When we closed our doors to the public back in March, we were very anxious about the weeks ahead.  But as the country starts to emerge from lockdown, the mood at The Grange is one of optimism, as we draw on the learning of 2020 to enhance our services for the future.

We have so far protected all the people we support – nearly 70, on and off our main site – from the virus.  We’ve kept everyone healthy and happy, with plenty of meaningful activities and personal contact.  Check out our lockdown gallery and see for yourselves! Our volunteers have become home-based ‘phone buddies’ and are even now making quantities of face coverings so that we can train people we support to venture out safely again to the shops, pubs and other places that they love to visit.  Polesden Lacey has offered us special access to their grounds, and Ye Olde Windsor Castle pub has suggested a  dedicated ‘Grange’ area outdoors.  We’ve had donations, messages of good cheer, deliveries of community-baked cakes and boxes of energy-bars from family carers. We have truly felt loved and encouraged, and we thank you all.

While we have been behind closed doors, we have transformed our operations.  We have gone digital, with new systems, mobile phones, on-line resources and Echo Dots in the homes of everyone we support.  It’s been an exciting time, and we have all seen the benefits.  We’ve also learnt great lessons from lockdown, about the importance of collaboration, about the future delivery of our services and about what matters most to people in life.  We have seen silver linings in every dark cloud.  Our staff team has been inspirational, coming to work each day in spite of their personal worries, and taking on different roles from cleaning to catering, and from organising water fights to running crafts activities in rain-sodden gazebos!  I am so proud of them.

We have, of course, had to cancel or postpone many of our fundraising events.  At the same time, we have extra costs from buying protective equipment, and other equipment to ensure we are a ‘Covid 19 Secure workplace.  If you haven’t already done so, please consider supporting us with a donation so that we can still be here, supporting vulnerable adults with love and care, when this pandemic is just a topic in the GCSE history curriculum.

I know some of you will have had much more trying times than we have had, and even lost loved ones in recent months.  We offer you all our sympathy, and wish you courage and hope in the difficult weeks ahead.  Perhaps we can play our part in helping you reach a ‘new normal’, too?

Thank you again, one and all.  And see you soon, I very much hope.

Eloise Appleby