Birchall Foodservice offered to temporarily place members of its team within the Burnley Together helpline charity, helping to facilitate the work that provides a lifeline for many vulnerable people in Burnley.
Burnley Together works in partnership with Burnley Council and other groups across the public, private and voluntary sectors to create a central community hub to support residents with their everyday needs.
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With their training now completed, two members have now been placed full-time on the Burnley Together phone lines, with three others available to help with any tasks. In the first week in their role, the Burnley Together team had 330 referrals to the service that were all responded to, an increase of 80 contacts from the previous week, as well as contacting those on the NHS shielding list and other vulnerable people that the service supports.
Hayley Spear at Birchalls said, “Our business, like many others around the country, has taken a huge hit due to the lockdown restrictions. We support local charities throughout the year, and it was important we played our part during this pandemic, offering support however we can. Like Burnley Leisure, we have a can-do attitude and a wonderful team who are willing to adapt and volunteer their time to support the people in Burnley who most need our help.”
Alicia Foley at Burnley Together added, “Through this wonderfully kind gesture, we’re able to really utilise the team from Birchalls and provide even more help to those who need it through our services here at Burnley Together. We’re incredibly grateful for the support and it’s brilliant to see how local businesses and charities are working together to make a real difference to people’s lives”
