A NEW initiative has been launched to reach out to members of a community who are in need of a helping hand.
Residents in Millom can tap into a new scheme that provides help and support for people needing assistance with everyday jobs.
The Community Help and Information Network (CHAIN) was launched by Millom Health Action Group and Better Care together earlier this month and aims to create a new network of volunteers within the community.
Jenny Brumby, a member of Millom Health Action Group, has been busy signing up volunteers for the scheme.
She said: “We are so lucky to have so many selfless volunteers across our 13 communities around Black Combe.
"We have created CHAIN to support the existing volunteers and encourage people of all ages to become one.
"Once we have a bank of people we will match volunteers
with the people who have come forward to say that they would benefit from extra support.
“We want to organise the help so that it’s all in one place and most importantly keep it free of charge for the community.”
The aim of the programme is to create an organised database which collates information about people's needs within the community and the different skills volunteers have to offer.
Leaders of the scheme will then create a "bank" of volunteers who will be assigned to different tasks outlined by people in the community.
These tasks can include a whole host of services from mowing a lawn to doing a weekly shop and organisers hope to be able to share skills and services across the wider community to health and well-being and reduce social isolation.
The scheme was launched on Carnival Day on July 9, where hundreds of people got to hear about the scheme.
Sheila Watson, who lives in Millom, was one of the first to sign up to become a volunteer.
She said: “I signed up to CHAIN to volunteer to help others because one day I might need help and it would be nice to know that there would be someone to help me.
"It’s great to be a part of a giving community where people do help each other."
Residents across the whole area can access the support offered by CHAIN, which will cater for people living between Broughton and Waberthwaite.
Mrs Brumby is determined to encourage as many people as possible to sign up to the scheme to help provide much-needed support for many members of the community.
She said: “The self-worth you feel from helping others is very fulfilling and we want to create that chain
of selflessness.”
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