AS WE enter a further period of social isolation, I felt it was appropriate to provide an update on the COATS response to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) emergency.
As you may be aware the COATS Centre in Crowthrone was closed on Friday, March 20. At the time of closing we were confident that all our visitors and their families had made suitable arrangements for support during the period of social isolation.
Our shop closed on Tuesday, March 17, removing the main source of funding.
The Trustees and staff have been working hard behind the scenes on two important fronts: Firstly, we have set up a COATS ‘Keeping In Touch’ programme.
Our centre manager, Bernie Dunstone, supported by Clare Rebbeck, has phoned all 110 of our visitors to check that their care and support needs are being met.
Using their contacts they have been able to provide advice and to direct visitors and their families to organisations providing additional support to meet health and wellbeing needs.
For the duration of the lockdown period Bernie and Clare will make regular phone calls to just chat, catch up and provide some much-needed social contact. This will amount to more than 50 phone calls each week.
Every one of our visitors has been delighted with the contact and all are looking forward to the day when they can meet up again with their friends at the COATS Centre.
Our second focus has been working to secure the future of the COATS charity so that we will be there for our visitors when life returns to some degree of normality.
As you will appreciate we have no clear outlook on when we will be able to re-open our centre or our shop.
Until our shop reopens we will need to draw on our reserves to pay for the minimum necessary costs of both the centre and the shop. Fortunately we are able to benefit from the Government Salary Subsidy scheme by furloughing all our staff with the Government paying 80% of salary costs.
The experience of our staff and their close relationship with our visitors will be vital in getting the COATS centre up and running again.
Finally, when this crisis is over and we are able to open up again the support and dedication of our volunteers, will also be vital in getting the centre up and running again and in getting the much-needed income flowing from the shop once more.
The COATS staff and Trustees would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Crowthorne for their support to COATS and to reassure our visitors, their families, our shop customers and shop donors that we will return; stay safe, stay well and look after each other.
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