Nugent

Help us feed people during the Coronavirus crisis

Easter brings us hope, especially this year. Your continued support and generosity helps us to continue to support families in crisis, in your local community, giving them the helping hand and hope they need to survive. Caritas in Nugent runs a weekly food market from our Epsom Street centre in Kirkdale and demand is higher than ever due to the Coronavirus. The food market supports people of all ages, including: working families, young mothers and older people from sheltered accommodation and provides supermarket quality food at really reduced prices: a full shopping basket for just over £5, compared to almost £30 at leading supermarkets. Mrs M from Kirkby comes every week, she says, ‘I can’t afford to shop in the supermarkets, so I come here every week, it’s such good value, I can even buy little treats that I don’t normally have.’ The crisis is also affecting people who cannot get to the market, so we are now running a new delivery service, every Tuesday, across Liverpool, taking food to those that need it, ensuring that isolated older people or people who are ill, are not left without basic supplies.

What can you do to help?

Mrs H contacted us today: ‘I am currently self-isolating, and unable to go to my gym classes, so I thought I would donate the money I would have spent on that to Nugent’s food market, so it can help those who don’t have enough food.’ If you are working from home, or isolating yourself, you may be saving on travel costs, petrol, train and bus fares, gym memberships, even the cost of a night out with friends, so why not donate the equivalent amount to Nugent and we can then help others who are struggling to buy the basics for their families. Perhaps you could donate £5, £10 or more, every donation helps to put food on the table of those suffering increased difficulties at this time, restoring their dignity and hope. Donations can be made online at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/epsy We are very grateful for all your support and wish you all a safe, restful and peaceful Easter from everyone at Nugent.

Normandie Wragg Chief Executive Nugent

My thanks to all that are helping…

Nugent staff and volunteers continue to help vulnerable people across Merseyside during the Covid 19 global pandemic.

We know we are in good company –many of you reading this, will have given help, or received help during this time.

Our staff are keyworkers and have been leaving their own families, to help those in our care or who are in need. Our teachers continue to offer education as well. To all our teams and volunteers, and all others that are helping our communities, please know that you are extremely important and we appreciate that you are all living and working by our shared values, in providing essential services to those in need.

Every day, we are proud of what you are doing, in the way that you are doing it, and the courage and optimism you so openly and willingly share.

In time, when we are living our new reality, we will look back on these days with pride and satisfaction - that we gave our all, in a time when all the world, was globally brought together to help others through this shared experience.

Thank you and thank you to your families for supporting you in the work that you do.

From the other side of the world

By Jacinta Parsons

‘Guide me, O thou great redeemer Pilgrim through this barren land’

These were words I heard on Sunday as I inadvertently walked through my parents-in-law’s televised church service, words I didn’t want to hear. I wanted to be safe at home, but home was miles and miles away – 11,347 miles, to be precise; I was in Hamilton, New Zealand. This year had started out so well. This was going to be Our Year. Married for four months, we were excited at moving back to New Zealand, dreamed of scoring great jobs, and had high hopes of buying our first home together and starting a family. At least, that was the plan. We spent February watching events unfold on the global stage, and trying to settle into an unpredictable climate with dwindling employment prospects. Those jobs remained elusive, as did any notion of finding a house without one. March saw the global wave of concern and crisis ebb ever closer, lapping at the subconscious sense of security one feels in times of peace and calm, treading on the fringes of our dreams. Things escalated in front of our eyes. We watched as New Zealand barricaded itself. We scanned the news avidly, a thick blur of rapidly climbing confirmed cases and death tolls around the world. On Monday 25 March, our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced that the whole country would go into lockdown in just 48 hours. Things were getting serious, life was going to change and we had to act fast. Legally homeless and unemployed for over three months, my husband’s parents kindly offered us their spare room. Yes, we’d had some dinners together, plus a couple of weekends away, but this wasn’t part of our plan - or theirs! Without realising, this crisis burrowed its way into my mind, creating a sense of solemn despair. I was feeling lonely, lost, isolated and so far away from my family and friends. What was I doing here? Why did we ever move back! I struggled to starve off pangs of homesickness. When I got the shock news that an old friend, Aileen, an incredible woman from my Lourdes youth pilgrimage days, had passed away, it was too much and I felt even further away from Liverpool. The realisation that her life wouldn’t be celebrated in the way she deserved was heartbreaking. On Sunday, those hymns that drifted up to our room were the last things I wanted to hear. My grief was bubbling angrily and I wasn’t ready for comfort or answers And yet as I walked through the broadcast service, I was rooted to the spot; I couldn’t leave. I had forgotten that sense of belonging in sharing a service, the togetherness of praise and worship, the restorative power of prayer, the strength that my faith gives me. I realised with some irony that I was the pilgrim in a barren land, far away from home and navigating through uncharted territory in the darkness, along with hundreds and thousands of others on a similar journey. I was reliant on the goodwill of others to help me along the way, much like our Lourdes pilgrims and, through this, I realised I had more than most: a roof over our heads; our health; our two supportive families; my husband, love and faith. And most of all, I had hope, the anchor of the soul. Hope in a better time. Hope in the people of the world. Hope in the kindness of strangers. Hope that through the dark times ahead, a flicker of light will always be found.

‘Things were getting serious, life was going to change and we had to act fast’

Support for mental health

‘The coronavirus (COVID19) outbreak is going to have an impact on everyone’s daily lives, as the government and the NHS take necessary steps to manage the outbreak, reduce transmission and treat those who need medical attention. It may be difficult, but by following guidance on social distancing, or staying at home, you are helping to protect yourself, your family, the NHS and your community. During this time, you may be bored, frustrated or lonely. You may also feel low, worried, anxious, or be concerned about your health or that of those close to you. Everyone reacts differently to events and changes in the way that we think, feel and behave vary between different people and over time. It’s important that you take care of your mind as well as your body and to get further support if you need it.’ (Government, 2020) Guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-forthe-public-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing/guidance-for-the-publicon-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-aspects-of-coronavirus-covid-19 The Hub of Hope https://hubofhope.co.uk/ ‘The Hub of Hope’ is a mental health database bringing grassroots and national mental health services together in one place. Using the location of web browser or mobile devices, the cloud-based web application allows anyone, anywhere to find the nearest source of support for any mental health issue, as well as providing a ‘talk now’ button connecting users directly to the Samaritans. It is currently the biggest and most comprehensive resource of its kind, with more than 1,200 validated support networks already registered. Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/ (0300 123 3393) A mental health charity, whose aim is that no one has to face a mental health problem alone. Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/ (116 123) Operate a 24-hour service available every day of the year. You can also email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org Silver Line https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/ (0800 4 70 80 90) A free confidential telephone helpline offering information, friendship and advice to older people in the United Kingdom, available 24 hours a day Students against depression https://www.studentsagainstdepression.org/ (01635 869754) Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won't show up on your phone bill. Catholic Bishops offer support to victims of domestic abuse

The Domestic Abuse Group of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has issued guidance on how Catholic parishes can support victims of domestic abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the UK-wide COVID-19 lockdown began on 23 March, there has been a 49% increase in calls and online requests for help relating to domestic abuse. This guidance includes information about how parishes can raise awareness of the issue including a list of helplines and information about how to safely get help. It also includes a step-by-step starter guide for how parishes can work to support their local domestic abuse services with donations. Bishop John Sherrington, who chairs the Domestic Abuse Group, said, ‘Every person has a right to live their life free from violence, abuse, intimidation and fear. Catholic parishes can play an important role in the fighting the scourge of domestic abuse, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic where we are seeing some shocking statistics from leading domestic abuse organisations. My thanks go to those organisations and individuals already working so hard to ensure that people suffering domestic abuse can live safe lives. Every local situation will differ and so our new guidance is designed to be used as an introduction to start a local project. I hope that Catholics and parishes will be inspired to take this up in their local area. Violence of this kind should never be tolerated or justified. It is an offence against the dignity of the human person.’ The guidance can be found at: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/home/ourwork/health-social-care/coronavirus-guidelines/domestic-abuse/ If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police - the police will continue to respond to emergency calls. If you call 999 from a mobile and cannot speak, press 55 to Make Yourself Heard (link embedded to scheme) and this will transfer your call to the police. Pressing 55 only works on mobiles and does not allow police to track your location. National Domestic Violence Helpline - 0808 2000 247 or www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk Help is also available from: Childline – 0800 1111; Refuge – 0808 2000 247; Women’s Aid; Men’s Advice line - 0808 801 0327 (weekdays 9am-5pm); The Mankind Initiative - 01823 334244 (MonFri 10am-4pm); National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Domestic Violence helpline - 0800 999 5428; Respect Phoneline offers confidential advice and support to help domestic violence perpetrators stop being violent and abusive to their partners or expartners. 0808 802 4040 Archdiocese of Liverpool donates £20,000 for Personal Protective Equipment

At the end of March the Archdiocese of Liverpool announced a donation of £20,000 to the Masks4NHSHeroes campaign for the purchase of personal protective equipment for the NHS. Archbishop Malcolm McMahon said, ‘I think we are challenged at this time, to think how we as a Church can put our words into action. Our normal ways of operating and contributing, inspired by our faith, by having our churches open to the whole community, by worshipping and praying, by the immense contribution of our parish volunteers - have been stopped, or at least severely restricted, by the need to stay at home and avoid travel where possible. We are all desperate to play our part. I have concluded therefore that a way we can make a significant contribution to the effort to fight this virus, is to support the medical staff who are, with bravery and selflessness, on the frontline for all of us. At this time, I believe they are truly the hands of Christ.’

McCallum & Tritton & Sons Independent Family Funeral Directors

0151 931 2002 www.mccallumandtritton.co.uk