Covid-19 Update - June 2020
We hope you and your families are keeping well during this difficult time. The effects of coronavirus have been challenging for us all and everyone at the Denis Law Legacy Trust sends you our best wishes.
I’m keen to provide an update on a few things that have been going on within the Trust and also our early plans for getting the Streetsport programme up and running again.
Like most organisations in this current climate we have had to adapt and react to an ever changing situation. The Denis Law Legacy Trust essentially uses Sport and Creative arts for good, focusing on group based activity and support. Restrictions over the last few months have made this very hard, especially with the engagement between staff/volunteers and participants at sessions not currently being there. We have been able to retain 75% of our full-time staff, who are all working from home, and have furloughed our Part Time and Ad Hoc staff to ensure we have their commitment going forward.
However, despite these restrictions, we have been able to achieve significant interaction with our various Streetsport Communities and introduced the following initiatives to engage with them all.
In the past two months our team have worked hard providing a range of services for our Streetsport community outside our normal way of working. This includes such things as:
• Sourced (thanks to specific funding) and distributed £4,400 worth of food vouchers to those in our Streetsport community who were in most need.
• Via Social media platforms provided a stream of activities based on fun, physical activity and education.
• Online quizzes for volunteers to help continue our team having fun together.
• Developed activity booklets for our ‘Stronger Families Inside Out’ families to use at home with their children (in partnership with Families Outside).
• Ongoing regular contact by phone, text or social media with volunteers, young volunteers and older participants.
• Designed a booklet for parents in prison to use when engaging with their children via a phone call or Zoom, this was so successful it has now been rolled out to every prison in Scotland (again in partnership with Families Outside)
• Hosted online CLUB 10’s via Zoom
• Created chat groups for families to socialise
• Designed a key action plan around volunteer recruitment, retention, upskilling and recognition.
• A brand new Streetsport Youth forum is now ready to be rolled out once we return
• Our StreetWISE campaign also won a National award at the annual Streetgames awards in the best “Mental Health and Wellbeing” category.
https://www.denislawlegacytrust.org/streetwise
https://www.streetgames.org/news/streetgames-honours-community-sports-projects-in-annual-awards
Return of programming:
Currently, our Streetsport sessions will continue to be postponed until government recommendations allow us to return. Once we have clear direction from the Scottish Government we may be able to do a potential staged return once the Country hits the Phase 2 period but this will be very much dependent on public health advice.
Taken from the Scottish Governments Road Map (phase 2):
“Sport, culture and leisure activities: In Phase 2 we are planning a reopening of playgrounds and sports courts with physical distancing, and a resumption of professional sport in line with public health advice”
If we have the correct PPE and hygiene processes in place and the areas we use are controllable we may be able to do activities that embrace social distancing. We are currently sourcing sports kit that helps maintain distancing and also working on the potential lengthening of sessions and introducing age related sessions that would enable us to work to a pre-determined recommended number of participants. We will also have to consider mass gatherings and what that number is.
Phase 3 however, will hopefully see the return of Streetsport in one form or another with the above precautions if this is not possible in Phase 2.
Taken from the Scottish Governments Road Map (phase 3):
Sport, culture and leisure: Museums, galleries, cinemas, and libraries can open, subject to physical distancing and hygiene measures. Gyms can open subject to physical distancing and hygiene measures. Relaxation of restrictions on accommodation providers (including hotels, B&Bs and holiday homes). Live events permitted with restricted numbers and physical distancing restrictions
As the country hopefully moves into Phase 1 after the current lockdown this month we are excited about getting ever closer to re-opening our sessions. The team are now prioritising what we need to do in order that Streetsport returns stronger and as soon as we can in a safe way. It’s important we provide a safe space for our participants and team to enjoy and this will be at the forefront of any decision made.
The whole team here at the trust are extremely thankful to you for your continuing support, understanding and help during this time, we will all get there together and hopefully soon.
Mark Williams, Chief Operating Officer, Denis Law Legacy Trust