New coronavirus assistance packs initiative launched

A NEW initiative launched by the Melmount Community Forum Groups will see ‘covid assistance packs’ made available for those in need as we head into the chilly winter months.

The packs, available on request from the forum, contain bottles of sanitisers, a number of face coverings and a thermal snug blanket.

Ivan Barr from the Forum explained, “The packs are being called ‘covid assistance packs’ but, the idea behind them is two-fold. Covid seems to have gone to the back of a lot of minds ever since lockdown has been lifted. Taking precautions like covering your face and sanitising seems to have gone by the wayside so these packs should be a timely reminder that the virus is still very much with us.

“As for the blankets, people this coming winter will have to make a difficult choice between heating and eating, and most will choose eating. Obviously, this presents a problem, what with the price of heating the house going up and the Universal Credit booster payment now being taken away, its either one or the other. The blankets, or snugs, are thermal and are capable of keeping the heat in. Of course, we would prefer that people didn’t need to make that choice but we hope that these will be of benefit to those who need them most. We don’t want to see people left freezing.”

The packs are available at Melmount Community Forum and can be obtained via email on melmountforum@gmail.com.