Supporting voluntary and
community organisations
If Coronavirus has had an impact on you or any aspect of your life, including anyone who is self-isolating, please call the helpline for advice and support.
The Helpline operated by Hampshire County Council was relaunched on 6 October with a new name to reflect the broader purpose to support any Hampshire resident who may have been impacted by Coronavirus, as well as anyone who is self-isolating.
To keep up to date with the latest news for Hampshire residents go to this link on the Hampshire County Council web-site.
There has been an amazing response in the local community during the first wave of the pandemic with over 1,000 “pop-up” groups of local people getting together to provide neighbourly support for someone else in their locality. At the same time the Hampshire CVS Network of charities continue to be busy operating local support hubs with their district and borough council colleagues. These hubs take enquiries from the Hampshire Helpline, which require a local response for an individual or household in need – eg a food-shop or prescription collection, help with ongoing check-in and chat phone calls or support with benefits/discretionary grants.
Please do enquire with your local Volunteer Centre about opportunities to volunteer your time to help someone else during the pandemic. Informal volunteering is also fine for people that you know e.g. neighbours, friends, relatives. However, when volunteering for strangers, do think about whether it would be better to be linked to a registered community group to keep everyone safe. Your local Hampshire CVS can help link you with the nearest volunteers’ organisation, or bring you in under their umbrella.
If you have not done this kind of volunteering before, the Hampshire CVS Network has created a few short video guides to help you on your way.