With many older and more vulnerable people in our community self-isolating due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, lots of people have been stepping forward wanting to help, demonstrating the Spirit of Salford.

Make sure you remember the priority is to keep yourself and others safe and follow physical distancing and infection control guidance at all times.

We’ve put together some tips on the best ways you can offer your support safely. You can also read advice on how to help sadely on the NHS website here.

Be a good neighbour

You can be a good neighbour without face to face contact. The majority of the actions below can be done on the phone or virtually:

• Connect and reach out to your immediate neighbours -  a conversation may be a lifeline and will help people feel less lonely
• If there is a neighbourhood social media page you could help them connect with this
• Encourage others on your street to take part in positive community activities from their homes - e.g. rainbow window decorations 
• Help your neighbour put together a contact list of useful numbers e.g. their personal emergency contacts, local advice lines, etc.
• Practical support such as picking up prescriptions, helping them with online shopping, walking their dog, etc.

General rules

• Follow government guidelines on staying at home where possible. You may still be able to give practical help to your neighbours e.g. collecting their shopping while doing your own shop, or walking their dog only when you take your daily exercise.
• Don’t enter people’s houses – unless you absolutely have to
• Stay on the doorstep and keep 2 metres apart
• Be kind and courteous
• Respect everyone’s privacy, helping vulnerable people requires mutual trust e.g. don’t share any private information
• Follow infection control advice and physical distancing – with coronavirus (COVID-19) the situation is fast evolving so follow the latest advice from trusted sources e.g. Public Health England (Find them on twitter: @PHE_uk) or visit the PHE website.
• Only help if:
  • you are well and neither you nor anyone in your household has symptoms 
  • you are under 70
  • you are not pregnant
  • you do not have any long-term health conditions that make you vulnerable to coronavirus
• Carry a mobile phone and let someone know where you are going

If someone is in need of more help than you can give please direct them to Salford City Council’s Spirit of Salford Helpline on 0800 952 1000 or complete the form at www.salford.gov.uk/spiritofsalford

Emergency Response Volunteering

Following the government's  'stay home, save lives' guidance we know some people are unsure if they are allowed to leave their home to volunteer.

If you are volunteering to provide care or to help a vulnerable person this is permitted. But you MUST follow physical distancing and infection control measures at all times.

If you would like to be part of Salford’s Emergency Response Volunteering initiative, please register here.

Emergency Response Volunteers support residents and communities affected by an emergency and it is a diverse and varied role. In relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, tasks may be as follows:

• Staffing a phone line; taking calls from local residents, finding out what help they need and recording this - Stay In Touch role description
• Distributing and delivering goods e.g. food and toiletries - Logistics role description
• Walking dogs for people who are self-isolating - Dog walker role description
• Preparing hot and cold food for NHS workers and at-risk Salford residents - Food preparation role description

You can also get an idea of what is expected of you as an Emergency Response Volunteer by reading this Welcome Pack.

Please note that there is currently a wait before you can start volunteering while we process those already registered. Volunteers will be an integral part of the recovery phase as well as the immediate response to COVID-19. Your support now is appreciated and we will need you more than ever in the coming months, thank you for your patience, we will get back to you.

In the meantime, you can continue to be a good neighbour while keeping yourself and others safe (see advice above) and you can use your social media for good with our micro-volunteering opportunity; #HeroFromHome.

Hero from Home

We know that lots of people are want to help while they stay at home.

So we have created a new micro-volunteering opportunity called Hero from Home!

Heroes from Home will support the wider Emergency Response in Salford by sharing important messages to help to keep our communities safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Volunteers will use their own social media accounts to share or post information about Salford’s COVID-19 response - helping to ensure it is highly visible and readily available to those who need it. 

You'll find everything you need to be a Hero from Home here.

If you have any queries about being a good neighbour, a hero from home or emergency response volunteering please contact our team on 0161 787 7795 or email volunteer@salfordcvs.co.uk

Mutual Aid Groups

Across the country, people are organising into informal groups of volunteers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in order to help and support people in their local area.

These groups are often called ‘mutual aid groups’. A mutual aid group is a group of local people who organise informally to support one another and the needs of their local community. They are independent of any organisation or official body, are led by local people who volunteer their time and often organise online.

View a list of all the mutual aid groups in the UK here.

Advice regarding Mutual Aid Groups can be found on Macc's website here.

You can also be a good neighbour by donating:

Donate to the Salford 4 Good - Emergency Response Fund (COVID 19) fundraiser.		You can support your local foodbank at supermarket donation points or by donating money online.
Download our guide on 'How to be a Good Neighbour in Salford' here.