Older Wigan residents reminded of support available in lockdown

The charity’s team of employees and volunteers were out and about helping the vulnerable less than 24 hours after prime minister Boris Johnson announced a third national lockdown to tackle Covid-19.

The charity spent much of 2020 providing emergency shopping trips, helping to pick up prescriptions and giving out food parcels to those who needed them.

It also provided assistance for older residents at risk of social isolation who simply needed someone to talk to during the pandemic.

And the charity has stressed its response will be no different this time around and wants to ensure no older residents are suffering in silence during what are likely to be several difficult weeks ahead.

John McArdle, Age UK Wigan Borough chief officer, said: “By Tuesday morning we had already made some emergency shopping trips to help people who are now being urged to remain at home because they are classed as vulnerable.

“It is important that people get in touch when they need help as we are here to support them.

“Throughout last year we did our best to make sure people did not feel they were on their own.

“We were there to help them and we are ready to do as much as we possibly can in the coming weeks.”

During spring and summer 2020 Age UK Wigan Borough completed 1,700 shopping trips for residents who are elderly and vulnerable, made 8,600 calls to check on people and to chat and distributed almost 1,000 emergency food packs.

Much of that effort is likely to require being replicated over the following weeks as the borough faces something close to the initial lockdown conditions which were imposed last March.

People who are classed as clinically extremely vulnerable who had to shield in the spring are once again being written to and informed that they should do so again.

Anyone requiring help can ring the charity, which covers the entire Wigan borough, on 01942 241972 from Monday to Friday between 9am and 4.30pm or go online to www.ageuk.org.uk/wiganborough/

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