Hello everyone
Well, this has been a year like no other……. Coronavirus has impacted on all of our lives in a way virtually unimaginable around 12 months ago. Unfortunately, some of us have seen first-hand the devastating health impact of this deadly virus on our friends, families and colleagues and changed the way that we all live and work.
However, we have also had much to celebrate and be thankful for, including;
- the amazing agility of the third sector in responding at speed to the pandemic
- the brilliant community response
VSGWL was able to take a leadership role and respond positively by working at pace to provide a coordinated response to help and support to communities in West Lothian. I would like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the whole VSGWL team for their support and work throughout the year. Like many organisations, we moved quickly to provide digital help and support to the public and sector – even though we weren’t set up to do so.
We have seen fantastic examples of ‘service before self’ shown by colleagues right across the Third Sector. The rapid mobilisation of the Sector in responding to the crisis was genuinely remarkable – and continues to be foremost in the range of essential services still being offered.
I want to also acknowledge the incredible community response from individuals across the area. Over 1300 individuals signed up to volunteer to help support their neighbours, communities and those in most need.
Some of the learnings about working from home will inevitably stay with us as we move forward and eventually out from this pandemic. With the welcome news of the vaccine being rolled out, there is real hope of some return to `normal` over the coming months. Who knows, we may even reach a point when cries of `you`re still on mute` becomes a thing of the past!!
Thanks to each and every one of you.
Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy, safe New Year. All the best for 2021!
Alan McCloskey
CEO
VSGWL
|