To see social gatherings come to a halt, and contact restricted in what is already a socially isolating place to live – The Highlands & Islands and indeed many rural regions across the world, over the next few months could feel a lonely place.
Any rural venue committees, leaders, promoters, people looking to spark something to keep their communities connected, in whatever way – let us know if we can help! But in the meantime, we’ll be using this article to share some ideas for what we can all do to help us feel a little more connected and supported during this time.
We’ve put in place bi-weekly online meetups for the foreseeable future, We welcome members and non-members to these, so do join us – First one is 2-3pm Monday.
We also love these ideas to try and keep us entertained and connected. If you’ve got any more, come join our thread over on our members-only community forum
- Curate an Online Festival in your community facebook group (see https://twitter.com/QuarantineCab)
- Create a local “Self-isolation support group” which will pair those in need with those able to support. See here (We can create an online version of thiese cards to share digitally, if helpful)
- Schedule regular online meet-ups, like we have done, with your local community.. https://whereby.com/ is a great, simple tool for this.
- Familiarise yourself with the new budget from the Goverment, to help understand where you might be eligible for extra support and share this with those in need.
- Keep an eye on the developments between The Highand Council and Eden Court who have innovated their delivery by deploying skilled staff to help engage with and support rural communities
- ! ONCE LOCKDOWN LIFTED! Head outdoors! And support others to do the same. Arrange an outdoor (socially-distanced) singing group. Or just a community (socially-distanced) walk. Or a (socially distanced) stone throwing competition at the beach!
Finally, we urge you to contact us anytime to help support you through what could be a difficult time ahead. Stay safe, stay connected and keep your community spirit going in whatever way you can!