Category: Community

If anything positive has come out of the Covid-19 crisis, it’s the pulling together of communities – and Jane Owen, from Community Voluntary Service (CVS) Bedfordshire, has seen that first hand.

Whether volunteers have been delivering food parcels or helping the isolated and vulnerable, in many cases they have been new groups who have often needed support from the experts to help everything run smoothly.

One Monday in May 2020, little lettuce plants began to appear randomly in the streets of Luton. They were placed in bus stops, parks and green spaces, and some were even left on doorsteps. All carried the message #LettuceBeKind – and suggested that ‘perhaps the roots to kindness can start with yourself’.

Hamse Hassan is a determined Lutonian eager to play his part in the town’s ambitious ongoing investment programme. After studying at Denbigh High, he went to Luton Sixth Form College to take his A levels. Like many of his age, he chose to take a gap year before committing himself to his next steps in life.

“I really hadn’t expected lockdown to affect me the way it has, but I feel it has really knocked my confidence.”

Social isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic has had an emotional impact on everyone, depriving us all of valuable face-to-face time with family and friends. And no group caught up in this crisis has been worse hit than those living with dementia.

A sad and unfortunate reality is that every year a number of very vulnerable young Luton women (and even children) get targeted, exploited and sex-trafficked.

Sex traffickers who prey on their vulnerabilities commonly target these women and children who get trapped in a very dark, violent and drug-filled lifestyle in the on-street sex trade.

Mum Joanna*, from Luton, had cancer last year. During the time she was receiving treatment, she came to rely on the support of her family and particularly teenage daughter Kate*.

We all know that Luton is an amazing multi-cultural town, and one of the rewards is a vibrant  community celebration scene. From St Patrick’s and St George’s Day, to Mela and Carnival, and with the annual fireworks night and Christmas lights switch-on events too, there’s always a date around the corner ready to bring thousands of people together to party. 

Perhaps more than ever, at this time many people are appreciating the importance of exercise for wellbeing. Runners and joggers seem to have appeared everywhere, but it’s not possible for everyone to leave their homes or to engage in such strenuous activity.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on people in Luton – and, in the early days, a combination of self-isolation, panic buying, hoarding and the reselling of some items at a higher cost made it even more difficult for many residents to buy the essentials they needed.