2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. Through two lockdowns, many individuals and families across the city have struggled to make ends meet due to being made redundant, being put on furlough, or because they were already coping with multiple stressors before the pandemic.
2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. Through two lockdowns, many individuals and families across the city have struggled to make ends meet due to being made redundant, being put on furlough, or because they were already coping with multiple stressors before the pandemic.
We’ve been working as part of the Exeter Community Wellbeing response being coordinated by the city council: helping direct individuals, families and community organisations to the support that they need. Our Community Builders have been working flat-out across all 13 wards in the city to support local people and groups as they, in turn, support people in their local communities. Our Devon Family Resource, Transitions and Parent Progression teams have worked hard to ensure no drop-off in their services due to having to work remotely. At Bike Bank, our Trainee Bike Mechanics have continued to work with their mentors to learn new skills and build their self-confidence and employability. Exeter Connect, a new service that we launched in partnership with Exeter City Council recently, has been supporting community and voluntary sector organisations as they come up with innovative ways to make a difference to the lives of their fellow Exonians.
With the support of our friends at Exeter City FC Supporters’ Trust, we want to do more. We know that many of you will be missing out on staff parties or such festivities in the coming weeks. We’d like to give you an opportunity to engage with and support the people in your city.
We are going to send a gift to those people who we know might be facing a tough festive period. Think of it as a replacement for the office Secret Santa where you might end up with a book you’ll never read, or a pair of novelty socks that will spend 11 months of every year stuffed at the back of a drawer somewhere.