’s out-of-hours service is costing more than £565 per month and the charity is spending an extra £470 per month on PPE, on top of its usual baseline costs before the pandemic.
Angie Gwilliam, Activities Service Manager of Way Ahead, explained that the money from the WPH Charitable Trust will be divided between the telephone calls and the testing of staff.
She said: “While communication with our service users and their families and carers alike has always been a key part of our offering, the loneliness and isolation felt by many since the beginning of the first lockdown means there has been a widespread need for extra support for all over the past year.
“As a result we launched a new service to meet this need head on, making contact with all our families more regularly than before.
“This is not something we have received financial help with, yet for our families it has been a lifeline, with many admitting to us they did not think they would have coped without the extra support.”
Angie added: “We need £1.29 million per year to provide these services and donations such as this from the WPH Charitable Trust help keep our charity running. Without such donations we just would not be able to provide such support.”
To find out more about Way Ahead email info@wayaheaduk.org
