As you well know, there is no such thing as a magic money tree… We do not charge for our services and are grateful to our wonderful volunteers who offer their time, energy and resources freely in order to bless the community around us. So how do we do what we do? All the work we do at Community Lives …
Stories
On your bike!
Bikes! For asylum seekers, a bike is a huge asset. With limited resources, and with the scant public transport options between towns in West Lancashire, a bike enables them to get out and about. Although things have been different during lockdown, with Spring on its way and the vaccine rollout progressing well, it seems that we are slowly turning a …
“It’ll end in tiers…”
Today we come out of national lockdown – back into Tier 3. Though really, I think it should be called Tier 3+ as regulations have changed since the previous iteration and tighter restrictions are now in place. This brings a note of disappointment to all those in our community who are struggling with loneliness. For many, a visit to a …
On your marks, get set, oh! Stop…
Do you remember playing that game “Statues”? Or one of the many (many!) variations – Red Light Green Light, Grandmother’s Footsteps, to name a couple? (Or even What Time Is It Mr. Wolf if you really want to explore the options!) You know, where the person who is “It” has to catch the others while they’re moving. And they, in …
Bridging the education gap
By the time children returned to school in September, they had spent more than five months away from their education. All children’s learning has been affected by this but many studies have shown that experience of learning at home has been very varied. The reality is that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have suffered disproportionately. Whilst many were working from home, …
Help with English for asylum seekers and refugees
The majority of asylum seekers and refugees who reach our shores are keen to make a lasting contribution to society. They want to leave past trauma behind, move on with their lives and settle in the country that has become their new home. A key skill for them is proficiency in the English language. Without this, they will always struggle …
Home Alone
This title may remind you of the comedy film when an 8 year old boy was accidentallyleft on his own at home when the rest of the family went on holiday. He was able toconfront his fears, defend his home from burglars and end up reunited with hisfamily. Sadly there are many folk who are home alone today but their …
Lockdown – “Every day the same.”
I’m sure this phrase has been on the minds of many during the last few months. And nowhere is this more true than in the homes of the elderly, those who live alone, those with mental health issues etc. My husband has dementia, and, like others with this condition, it has deteriorated during lockdown due to lack of stimulus. But …
A new chapter is written
Community Lives Matter – a new initiative to serve our community, For over a century, Cottage Lane Mission has had a place in its community and served the needs of local residents in Ormskirk. The church’s commitment to being a resource to improve the lives of local people and in particular meet some of the needs of the most vulnerable …
Covid-19
We didn’t anticipate Covid-19 (who did?!) when starting our work… When our application for charitable status was submitted in February this year, little did we realise how the world was going to be transformed in the following months. Our normal programme of activities was soon put on hold and we were able to do little more than wonder what might …