START: Keeping connected and bringing people together virtually

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START is a mental health charity in Salford.

Up until recently START had prided itself in bringing people together to take part in creative and horticulture activities in our central studio base and local community venues in order to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Like many organisations the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many challenges and we have had to quickly adapt and develop our services in response to the outbreak. In line with Government advice and having suspended all face-to-face and group activities, we have worked to mobilise staff to work from home and have now successfully devised an innovative and comprehensive package of support for our many members/ service users and volunteers.

This adaptation has not come easily, and staff have had to work hard to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to keep connected to START; overcoming challenges around digital barriers has meant that we have had to think carefully about accessibility so that no one is at a disadvantage due to their personal circumstances at home.  

Our new menu of support options includes:

  • Telephone contact - all members and volunteers are contacted by telephone each week and people have been signposted where necessary to the various forms of support that are available locally as well as information being sent out via email and post about websites/ telephone lines etc. that can be accessed for specific conditions on a national level.
  • YouTube - START has set up a new channel and staff are uploading new creative activity videos each week to enable members to continue with creative activities during the lockdown. These activities are currently being transcribed to allow us to send them in the post to those who do not have access to the internet.
  • Instagram - START staff are adding new activities and challenges each week for members to try and for them to send in pictures of their own work. This is a more interactive way of remaining in touch with members and we have had some impressive images posted. We also send the challenges out via email and call people with the details to enable those without digital means to engage in the activities.
  • Online Wellbeing hub -  this online hub can be accessed via a personal log in on our website and staff have been registering more members and adding to the range of  creative wellbeing activities that are available to do and self-help sheets that are available to download. A video has been produced to visually take people through the different parts of the hub as an introduction to the content.
  • Live Zoom sessions - some of our sessions have been adapted and are now functioning via Zoom. This has enabled START to help some members complete courses that they had started before the pandemic. In addition a gardening social chat and sharing of ideas has been working well. We plan to expand significantly the number of zoom sessions held over the coming weeks. Going forward we see this as a good way of involving people with START before they physically attend the service, it would help us to cope with increased demand and reach those who due to barriers to getting to our physical base may not have previously engaged.
  • Five Ways to Wellbeing newsletter - this is produced on a weekly basis and is sent out to all volunteers, community participants and partner agencies via email and post with helpful information about wellbeing initiatives based on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing.

So we have obviously adapted significantly to ensure we provide a range of ways for people to stay connected to us during this time of forced isolation so that they can continue to receive the support of START and it’s services. Nothing will replace the face to face interventions that we are renowned for in Salford, and the benefits people feel as they work alongside peers and friends within studios and community rooms - we miss welcoming people into our building, we have created a place where people feel safe and more able to be themselves- and we can’t wait to get back. We do however hope to be able to take away many positives from this time; we are thinking differently about how our services may be delivered in the future to better meet the needs of more people, using the learning we have gained during these times of challenge to benefit our community longer term.

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Author: 
Michelle Dennett, Charity Development Manager

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Salford, M30 0FN

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Salford CVS is the city-wide infrastructure organisation for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector; providing specialist information, advice, development support and opportunities for influence and collaboration.