Thousands to receive vital support this Christmas thanks to a large donation of food, care, and toy packages

FAMILIES, individuals, and older people across the Liverpool City Region will be receiving vital support thanks to a food, care, and toy package initiative this Christmas.

The initiative, led by 1 Vision Housing, is set to help almost 2,000 beneficiaries across the Region, with funding from its Community Development Fund, fellow members of The Sovini Group, Sovini Trade Supplies and Sovini Property Services, and local law firm, Weightmans LLP.

9 community organisations received large pallets of food, care, and toy packages ready for the Christmas period, including:- Netherton Park Neighbourhood Centre, Sefton Opera, Light for Life, Brunswick Youth and Community Centre, Joseph Lappin Centre, Veterans HQ Liverpool, St Helens Food Bank, Equilibrium North West CIC, and the Indy Food Pantry.

Netherton Park Neighbourhood Centre also received a £1.5k grant from 1 Vision Housing's Community Development Fund to support their Food Pantry which is supporting the local community with access to food and care products.

Inflation has increased at a faster rate than pay for those in employment, and benefits for those not. In November 2022, the UK's inflation rate rose to 11.1%, 9.1% above The Bank of England's target of 2%. This level of inflation is set to have a direct impact for people across the UK, affecting their ability to pay their rent, household bills, as well as purchase food and care products.

An organisation receiving a pallet from the initiative, Sefton Older Persons Enabling Resource and Action (O.P.E.R.A), is a charitable voluntary group that provides services to enhance the well being of older people.

Vicki Martlow, Sefton O.P.E.R.A said:- "The current cost of living crisis has impacted our clients massively. Rising energy costs have resulted in some being frightened to turn their heating on, with others using just 1 room in their home to reduce costs. We are incredibly grateful to 1 Vision Housing for the donation of this food pallet which will enable us to support hundreds of people locally."

One Vision Housing is part of the award winning The Sovini Group, which recently received an accolade for its innovative approach to responsible business across social and Governance practices from the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.

Ian Mitchell, Managing Director of Housing at The Sovini Group said:- "We are committed to creating opportunities and changing lives in the communities we serve. As the cost of living continues to rise, we know many will be finding this time of year challenging. Alongside the help 1 Vision Housing provide through its wonderful support teams, we hope that these packages will help those in need this Christmas."

Sian Evans, Partner at Weightmans LLP commented:- "We are proud to partner with The Sovini Group on their Christmas initiative in providing food, care, and toy supplies to the Liverpool City Region. This year has undoubtedly been difficult with so many people affected by the cost of living crisis, so we are eager to support such a great initiative. We hope those families receiving the packages enjoy the festive season."
 

LGA responds to Government dental care plan

RESPONDING to a Government plan to improve access to NHS Dental Care, Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board said:- "As previous LGA analysis has shown, there are significant numbers of dental deserts across the country, with many people lacking access to affordable dental care. These shortages are most severe in rural and deprived communities. Although these changes to dental contracts is a start in tackling the issue, much more can be done to address these shortages. The Government should commit to a comprehensive dental workforce strategy as well as providing a real terms increase to councils' public health grant, so they can provide vital oral health improvement programs to prevent long-term health problems."

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MP visits Dale Park Care Home for UK Parliament Week

DALE Park, in Southport, Merseyside, was visited on Friday, 18 November 2022, by Southport's MP Damien Moore, as the home participated in UK Parliament Week activities that ran from:- 14 November to 20 November 2022. The 46 bed dementia care home, which is owned by HC One, was delighted to mark UK Parliament Week with Residents, Colleagues and MP Damien Moore.

UK Parliament Week is an annual event which aims to spread the word about what Parliament is and the roles of local dignitaries, what Parliament and local dignitaries do, and how individuals can get involved, take action and make an impact on the issues they care about.

Residents and Colleagues of the HC One owned home enjoyed meeting MP Damien Moore for Southport and chatting to him about what life is like at Dale Park; which is an integral part of the local Southport community. Damien also enjoyed a tour of the care home, which has recently benefited from a refurbishment programme and took the time to chat to Colleagues about the health and social care industry.

Andrea Ekuruemu, Home Manager at Dale Park Care Home, commented:- "We were delighted to welcome MP Damien Moore to our home to mark UK Parliament Week 2022. Everyone had a great time learning about UK Parliament, discussing key issues they care about and what actions can be taken to overcome them."