Welcome to our Christmas edition of Durham Community News. Having managed the ups and downs of COVID, and more recently, what was for many the catastrophic damage wrought by winter storms across the County, we are entering the festive season with most of our colleagues, friends, and communities feeling weary and still very uncertain about what we will be dealing with in the coming year. Although we were slowly graduating into more sociable lives, we are still very much “in it”. That all said, we have had the privilege of seeing first-hand what resilience really means in County Durham, and we are never more proud of the way our communities continue to step up and reach out when times are hard. So, an extra special thank you and salute to all the people who volunteer to support our communities, to look after neighbours and those who are alone. Times continue to be tough for the volunteers who are trying to keep community venues open and running, and to offer social activities and support. The pandemic has been a long haul for everyone involved in public service, but there is an enormous amount of sympathy, support and solidarity between volunteers, our workforce, and the organisations they are connected to. We are still seeing high numbers of people who are involved in community activities, joining in our on-line training, and following up on ideas for new approaches and ways of working. We’re also picking up on the volunteer led ambition for community spaces and how communities can work together to re-build, thinking about reducing our carbon footprint and how we can reach people who are isolated or without a voice. Our busy team at DCA will be collectively closing our ‘virtual’ offices on Thursday 23rd December ready to reopen on January 4th 2022 and begin another busy year. Wishing you a safe and a very happy Christmas and hoping we can all look forward to a much better year in 2022, building on all the brilliant work which volunteers and communities have done through this most challenging of times. Best Wishes Jo Laverick Chief Executive, Durham Community Action |
