The cost-of-living crisis has hit many people hard with the rising cost of food and fuel putting a strain on households. Local charity Home-Start Newark has continued to support families with young children who were struggling with the aftereffects of the pandemic and now find themselves in financial hardship.
Like others in the community, working families are having to make difficult choices when it comes to priorities. Home-Start volunteers have been able to support families in gaining advice on budgeting and accessing grants to help with bills. Home-Start Newark were also able to secure a small grant to provide vital safety equipment in the home, such as stairgates, to families they supported where they would otherwise be unable to afford them.
The charity has also supported young families to access groups and form healthy routines within the home as part of the ‘Step Up for School’ project. Home-Start Newark’s non-judgmental, emotional and practical support has helped them provide the firm foundations needed for children to thrive. The need for this type of support has been recognised with the expansion of the scheme into the Ollerton area.
Sara Grant, the scheme manager, described volunteers as ‘the backbone of this charity’, and families have found the support invaluable.
Someone who has benefitted from the charity’s assistance said: “My volunteer is brilliant, she’s so understanding and lovely to talk to. I can tell her anything. I didn’t think I’d make it a couple of months ago, I went through a real bad stage and needed a lot of mental health support. Other people have been and gone but she’s still there for me.”
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with Home-Start Newark, please contact the scheme on 01636 705011, through their website or find them on Facebook.