Looking back at Juniors’ lockdown support services

The pandemic was an incredibly difficult time for us all. As government restrictions kept us all indoors, many of us were left feeling trapped and isolated, unable to connect with friends and family and unable to properly live our lives.

Juniors Play Café was unable to open during this trying time, but owner Lesley Robertson wasn’t going to let that stop her from doing her best to provide support to her local community.

Along with her son Kyle, Lesley made up over 1500 ‘survival packs’, distributing them amongst struggling local families with the help of local support groups.

Each of these packs contained a special Juniors activity book and crayons to help keep kids entertained during lockdown, as well as some sweet treats including chocolate and sticky toffee pudding.

In addition, the survival packs also contained essential items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary products, and vitamins.

Speaking to the Daily Record, Lesley said: “The whole basis of Juniors is to act as a support network for parents and this coronavirus pandemic has certainly taught us all that we do need support from others.

“Therefore, I applied for funding through the Big Lottery Fund and Corra Foundation after speaking to the other organisations we work in partnership with and the customers we already work with whom we knew would be struggling.

“Then I contacted local support groups to distribute the bags for us as they are working in the heart of the community, and they were happy to help get the packs out to those who needed them most.

“They were very well received, and I have received some lovely thank you messages from parents/carers and children alike.”

This is just one example of the fantastic work Juniors does in the local community, which made the Scottish Government’s recent decision to pull the charity’s funding even more shocking.

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