The East bags what are they? Who are they for? And why are we involved?
What are the EAST bags ?
Ok let’s start with the name, EAST bag well the EAST stands for Everyone, Active, Supported, Together. So we get the name but what’s in them? They are full of activities for the mind and the body such as resistance bands and instruction cards on how they should be used, a hand warmer to help on those daily walks, seeds to plant and help us to look forward to spring an activity book to help keep our minds active on the chilly dark evenings, some recipe cards and the all-important ingredients to help nourish our body’s with maybe a new favourite meal for tea! <br><br>Along with a cuppa tea and a biscuit to finish off, so that answers the what are they next the who are they for, well they have been put together for the over 65’s who maybe feeling isolated, because sometimes winter is hard to get through and of course this past year we have also had to deal with Covid-19 making it tough going at best with not being able to see family and friends like we would like to and feeling that we are missing out on special occasions, so this is a treat that is all wrapped up in a hessian reusable shopping bag.
Why I got Involved
The call came out for help packing these bags and I have to say working from home and not seeing anyone outside of my bubble in the real world I jumped at the chance, not only for the new people to talk to but also because I’m a community connector who works on the <a href=”https://suffolkfamilycarers.org/community-based-teams/communityconnectors/connected-communities/”>Connected Communities</a> project headed up by Suffolk Family Carers and we work with people who are 65 and over, who feel they need help to reconnect with their communities and or are feeling socially isolated so I wanted to be a part of building these gift bags who will be going out to our client group in fact I felt that it was important to be involved from the packing to the handing out of these small gift bags of sunshine.
The call came out for help packing these bags and I have to say working from home and not seeing anyone outside of my bubble in the real world I jumped at the chance, I felt that it was important to be involved from the packing to the handing out of these small gift bags of sunshine.
How will they help
In short these bags are to help brighten and warm your day when the outside is cold and dark, they will help you keep both body and mind active when let be honest we can get a little lazy and despondent at this time of year and to help you look forward to the spring when you can sow your seeds and sip your tea outside again in the warmth of the sunshine and most importantly to let you know that you may have been shielding or isolating and not able to hold our family and friends close but you have not been forgotten and we are moving towards being reunited with them in the not too distant future, so I hope you enjoy the treats inside you deserve them, and I got to spend some time with new and old friends enjoying some conversation and idle chatter helping to make them for you.
For more information on the scheme please see East Suffolk Council’s website.
