The Sheffield Community Champion Project, co-ordinated by SOAR and funded by Sheffield City Council, works alongside 8 community organisations. The Community Champions are supporting their communities by:
Listening to your questions and concerns
Sharing correct Covid-19 & Vaccine information
Helping people access services, such as vaccine clinics, testing sites and other health or community services
Read on to hear more from the fantastic community organisations involved across Sheffield.
(We also love these photos of the AMAZING volunteers at ACT and Firvale Community Hub).
Aspiring Communities Together (ACT):
A family of four with two asthmatic children 16 and 18yrs old who are on our list for food parcels needed an interpreter to accompany them to their vaccine visit. A Champion provided them with the information they needed and helped accompany them to the GP. We now have a family fully vaccinated against Covid 19.
Flower Estate Family Action:
After talking with one lady, she made an appointment with her GP to have the vaccine.
An elderly grandfather returning from Pakistan has now had his first vaccine and is waiting to have his second after speaking with his health champion granddaughter.
One Community Champion volunteer said: "A lady came to a workshop I was involved in supporting as part of the Walk with Amal project – her children were making lanterns and I was chatting to her. She was a refugee who had recently arrived in Sheffield with her children from Syria. We talked about her concerns around Covid, and she said that she was worried because she hadn’t been vaccinated due to not yet being registered with a doctor. I told her about the drop-in vaccination clinics where you do not need to be registered with a doctor to get the jab. I shared the information on clinic dates with her and she said that she would go to get the jab next time."
Firvale Community Hub:
Speaking to a Roma family who use our services regularly, they live in a crowded household with approximately 20 individuals in 1 house. Our Roma-speaking volunteer asked them about how they were managing the risk of Covid and whether any of them had been vaccinated. The family stated they did not want the vaccine and were unsure of what the risks were. Our volunteer explained the potential impact of one of the household contracting the virus and spoke at length about the guidance around staying safe and why it is important to get vaccinated.
The following week the family returned, and the mum stated that she had since had the vaccine and also been talking to all her friends and those in the community about what we had said about how the virus is spread and what we can do to stop it.
Another Community Champion volunteer said: "I saw a lady I haven't seen since the start of the pandemic. She has multiple health issues and in lockdown, has put on more weight and is even less mobile. Her anxiety levels are really high. She was encouraged to go out more or even just sit in the backyard to get fresh air and daylight. She has been stuck inside for so long. It was shocking to see her in this state. I think I helped her to feel like she could help herself."
Darnall Wellbeing:
Yvonne met a man last week outside Darnall Primary Care Centre. The surgery was closed to the public because there was some technical/IT issue. He didn’t speak fluent English, but she supported him as best she could. He wanted to get the vaccine and he thought he was at the wrong place. Yvonne explained to him that the vaccine drop in is in the evenings/weekends. He said he worked and that he lived in Tinsley.
Yvonne showed him how to take a picture with his phone of the advert on the building. She took his name, address and telephone number and spoke with DPCC staff upstairs because the gentleman told her he was not registered with a GP but had handed in his registration form to Highgate. Yvonne explained that if he brought ID with him and explained that he is in the process of registering with Highgate surgery, then he would be able to get his jab with no problem.
He had his passport and another ID with him, so this was fine. He agreed to attend the vaccine clinic that evening at 7pm before going to work. He also said he would tell his friends about the opportunity, because it is open in the evenings.
You can find out more about the Community Champions project here if you're interested in getting involved.
Find more stories and feedback here.
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