How to support vulnerable residents in Hastings during the coronavirus crisis

Those who do not have family or local support at hand, and those who are self-isolating because they have the virus or have symptoms of it, can contact Hastings Borough Council to be registered, and the council will then triage them in terms of need and support required. In some cases either the council or community partners will be able to directly help them through volunteers, in other cases the support will be provided by other agencies. Residents, or their friends, family or carers, can contact the council through its website, www.hastings.gov.uk, or call the council on a special helpline 01424 451019 which is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4.30pm Friday. It is also open specially this weekend (Saturday/Sunday 28th/29th March) 10am to 4pm. Council leader councillor Kim Forward said: “A lot of people have worked incredibly hard over the last three days to set up this community hub, really going ‘above and beyond’ to ensure that those who need our help most will get it. “I am very grateful to them, our partners HVA, HEART (Hastings Emergency Action Response Team), Hastings & St Leonards Neighbourhood Watch, Hastings Foodbank, Heart of Hastings, East Sussex County Council, the NHS, the RSA and the many other organisations who are helping with this vitally important scheme.” Steve Manwaring, director of HVA, added: “These are unprecedented times, and we have to look after the most vulnerable in our community. “We are delighted to be working with Hastings Borough Council on this project, which we have set up just this week. “We will also be working with many other local organisations to help provide this service, which shows Hastings at its very best: it’s great to see the local community coming together to help those most at risk.” A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton: Thank you for reading this story on our website. But I also have an urgent plea to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy. Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves. As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: “Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role.” But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days. We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.