Support service for women in Preston praised by Police and Crime Commissioner for their work during lockdown

The video call between Clive Grunshaw and ACAYA

A project which received funding to help women who may be isolated or need other support during the pandemic has been praised by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw.

ACAYA is a support service available for women living in Preston and surrounding areas.

They help women who may feel alone, end up isolated or be vulnerable.

During the pandemic, ACAYA has still provided vital services, utilising zoom calls, focusing on one to one support such as socially distanced walks and continued to provide skills training such as online cooking and budgeting classes.

The Commissioner was told about the positive impact that the support has had with support from his Community Action Fund.

He also spoke with someone who had used the service provided by ACAYA, who talked about how it has allowed her to gain confidence to start moving forward in her life after some extremely challenging times.

Clive Grunshaw said: “It is inspiring to see important work like this continue through the pandemic by changing how support is delivered, and really does highlight the commitment of people and volunteers across Lancashire to supporting vulnerable people.

“Utilising Proceeds of Crime in this way and investing back into the community can only be a good thing and helps me deliver on my Police and Crime Plan priorities to support vulnerable people and victims.

“It is the personal stories, where someone has been able to access support and move forward, that really bring home how through relatively small investments, we can make a big difference.”

Lisa Walton from ACAYA said “During the past 12 months providing support to women in need became increasingly difficult due to lockdown restrictions preventing us from meeting up with our clients individually and in group settings.

“However, ACAYA needed to continue to provide the level of support we were previously able to offer women despite these extremely difficult circumstances.

“The support we received from the CAF was essential in enabling us to adapt and continue our work. We were able to purchase equipment which allows us to reach our clients remotely and provide the support that has been so desperately needed throughout the pandemic.

“The CAF also gave us the means to provide essential items for clients in need, and run classes to improve emotional wellbeing.

“Without the support of the CAF this would not have been possible and would have resulted in many of our clients feeling forgotten and becoming further isolated from society and the support they desperately need.”

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