Lucy Golder from North Shields decided to bring her neighbours together during lockdown by organising events in her street to raise money for Newcastle Hospitals NHS Charity.
Lucy, of Elsdon Terrace in North Shields, set up a WhatsApp group for the street to encourage everyone to communicate and keep each other company.
“I was aware of how isolation impacts people and their lives so in order to combat and prevent social isolation, I decided to post a note through everyone’s door inviting them to join a street WhatsApp group, it proved very popular and quickly had over 20 households involved” said Lucy.
“This allowed us to get talking to neighbours we would usually of just passed in the street and brought everyone together as a community”
After chatting, the neighbours decided to plan some activities in the street to bring everyone together, including lighting the street up blue for the weekly clap for carers, outdoor cinema nights, quizzes and even a silent disco.
“Over Easter we had an egg decorating competition, egg hunt, quizzes and bingo and even an outdoor cinema, complete with an eleven foot screen in the street. It was such a great way to bring people together and make long lasting friendships”
“As the events were such a huge success, we decided it would be a fantastic opportunity to raise money for the NHS and show our appreciation to all the staff working so hard and putting their own lives at risk to help others.
“We asked for donations at each event and were overwhelmed at the generosity of everyone, especially in such financially difficult times.”
The street raised an outstanding £1405.00 for Newcastle Hospitals NHS Charity from hosting their events and encouraging donations for staff and patients.
A spokesperson for Newcastle Hospitals NHS Charity said; “We have been so touched by the support of the public during this time, from large scale companies to individuals like Lucy and her neighbours. It is great to see people coming together as community during this time.”
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS Trusts in the UK and offers a wide range of specialist, patient-centred, healthcare services to those living in communities across the North East of England. It recently led on the creation of the new NHS Nightingale North East facility in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.
