Spreading kindness...

...Cubs and Beavers helping the homeless in Stonehouse

Cubs and Beavers in Stonehouse have been spreading kindness and showing a true Scouting spirit.

The youngsters from 1st Stonehouse Cubs and Beavers have been working on their world challenge badge and chose to support a local pop up church which helps homeless people in Plymouth.

They designed kindness boxes filled with essentials such as hygiene products for local homeless people and didn’t forget Plymouth’s homeless dogs either including treats to be given out to them. They included messages of love and kindness on their designs and invited two ladies from the pop up church to receive the boxes.

Norma and Kelly from the church gave the Cubs and Beavers a talk about what they do and why. The young people enjoyed meeting them and finding out exactly what they do for the homeless. They learnt that the pop up church not only tries to supply essentials but also gives out food, drink, advice, support, kindness and friendship.

It is the second time 1st Stonehouse Scout Group has supported the local pop up church. Last year two of their Scouts collected over £100 worth of products and made up individual hygiene bags for men and women and donated them in person to the pop up church.

1st Stonehouse Scouts, Cubs and Beavers are located on Union street and like to be active within their local community, they have been involved in many local projects, including the Respect festival, The Hatchling project and The Gathering. They also have been involved in litter picks at Victoria park. They are a very active group who also enjoy going on camps and hiking.

Victoria Radmore, the Cub Scout Leader Akela for 1st Stonehouse Scout Group said: “We have a great bunch of young people in our group and we have many fun adventures together.

We have a fantastic group of leaders who provide an amazing array of activities and experiences for everyone. I am very proud to be apart of 1st Stonehouse Scout Group and look forward to new adventures with the group.”

For more information on the Scouting family email 1ststonehouse. plymouth@gmail.com or to find the nearest local group go to scouts.org.uk/groups

Council Agrees Funding Increase For Adult Social Care Providers In Plymouth

Plymouth City Council has agreed an increase in fees to the city’s adult social care providers to recognise the rising cost of providing care for vulnerable adults.

The council is awarding an 8.5 per cent rise for care homes and supported living provision and up to an 11 per cent increase for domiciliary care providers, which help adults to live independently in their own homes.

The aim is to ensure providers receive a fair fee so they are able to fully cover their costs and provide good quality support for the people they look after.

The funding increase takes into account the costs involved in ensuring the city’s most vulnerable adults and older people are cared for safely.

This includes the new National Living Wage, which is going from £9.50 to £10.42 per hour in April 2023. The council is committed to ensuring that hard working care staff across Plymouth benefit from the increased funding with rises in their hourly rates.

Councillor John Mahony, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “We have faced extremely tough decisions this year in order to balance the council’s budgets and providing adult social care is the biggest financial commitment that we have. For every £100 we receive to fund services, £44 is spent on caring for adults who need our help.

“It’s vitally important that our city’s most vulnerable adults receive high quality, consistent care and the decision to increase funding will help care providers and their staff to manage the increasing costs they face, but also encourage people to join the care profession.”

There are a range of job opportunities across the sector and more details can be found at www.plymouth.gov.uk/ workincare