Welcome to our second newsletter. We’ll send one once a week updating you about what we are doing and how you can get involved. You can sign up to get the newsletter by email at www.shacklewell.uk/news
Mutual aid connects neighbours who need support in the COVID-19 crisis with neighbours who want to volunteer. We’re helping people in and around the Shacklewell ward in Hackney, East London. You can find out more on our website at www.shacklewell.uk
Updates – DBS checks
For delivering prescriptions we need people with up to date DBS certificates. If you have one can you let Jess know in the Whatsapp Chat group and she can verify it with you.
Laura is working on understanding DBS checks and writing documents for them so if you can help with that let her know in the Whatsapp chat.
If you don’t have a DBS certificate there are still lots of ways you can help from working on the phone line rota to helping with shopping and phone calls or working on outreach and documents. If you’ve any specialist skills those would be fantastic to share as well. Follow the steps in www.shacklewell.uk/info/volunteer and send a message in the chat group to let us know.
Document of the week
We’ve written a safety document with some Mutual Aid guidelines for keeping safe during the crisis. These guidelines were developed to help ensure everyone stays safe whilst supporting each other.
You can have read this document at www.shacklewell.uk/safety please share it with anyone in Hackney who might find it useful!
If you have any suggestions to improve please message Franki on the Whatsapp chat group or email the group at shacklewell.volunteers@gmail.com
Requests
Since we began we’ve had 20 requests go through our dispatches system. We’ve helped out other people neighbour-to-neighbour through chat on our WhatsApp and Facebook group.
We’ve had 5 preferred languages (English, Bengali, Polish, Turkish, Bulgarian) and we’ve done food shopping, collecting prescriptions, general errands and made friendly phone calls among other things.
People
Lots of people are involved in Shacklewell Mutual Aid, each week we’ll introduce a few people, if you want to get involved as well then check out our volunteer page at www.shacklewell.uk/info/volunteer or chat to the people below in our WhatsApp chat group.
Franki
I am Franki and am working on safety guidelines because it’s important everyone stays safe whilst supporting each other. We would love to hear from anyone who has been receiving support or carrying it out, to know if these are helpful, if there are any gaps, or you have ideas for doing more.
Jess
I’m Jess, one of the dispatchers and also currently verifying our volunteers’ DBS checks. I’m here to help because I enjoy helping out my local community in whatever way I can! I love working with the team to ensure we are helping those vulnerable in this crisis and hope it will make a very small difference!
Laura
Hi, I live on Barrett’s Grove and I am helping out with DBS information and resources. I wanted to volunteer to help out in the crisis in my spare time. I was welcomed with open arms and have been put to good use straight away. It is great to be part of this very strong, positive local community.
Marc
I’m Marc, I live in the converted warehouse above Beyond Retro and I’m a website and database developer. I’ve worked for Room To Heal and Open Barbers in Hackney. I got involved because I think it’s great for neighbours to support each other and it’s been nice to get to know people in my area while working on the website and newsletter. The Shacklewell group is very friendly and positive, which I love. If you have ideas for what should go on the website or in the newsletter let me know in the Whatsapp Chat. It’d be great to have someone to help out updating and writing them.
Summary
If you want to get involved on the phone line or doing anything else our people have asked for this week then please get in touch on the WhatsApp group or by email. We hold a weekly video call on Sunday evenings which everyone is very welcome to join. Find our contact details on www.shacklewell.uk