A NEW community support hub has been set up in West Berkshire to help coordinate the volunteer response to coronavirus. 

Communities across the district have rallied together to support families, friends and neighbours in need, with groups setting up on social media. 

To help organise those efforts, a new online hub has been set up by West Berkshire Council, working with the Greenham Trust and Volunteer Centre West Berkshire. 

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A council spokesman said: “We want to thank and help spread the word about the amazing support that is available across the district from our community champions.

“The Community Support Hub will coordinate local support across West Berkshire to meet the needs of those who are self-isolating because they are vulnerable or have been advised to stay at home.

“We need to know who is vulnerable and where they are. We will do this through working with community groups, town and parish councils, partners that we work with and information from the public, like neighbours."

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A map will be drawn up by town and parish councils, to show who needs help and who can provide that help and support. 

Mental health support and practical help could include offering to pick up shopping or medication, talking over the phone, walking the dog, and helping find advice and guidance. 

Susan Powell, of Building Communities Together, said: “We are creating a community support hub to build on and strengthen the good work that is already happening in West Berkshire at this challenging time, to support communities and vulnerable individuals.

“We hope to bring together officers from across the council, within our stakeholder organisations, from town and parish councils, and very importantly from within our community and voluntary sector.

“This is to work together, to collaborate, to make sure that we support people at this difficult time, and to strengthen the work they are doing.

“We are asking people to stand up and indeed, people are already standing up to volunteer to help. We want to harness that enthusiasm to support those community groups that are possibly struggling at the moment, to continue the good work that they have been doing.”

Those interested to help out and volunteer can call the community support hub on 01635 503 579, or Volunteering Centre West Berkshire on 01635 49004.