The Covid-19 pandemic has affected and continues to affect us all in numerous ways. However, it is the individuals and families who were already facing economic, health and relationship challenges that have been particularly affected, along with the cadre of individuals who made considerable sacrifices to keep us all going through the lockdowns. Without shop workers and delivery drivers, refuse collectors and bus drivers, nurses and care workers, life would have been much harder for us all.
In June 2020, our Thank You Key Workers Appeal was launched in recognition of those who have gone above and beyond to help others, as well as families already facing challenges which were exacerbated by the pandemic. We are hugely thankful to all those who contributed to the appeal.
Our aim was to help families who had faced challenges or been apart to build relationships and have fun together.
What we did during 2021 was reach over 800 individuals within 300 families with:
- A gift pack sent to 174 families throughout Britain and Ireland, including a supermarket voucher and a selection of especially selected games and stationery items to promote a sense of fun and to build family relationships.
- A short break contributing to breaks offered to 126 families within England and Wales as part of our Away from It All (AFIA) programme.
In total, we reached over 800 individuals within 300 families who had been affected by the pandemic.
Feedback from those receiving a gift bag was largely to express surprise, excitement, and happiness. ‘My kids were so happy when they saw the gifts,’ (London). ‘We sat together and did drawings with the new pens, the children enjoyed the frisbee in the park together,’ (Portsmouth). ‘My sons loved playing with the light toy, dancing in the front room,’ (Kent). The shopping voucher was appreciated by everyone, and some families used it for essentials like food, school shoes, uniform and winter coats, while others decided to enjoy the voucher to buy some special food or a movie.
The short breaks enabled families to bond, to create memories and to get away from often stressful situations at home. For many it was their first holiday for many years. One person from Leicestershire expressed that she felt ‘over the moon and couldn’t stop smiling.’ Another family who holidayed in Devon said that the best thing was ‘being able to have a happy, relaxing time away together. The joy on my kids’ faces was priceless.’ A family in Llandaff commented that ‘It made such a difference to us having a week away and recharging our batteries.’ (Llandaff)
Ultimately the love and care behind Thank You Key Workers appeal was appreciated with one family who’d had an AFIA holiday commenting how special it was to ‘know that someone cared enough to offer us a holiday.’
This appeal is now closed but Mothers Union continues to send hundreds of families for AFIA breaks and experiences each year. If you want to find out more about AFIA, click on the link below.
