Covid has shown that we truly never give up

Story by Sam Lewis, Operational Director

Anyone who’s ever had any dealings with Llamau will know that our values are very important – they drive everything we do.

And at the heart of those values is never giving up on anyone we support, no matter how challenging the circumstances.

I’ve always been proud of how well colleagues stick to that value, but since the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic, my colleagues have shown a level of tenacity and commitment that is truly incredible.

Llamau now supports around 1,200 young people, women and children across Wales at any one time and when the pandemic first hit, demand for most of our services increased even further – all at a time when our usual methods of delivery were increasingly difficult.

We had to prioritise our 24 hour supported accommodation projects, ensuring that everyone living there was kept safe and well, and trying to protect them from the detrimental impact of lockdown restrictions. My colleagues across the organisation were even more creative than I’ve ever seen, and sacrificed so much to protect the people they support.

As more and more people turned to us for help, it quickly became clear that we would have to open new projects to meet that demand. Even under normal circumstances, a huge amount of effort goes into opening a new supported accommodation project – making sure that when the first person moves in, that it feels like home and that they feel safe. The effort required to do that during a global pandemic definitely cannot be underestimated.

The dedication and commitment of my colleagues never fails to amaze me, and when we all stood on our doorsteps clapping for our Key Workers every Thursday evening, I for one was clapping with each and every one of my colleagues in mind.

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