Forres Area Community Trust offering back home boxes for older people returning from hospital

SKILLED local volunteers are helping to put together a welcome home package for older people returning from hospital.

Forres Area Community Trust (FACT) has so far received 52 knitted and crocheted knee blankets from local crafters for a project they have launched as their coordinated response to the Covid-19 lockdown winds down.

FACT older person’s project co-ordinator, Kirsty Williams, said: "Not everyone can sew to make scrubs for Moray so we introduced the knee blankets project for people who can crochet or knit. The blankets we require measure 30 inches square."

Volunteer Lesley Edwards enjoys helping FACT out at the town hall, headquarters for The Cameron Project, a befriending service for the over 50’s which offers a variety of activities including crafts.

She said: "Quite a few volunteers are making them. The plan is to put them in a package for people coming out of hospital. Handy for ex-patients who are chair or wheelchair bound."

FACT are looking to expand the Cameron Project by introducing the 'back home boxes’, in addition to the current group activities and one to one befriending they already offer. The comfort boxes will be distributed to people in the area who have been discharged from hospital and live alone.

Kirsty said: "If someone has been taken into hospital in an emergency then discharged, they won’t have fresh bread or milk when they get home. These comfort boxes will contain essentials for a couple of days to make sure the person can get settled in again."

Each box will have milk, bread, tea, coffee and jam, as well as a knitted/crocheted knee blanket, a kindness token, a card made by a child and information to help them reconnect with their community.

FACT have seen such boxes prove successful in other areas - Kirsty arranged a visit to Compassionate Inverclyde with representatives of the Whyte Family Trust, Moray Wellbeing Hub and NHS Grampian to see the work in that area.

FACT are also working closely with Moray Food Plus on the local project.

Kirsty said: "We hope to secure funding and create a circle of support for older people living in the community. The response to Covid-19 has already shown compassion and kindness in abundance from our community and this project aims to continue keeping everyone connected."

If you would like to donate a 30 inch square blanket to the Cameron Project and spread a little kindness in the community, Forres Town Hall is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11-11.30am as a collection point.