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New ways for Mossley group members to keep in touch

Members of Mossley Community Centre are making sure they keep in touch thanks to donations of mobile phones.

Last year, the centre put out an appeal asking for people to donate their old phones and chargers to help the community stay connected.

The centre, on Roughtown Road, used to run a weekly community cafe and 55-plus club, but since the pandemic both groups have been closed.

To help the members stay in touch with each other and to combat feelings of loneliness and isolation, the centre made the appeal for old mobiles and chargers.

Now the group members are enjoying speaking to each other and taking part in online sessions.

Chris Frost, from the centre, said: “Friends have lost touch with each other and have lost that face-to-face contact, which is so important.

“We set up the initiative to allow people to reconnect and engage. We are still in the initial stages of getting everyone familiar with using tech!

“We asked for support on social media and  phones were donated by local people. 

“I made a call to the CEO of Three UK and was delighted when they agreed to help. Two weeks ago we had a delivery of phones and sim cards.

“Our GoFundMe page raised £110 in its first week to top up the phones.”

Chris said this latest initiative has been a huge success and they have already recruited two volunteers to help out.

“We are delighted to say that we have done lots of video chats already and had our first video bingo session. This will now be a regular weekly activity,” she added.

“People were so happy to see friends they had not seen for over 12 months. We now need help to top up the phones and ensure this fabulous initiative can continue for as long as necessary.

“The impact has been extremely positive and very successful.”

Over Christmas, the volunteers at the centre also spread a bit of joy by delivering afternoon teas to the vulnerable in the community.

If you can help the community centre with their latest venture visit the GoFundMe Community Connect initiative page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/community-connect-initiative

Main image:

EYES DOWN: Chris Frost helps to run a video session at Mossley Community Centre.

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