Isolated Leicester residents get connected with virtual tools
The VALUES Project, run by Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, is helping to keep people with learning disabilities connected during the new lockdown.
Pictured above: A client using a Facebook Portal
Submitted by Voluntary Action LeicesterShire
Residents with learning disabilities have received Facebook Portals as part of a Leicester charity's new initiative.
The VALUES Project, run by Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL), is helping to keep people connected thanks to funding and support from Mencap and Sport England via the Tackling Inequalities Fund.
The VALUES Project has provided six of its clients with Facebook Portals and Wi-Fi access for six months.
The clients had no access to virtual tools and a few have only had limited phone contact since the first lockdown.
The Tackling Inequalities Fund focuses on keeping people active, and the new Facebook Portals will be used for virtual keep-fit sessions.
Mikaela Paterson, Team Manager for the VALUES Project, said: "People with learning disabilities are some of the hardest hit by the pandemic.
"Lots of them are shielding and unable to go outside. Some don't fully understand why they'e not able to go out and do the things they usually love doing. It's been amazing to see people connect through video calls when they were so isolated before."
The VALUES Project has been helping people in Leicester in Leicestershire with learning disabilities to have fun, make friends, and learn new skills for over 20 years.
During the pandemic, the project has delivered dozens of virtual group sessions every week, enabling clients to take part in fun and educational activities whilst providing respite for families and carers.
Mikaela said: "They are able to see their friends and take part in sessions like dancing and exercising.
"It's important to keep people physically and mentally healthy during these difficult times."
The project was able to return to delivering COVID-safe face-to-face services for a time, but the new lockdown restrictions have forced them to reduce client contact to a limited number of one-to-one sessions.
This leaves people with learning disabilities vulnerable and isolated. One VALUES client, David, had struggled to keep communicating with his friends or support workers because his mobile phone had broken at the beginning of the first lockdown.
Jon Stonebridge, Project Manager for Mencap, said: "At this time, physical and mental health are so important for people who are at risk.
"The funding has enabled VALUES to support their clients during the pandemic to continue taking part in physical activity at home and to maintain contact with their friends, which helps with fitness levels and feelings of isolation."
To find out more about what VALUES does, please visit the website here.
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