Life as a Community Links Practitioner

"The power of conversation and human connection is an immensely powerful thing".

First off, I’m continually grateful to my colleagues, who I’ll affectionately name the ALLIANCE Angels, who have been great support this week for some of the issues I’ve come across. You guys rock!

This is day 37 and my work week so far has consisted of loads of emails, phone calls and more help from FARE getting food parcels delivered to those in need. I’ve been helping an individual with benefits forms and helping another with applying for financial support as people continue to struggle financially, not just during this crisis but even in “normal” circumstances. That’s not to say though, that this pandemic isn’t affecting people financially as it most definitely is.

We are all too aware of the amount of people who have sadly lost their jobs through this, but there is an increasing number of people on benefits (regardless of the reason) that are really struggling to make ends meet. When you think about the knock on effect the lockdown has had, it’s not hard to see why. One particular family I am helping went without electricity for a whole week as they simply couldn’t afford a top-up. These families, on already low incomes are – due to lockdown – like most of us, using more electricity than what they ordinarily would. Anyone with teenagers will know how it is usually something electronical that consumes their time. And they seem to require an alarming rate of feeding at that age! When you don’t have the usual circumstance of time split between school and home or even weekly dinners at families and friends, it becomes a huge burden people feel unable to share.

I’m seeing many families getting into increasing debt just to live hand-to-mouth for another few days. It’s not just the financial hardship of course, as a result of not seeing friends and family is also having a significant impact of people’s emotional wellbeing. I feel I’ve spent the majority of this week so far encouraging people to share that burden with me! People, are fundamentally proud and don’t like asking for or accepting help. But we all need a little helping hand every now and then. Along with no electricity and limited food to feed herself and her children, the mother of the family I referred to earlier, had been feeling suicidal; and still insisting they are people worse off than her! Luckily, I convinced her to accept the help I was offering which goes further than the practical support. As I’ve said before, the power of conversation and human connection is an immensely powerful thing. I really hope she receives the financial support I’ve applied to on her behalf and know she will benefit hugely from it. Watch this space.

In my other “mummy” life, this is the week that my youngest son should have been off to his residential school trip to Dalguise. I feel bad for him that he’s not getting the chance to make these special memories with his friends. But from a purely selfish point of view, I’m secretly glad that he’s not going as I’ve been dreading it all year! I don’t even feel guilty admitting that as he’s honestly not that bothered about it anyway. We have instead turned our attention to the Rock Kidz music video that he is hoping to be featured in. Rock Kidz are a social enterprise that teach kids important life lessons through the power of music. They had been putting up regular videos on YouTube that my son was enthusiastically joining in on that were both fun and educational. So to be in this video would be an honour for their new wee fan. And hopefully we’ll have more luck with that than we did the Saturday Night Takeaway video!

My other son has recently purchased Sonic Mania (based on all the classic Sonic games) for his Nintendo Switch and I must admit, its fast became my new favourite lockdown activity. Being a teenager, I’m surprised he even allows me to play it with him! There’s nothing like a wee retro game to make me feel young again.

It’s been hard getting them both into the whole home-schooling thing again this week. I think the looming Easter break gave them enough motivation to get to work at the start of all of this, but now that it’s been and gone, I think the novelty has well and truly worn off. Just when I think I have them set up on their laptops for the day and retire off to the quietest corner of the house I can find to do some work of my own, I soon hear the squeals coming from the back garden and look out the window to find my youngest running around with the dog without a care in the world. Follow my blog for video evidence of him doing his “tech” homework, ie tormenting the dog by flying his drone.

Follow Lynsey’s blog (this link will take you away from our website) on self-isolating and working from home.

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