BVAction Community Hubs

Published: 07 April 2020

Reverend Heather Leppard is the Lead Volunteer/Coordinator for Old Basing and Lychpit.  Please contact her if you need to stay at home and require help with shopping or prescriptions.  Reverend Leppard can be called on 07745 731729 or emailed on revheatherleppard@gmail.com.

Over 1,500 volunteers have signed up to support residents needing to stay at home to get shopping and prescriptions since the Basingstoke and Deane Community Hub was launched.

During the Coronavirus outbreak, many people have been told to self-isolate at home as they have medical conditions that could put them at risk or are over 70.

Some of these people have relatives or friends who are able to help out by dropping off shopping or prescriptions safely without coming into contact with them.

But for those who don’t have anyone to support them, Basingstoke Voluntary Action (BVA) worked with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and a number of other community organisations to set up the Basingstoke and Deane Community Hub to co-ordinate the volunteers wanting to help.

In just a week since the community hub was launched, 53 local neighbourhood groups have registered and volunteers are being put in touch with groups, with another 229 volunteers on standby to help if needed.

Hampshire County Council is acting as the main co-ordination point for all district community hubs in the county with a hotline The Coronavirus Hampshire Helpline – Hantshelp4vulnerable – that can be contacted on 0333 370 4000. The helpline is available seven days a week, from 9am to 5pm.

Vulnerable residents who need help, and do not have support from family or friends, should call the helpline to register for support. The county council will resolve complex cases and will pass on most other enquiries to the Basingstoke and Deane Community Hub to arrange support, such as deliveries of food.

Any residents who still want to volunteer or local groups who haven’t already registered should visit www.bvaction.org.uk/coronavirus-volunteering or call 01256 423852.

BVA has published an interactive map on its webpage www.bvaction.org.uk/basingstoke-deane-community-hubs/ showing the location and contact details for all the local groups. 

Those people identified at risk of severe illness as a result of underlying medical conditions, that have been written to directly by the NHS, should register for help via gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable as per the instructions in their letter.  They have been told that they should not leave home for at least 12 weeks.