Food shopping

• If you can't go out to shop for yourself and have no family or friends to help, the easiest alternative is to order food online for delivery direct to your home. Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, many supermarkets have introduced more home delivery slots and many now offer priority shopping times and other new options for elderly and vulnerable customers.
• If you live in a Bedford Borough village, Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity may be able to help link you to local support with food shopping through a Good Neighbour Scheme or a Village Agent - email GNS@bedsrcc.org.uk
• NHS Volunteer Responders can help with food shopping - call 0808 196 3646 (8am to 8pm) to arrange NHS Volunteer support.

Prescriptions

• Many pharmacies are offering home delivery of prescriptions, so make sure you ask them about this service.
• If your pharmacy or GP does not offer this then please ask a friend or family member to pick up your prescription from the pharmacy for you.
• Use an online NHS pharmacy
• If you live in a Bedford Borough village, Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity may be able to help link you to local support with prescription collection through a Good Neighbour Scheme or a Village Agent - email GNS@bedsrcc.org.uk
• NHS Volunteer Responders can help with prescription collection - call 0808 196 3646 (8am to 8pm) to arrange NHS Volunteer support.

Other help available

• YMCA – find out about @food4bedford on their Facebook page or email hello@ymcabedfordshire.org
• British Red Cross can help with picking up prescriptions and arranging food shopping home delivery, email BedfordILS@redcross.org.uk or call 07525 902552
• Age UK
• Bedford Kindness

If you are in receipt of means tested benefits but experiencing financial hardship, you may be able to get help from Local Welfare Provision.

We have launched No to hunger in Bedford Borough with local voluntary sector partners, to support families and households in the run up to Christmas. We aim to help those in need get access to food so that every child in the borough will be warm and well fed this winter.

Many local communities have support groups to help those in self-isolation, these are often promoted on social media.

You can also contact the Community and Voluntary Service (CVS).

Access Bedford has an online drop-in service to support the local deaf community, it can make phone calls and translate English to British Sign Language (BSL).

There are also recorded BSL video clips of Council information available on its Facebook page.

Other support

Many local communities have support groups to help those in self-isolation, these are being promoted on social media.

You can also contact the Community and Voluntary Service (CVS).

Access Bedford has an online drop-in service to support the local deaf community, it can make phone calls and translate English to British Sign Language (BSL) for people wanting to contact the Community Hub.

There are also recorded BSL video clips of Council information available on its Facebook page.