Earlier this afternoon I was at Holy Trinity Church in Claygate, with Jenny French, their vicar Patrick Bateman, and a team of volunteers from the East Elmbridge Foodbank. I joined the team in preparing parcels of Christmas food and essentials, carefully observing the rules for volunteering during the current Coronavirus restrictions. These parcels will be going out to clients of the foodbank and local families who need a bit of help at this time of year.

This was also a good opportunity to catch up with Jenny and the foodbank team, who have been doing a terrific job recently to help the most vulnerable in our communities. Since we first met up, back in March, to discuss how to get support to those who need it during the pandemic, the foodbank has transformed its operation.  With the generous support of the local community, they’ve adapted to the challenges of Coronavirus, including by moving to a doorstep delivery service.

The foodbank is a great example of local community spirit. If you are able, you can support them here – https://eastelmbridge.foodbank.org.uk/.

I was very encouraged to hear that eight local charities have received over £124,000 of government funding during the Coronavirus pandemic, through the National Lottery Community Fund.

This figure includes £10,000 for the R C Sherriff Trust (which works to advance the arts across Elmbridge) and more than £30,000 for Music in Hospitals & Care, which provides live music sessions for people in hospitals and hospices.

Citizens Advice Elmbridge (West) has also received more than £40,000 to support their essential work. I visited the great team there last month and was, as always, very impressed by their dedication.

It’s been heartening to see how communities have pulled together during these difficult times, and local charities have been at the centre of these efforts. It’s very welcome that these vital organisations have received government support to continue their work.

The other local charities which have received government funding are:

• Oasis Children’s Charity (a service helping to keep vulnerable children in Elmbridge out of the social care system and with their own families) – £9,609;
• ‘It’s Not Your Birthday But’ (an artistic organisation helping people to communicate by post) – £9,750;
• Peterson’s Fund for Children (a charity supporting children who struggle with mental and physical disabilities) – £9,400;
• Hersham Youth Trust (a local youth charity) – £8,000;
• Harrison’s Fund (a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy charity) – £5,400.

On Friday, I joined local councillor Mary Sheldon at the Walton and Hersham foodbank. We visited the warehouse on Faulkner’s Road, where donations are received, to catch up with the manager Nina and meet Diana, one of the foodbank’s volunteers.

As I saw with the East Elmbridge foodbank during lockdown, everyone at Walton and Hersham has been doing a great job to respond to increased local demand during the pandemic. It has been a very challenging time, so I know the whole community is grateful for the hard work Nina and the volunteers have been putting in.

After visiting the warehouse, we walked over to the additional premises that the foodbank has recently acquired in Snellings Road, to meet some more volunteers preparing food parcels. It was good to be able to thank them personally for everything they are doing.

I know that this is still a difficult time for some people. If you need support of any kind, there is a useful tool on the government’s Coronavirus website, here, which can point you in the right direction. Residents can also always contact me at dominic.raab.mp@parliament.uk. I would be happy to help.

This afternoon, I caught up with Jackie Lodge and Caroline Davies from Walton Charity – along with Dr Ben Spencer, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge.

Walton Charity does inspirational work to improve the lives of residents across Elmbridge. This includes providing grants to people and organisations, and supplying sheltered and social housing for the elderly and those in need.

There has been a significant increase in demand for Walton Charity’s services during Coronavirus. Areas of particular focus include tackling mental health challenges, domestic abuse, homelessness, and isolation among the elderly population. I was really impressed to hear how hard the team have worked to support residents across the borough who have been experiencing these issues.

It was also good to hear about the progress of Walton Charity’s COVID-19 Response Appeal. They have set an ambitious target of raising £100,000, with every pound matched by Walton Charity. I saw today how important this work is across our communities – so if you can, I would encourage residents to consider donating to the appeal here.

It was good to duck by to visit East Elmbridge Foodbank’s new site at Molesey Youth Centre today, along with Surrey County Council Leader Tim Oliver.

The foodbank moved their whole operation to Molesey Youth Centre, in June, and are now operating a full packing and despatch service at the site. The building, which is owned by Surrey County Council, is bigger than the previous site at Esher Green Baptist Church, and has allowed the foodbank to store all of their stock on site, rather than paying for commercial storage units.

Jenny French and her team have done a truly fantastic job at responding to increased local demand during the pandemic, and adapting to the challenging circumstances of the last few months. These volunteers are doing great work to ensure that basic shopping essentials are reaching the elderly and vulnerable residents within our community. If you would like to drop off food donations at Molesey Youth Centre, you can do so from 10:00 – 16:00 on Monday – Thursdays.

Today, I joined up with Eamonn McNamee from Central Surrey Voluntary Action (CSVA), to help dispense masks and hand gel – while socially distanced – to CSVA’s brilliant volunteers in Walton.

These volunteers were doing great work, carrying out food deliveries for elderly and vulnerable residents. They demonstrated the terrific community spirit which has been so important in supporting those in need in Elmbridge through the lockdown.

As residents may be aware, this week the Prime Minister announced the latest steps in the government’s roadmap, which provides the basis for our transition out of lockdown. You can read about this on yesterday’s blog post, here.

It is important to remember that, as we take this next step along the transition, it will be even more important for local residents and business owners to ensure that they are carefully following the updated guidelines.

Today, I volunteered with Elmbridge Rentstart, a local charity which houses and supports the homeless, newly-housed and vulnerable in our communities.

I went out with Patrick Tipping in Walton and Hersham, delivering food and other essentials to former rough sleepers who have now been rehoused, and need a bit of support at this challenging time. I was really impressed by the Elmbridge Rentstart’s operation under the energetic Helen Watson, and I was given a tour of their new hub on Walton High Street. (All of our deliveries were socially distanced.)

Elmbridge Rentstart usually houses and supports around 150 people each year, so the team have done a great job adapting to the difficult circumstances presented by Coronavirus and a surge in demand for support. You can find out more about their work on their website, here.