Stevenage Football Club’s coronavirus Community Careline has come to an end in its current form, after 21 weeks of dedicated service.
Since launching on March 23, the Stevenage Football Club and Stevenage FC Foundation Community Careline has supplied over 15,000 sandwiches to 120 addresses across Stevenage, delivered over 400 prescriptions and made over 500 outbound phone calls to vulnerable residents who have needed support during the pandemic.
This is all due to the efforts of more than 100 incredible volunteers who have also been having friendly doorstep chats, and making weekly catch-up calls with residents.
Now though, with the club’s main order of business soon returning – football – and the world beginning to return to normal, the careline must unfortunately come to an end.
But Stevenage FC’s commitment to their community does not end here. Using the EFL’s ‘Tackling Loneliness Together’ funding, Stevenage FC Foundation will continue to support its residents amid the growing scourge of loneliness.
“It has been an incredible five months,” Foundation CEO Joe Goude said. “Like nothing any of us have ever experienced. We have been privileged to be able to support our community and be able to do something for them during this time – to make their lives a little easier and remind them that they are not alone.
“Equally, we are really excited for the next stage of continuing this work and continuing to support our residents that need support. In the coming weeks, we will be able to help people with getting physically and mentally active either in the comfort of their own homes, or hopefully face-to-face.
“One thing for certain is that we want to ensure that everyone knows that they are not alone and will always have someone there to support them, regardless of what is going on in the rest of the world – and I hope we can play a small part in that”.
Stevenage FC CEO, Alex Tunbridge, added: “On behalf of the club I would like to take the opportunity to thank the one hundred plus volunteers who have helped us provide this service since March.
“During some very difficult times for our community, these individuals have proven to be unsung heroes of our town.”
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