How the amazing Northampton Sikh community is helping 300 people each week in lockdown

The Sikh Community Centre & Youth Club (SCCYC) have been leading the way during lockdown by helping up to 300 people each week since March 7 - including the town's most vulnerable in partnership with Northampton's Hope Centre.

The volunteers have been supporting all walks of life from students at university, pensioners, the wider BAME community and people living the most deprived areas around the town.

"We've been doing this kind of work for about 10 years really and now because of Covid we've had to put in additional services and it's kind of grown overnight," Pindy Kaur said.

"We have been putting food parcels together, helping the elderly who have had operations by doing their grocery shopping and picking up their prescriptions, we have been helping the homeless, we support women who have been victims of domestic abuse, and lone parents - we usually give them food, clothing or anything they need.

"Our elderly are helping who are a bit bored, too. They have asked if they can make PPE, so they are sowing and we are doing deliveries and taking them to hospitals in partnership with East Hunsbury knitters."

Amarjit Singh Atwal is coordinating food deliveries in the town centre to feed the rough sleepers staying at the Travelodge to stop the spread of the virus, which includes lunchtime meals made by the Hope Centre and evening meals made by SCCYC.

Helping the homeless is something Amarjit and other volunteers have been doing for five years as part of Langar Seva in Abington Street, which was set up five years ago, to serve up grub to the needy every Sunday night for one hour.

"The service users are no longer on the streets, so we've changed to doing the hotels instead," Amarjit said.

"The activity on Abington Street has stopped but we still wanted to continue helping people and actually Abington Street was once a week but this has given us the chance to dedicate more time to helping people through the week as well.

"We get a good reaction at the time when we pull up outside the hotel, people are always really pleased to see us."

If you can help or need help please contact Pindy Kaur on 077700 88568 or email [email protected]