Just a phone call away – how Warwick and Leamington’s Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group is tackling lockdown isolation across the district

The Warwick and Leamington Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group is a community initiative that helps people in a variety of ways including collecting shopping, prescriptions and providing a friendly chat.

The group has shared with The Courier and Kenilworth Weekly News how their phone service is helping to tackle social isolation.

Whilst lockdown has released a wave of creativity and productivity for some, there are probably at least as many others who are suffering the negative effects of social isolation and loneliness, especially those who live alone, which is thought to be more than 30 per cent of households in the Warwick district.

Looking at Facebook, you can quickly get the impression that the pandemic has mainly given people a well-earned chance to do all those jobs lurking at the bottom of their ‘to do’ lists.

And if you haven’t landscaped the garden, made a patchwork quilt or decorated the dining room, it’s easy to feel like you’ve failed to maximise your opportunities.

But, as the Warwick and Leamington Covid-19 Mutual Aid’s Phone Pals’ team of 38 social callers will testify, many people of all ages are struggling to stay positive in the face of not only separation, but also deprivation.

Right from the beginning, when the Group launched in March, it was evident that some people were going to adapt more easily than others to the new situation, and that has become more apparent over time.

Jessie Dutton, Phone Pals admin, whose sentiments echo those of her colleagues, said: “Our immediate concern was for the vulnerable people in the community whose normal support networks had disappeared or been radically cut back; many of our regular callers are feeling anxious, lonely or stressed and need a friendly, listening ear and a compassionate voice.

"And as long as the person concerned is happy to be contacted, a Phone Pal call can be requested by a concerned friend, relative or agency, as well as directly by the caller themselves.

"Calls are free, arranged to fit around individual needs and can be as regular as once a day.”

Volunteers have had no formal training, although many of their professional backgrounds are helpful.

People like furloughed swimming teacher, Catherine Jones and retired health and social care admin worker, Felicity Banbury, whose thoughts echo each other’s: “Some of the calls we make have been incredibly humbling as we’ve spoken to people facing real fear.

"The experience is rewarding both ways, but it is the strength and support that we can offer which is invaluable to those in isolation. We know that our calls can make the difference between a good day and a bad day.”

“Despite the fact that the Phone Pals team has never met face to face, we share a strong feeling of community and despite our diverse backgrounds, share a strong desire to do something powerful and positive with a common purpose.”

And on the other end of the phone, behind those 80 calls a week are real life stories of drama and tragedy, alongside much humour and hilarity too.

One 89-year-old gentleman, who lives alone since the death of his wife, receives a daily call at the request of his daughter, who was concerned that he would become depressed without the routine and structure of his normal, highly sociable existence.

He’s delighted that, despite the boredom of being at home, he can still have social contact: “I’ve had all sorts of people call me, so I can still chat”.

And the volunteers are benefitting from a range of expert gardening tips, from growing vegetables to making bird boxes.

Another caller was referred by the mental health charity MIND, as her normal support services had been significantly reduced. Cared for by her adult son, she was anxious about the strain that the extra pressure of her needs was putting on him.

Getting her Phone Pals’ calls at weekends not only gives her son a break, but makes her feel like people really do care. She said: “I’ve been feeling a bit down in the dumps and low, and have to try and stop becoming more unstable…everybody needs someone they can rely on and these calls are helping do that no end.”

A Phone Pals regular, who has a disability and also suffers from a chronic illness, adds: “The Phone Pals offers a further way of coping and connecting through the continuing strangeness.

"I feel I am listened to and included, which guards against alienation – a main feature of modern life, especially during lockdown.”

If anyone would like to talk to a Phone Pal or know someone who could benefit from a call, they can go to: www.warwickleamingtoncovidhelp.co.uk or call 01926 674065 and leave a message.