Zurich Community Trust (ZCT), Zurich UK’s charitable arm, is partnering with GoodGym to increase community support for the most vulnerable during Covid-19.
GoodGym is a charity operating a 17,500 strong network of members who combine exercise with doing good in their communities. Spanning 58 local authority areas, including 24 in London, GoodGym members are given missions (tasks that help neighbours and communities) that they run, cycle or walk to to complete.
The partnership with GoodGym is part of ZCT’s Covid-19 Response Plan and has been made possible by a £200,000 grant from Zurich’s Global Foundation, the Z Zurich Foundation. It comes at an exceptionally busy time for the charity, where requests for member support have increased tenfold since lockdown.
ZCT’s grant is supporting GoodGym to meet growing demand for its services, ensure those who are struggling financially are able to receive the shopping they need and, vitally, help to secure the charity’s future at a time when projected income has been postponed and donations have fallen.
The outbreak of Coronavirus has seen GoodGym members completing essential missions to support the most vulnerable to stay safe and well. Missions range from collecting prescriptions, delivering shopping, to (for members with DBS certificates) changing light bulbs and readying homes for people who are returning home after a stay in hospital.
GoodGym’s usual focus is on older people aged 60 and over. In response to Covid-19, the charity has extended its remit to include all adults who are vulnerable, at risk or need extra support. These include single parents, people with disabilities and those for whom English is not their first language.
Ivo Gormley, GoodGym CEO and Founder said: “This is a very difficult time for the health and well-being of our communities and we’re proud of how we’ve been able to respond by providing much needed support to vulnerable people. We have extended our reach to help any adult who is struggling and for whom the crisis has magnified the challenges they face.”
The GoodGym partnership and funding is part of a £2m funding package from Zurich Community Trust (ZCT) to support charities working to tackle the Covid-19 crisis.
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