Advice for people who want to get involved
We are committed to supporting Warwickshire’s communities through the current coronavirus pandemic.
Warwickshire’s communities are responding brilliantly to the situation, which is testament to the strength and care of the residents of Warwickshire, who themselves are part of our rich, diverse and resilient voluntary and community sector.
Large amounts of volunteers are coming forward and communities across the county are setting up support groups to help ensure that the most vulnerable in our communities have the help they need in these unprecedented times.
To keep everyone safe as communities pull together and support each other, we have pulled together some information that will help individuals to either provide or receive appropriate support.
Always follow the national advice and guidance - in some cases, volunteering activities as part of the community support effort will fall under the permitted reason to leave your house in order to provide care or to help a vulnerable person. In all cases, the national guidance around social contact should be followed. If in doubt, please seek advice.
I want to help
What can I do?
- Volunteer with Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action
- Help out in your local community – view the provision of current community-led activity across Warwickshire or download the PDF version of the community-led activities (PDF, 858 KB)
Practical tips for volunteering
- Tips for volunteers supporting people in isolation due to coronavirus symptoms in the household (PDF, 2.3MB)
- Advice to stay safe when giving or receiving help (PDF, 2.1 MB)
- Government advice on how to help others safely
- Government Safeguarding Factsheet: Advice for community volunteers during the Covid-19 outbreak
- Alzheimer's Society toolkit for volunteers supporting people living with dementia
- British Red Cross online training course for Covid-19 volunteers
- Our Frontline for anyone directly involved in Covid-19 services and support, offering round-the-clock one-to-one support, by call or text, from trained volunteers, plus resources, tips and ideas to look after your mental health
Useful resources for volunteer groups
- Volunteer shopping cards, which residents can purchase to give to volunteers as an alternative to cash:
- Warwickshire County Council car stickers for coronavirus volunteers – please email connectingcommunities@warwickshire.gov.uk with the name of your group, postal address and number of stickers required.
- Happy to help card (PDF, 154 KB)
- Community action response poster - 5 things to make a positive difference in your community (PDF, 1.7 MB)
- Social distancing while outside - poster (PDF, 339 KB)
- Social distancing while shopping - poster (PDF, 455 KB)
Signposting to other services
Transport to medical appointments
Information for families
Staying safe and well
- Avoiding scams
- Rogue traders and scams
- Online safety/security
- Support with hate crime or discrimination
- Looking after your mental health
Keeping connected
GET CONNECTED has produced a free, short self-help video to help people with an iPad or iPhone, particularly silver surfers, to understand more about using the technology.
Funding
If your group needs financial support for your activities, a number of funds have been launched in response to coronavirus
If you would like any support or advice on any grant applications, please contact your local Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action funding and group development officer
Follow the national advice and guidance
Other information
Contact us
If you would like any further information or additional advice on how you can either provide or receive help, please email us on connectingcommunities@warwickshire.gov.uk