A £7,000 grant has paid for personalised care packages for Wyre Forest's already-isolated families during lockdown.

Big Local DY10 HBG have been funding family support charity Home-Start Wyre Forest during the pandemic to enable to staff and volunteers to deliver weekly care packages to its families for a three-month period.

Home-Start manager Belinda Darby said: "This grant has enabled us to respond to the exceptional circumstances and ensure that we can safely provide the families we support with a very personal package each week to let them know we are thinking about them and are there to help, even if we can`t provide our usual home visiting and group services.

"For isolated families who were already finding life difficult the lockdown has been an additional pressure which, without support, could lead to mental health crisis, increased tension and even a breakdown in family relationships.

"We are so grateful for this grant from DY10 HBG Big Local for making life a little brighter for local parents and children”.

The packages have been filled with activities for children, resources and treats to make family life a bit easier.

Home-Start has been providing telephone support to its families until face-to-face visits and group support can resume.

The care packages will be delivered each week until the beginning of July.

Brenda Lines, chairman of the DY10 HBG Partnership, said: "It is difficult to imagine how difficult it must have been for many of our families.

"The Partnership is beginning to look forward to see how it can support the community as we hopefully come out of the pandemic.

"We have granted a further £2,000 to Home-Start to support their summer activity programme – details about this I have no doubt will be announced by Home-Start soon.”