Leicester Charity Tackles Lockdown Isolation in People with Learning Disabilities

The VALUES Project, run by Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL), is helping to keep people with learning disabilities connected during the new lockdown by providing Facebook Portals to allow their most isolated clients to keep in touch.

Thanks to funding and support from Mencap and Sport England via the Tackling Inequalities Fund, the VALUES Project has been able to provide six of its clients with Facebook Portals and Wi-Fi access for six months. Those clients had no access to virtual tools and a few have only had limited phone contact since the first lockdown. The Tackling Inequalities Fund focuses on keeping people active, and the new Facebook Portals will be used for virtual keep-fit sessions.

The VALUES Project has been helping people in Leicester with learning disabilities to have fun, make friends and learn new skills for over 20 years. During the pandemic the project has delivered dozens of virtual group sessions every week, enabling clients to take part in fun and educational activities whilst also providing much-needed respite for families and carers.

The project was able to return to delivering COVID-safe face-to-face services for a time, but the new national lockdown restrictions have forced them to reduce client contact to a very limited number of one-to-one sessions. This leaves many people with learning disabilities vulnerable and isolated.

To find out more about what VALUES does, you can visit the VAL website or contact Mikaela from VALUES directly: Mikaela.p@valonline.org.uk 0116 257 5044