Dear Service users, Partners, & Supporters of LMCC,

We want to start our first post of the year by wishing everyone a Happy New Year! We also wanted to start off the year by showing you the improvements and repairs that have been done to our building (watch out for that in our next post) but, we are now more focussed on current situations at the moment.

We do hope that you are all keeping safe and well both physically & mentally. Especially this week that another national lockdown (3.0) has been announced and at a time when cases of Covid19 infections in the UK have now reached record levels since the start of the pandemic.

In accordance with the guidelines of the new lockdown, it has been decided that we are to stop all Church activities and the majority of the activities in our Centre.

Our contacts during the lockdown:

Mobile: 07551 290 215 (all calls have been transferred here)

Email: info@lozellsmc.co.uk

Leave us a message and we will get back to you asap

The following organizations that are based in our building have, during this lockdown, temporarily moved their operations online. You can contact BEEAS with the details below:

Birmingham Ethnic Education & Advisory Service (BEEAS)

Phone: 0121 716 6206 (all calls have been transferred to their mobile)

Mobile: 07942638902 Email: info@beeas.org

We are still committed to providing urgent support to vulnerable members of our community and have made provisions to do so.

Starting today, members of our community visiting our Centre will notice that although we have shut our doors, we still provide services via online, telephone, and through our partnerships. We have therefore put up a lot of useful information and contacts on our doors and notice board, and if we have to, we will come out to physically help a need.

We have commenced our Lozells Emergency Advice Project (LEAP) which has been graciously funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. We will be providing advisory support for those who are having difficulties accessing the benefits system and other related issues.

We are working with Birmingham Central Food Bank to provide food vouchers and with Aspire & Succeed and other groups in the area, to provide food parcels that can be delivered or picked up at the Centre.+

Please visit the Public Health team at Birmingham City Council here: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/coronavirus_advice for latest news on Covid in the city including information on advice and support.’

Understanding that the lockdown will have a negative impact on many members of our community, we have provided below, a list of where anyone can get professional help during this time:

Domestic Violence:

Birmingham & Solihull Women’s Aid

0121 685 8687

Birmingham Crisis Centre

24-hour domestic violence help line:

0121 507 0707

Mental Health:

Birmingham Samaritans

Free 24-hour phone: 116 123

email: jo@samaritans.org

Birmingham Healthy Minds

a free IAPT service for depression and anxiety. Call: 0121 301 2525

Anxiety UK

Charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition.

Phone: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm)

Website: www.anxietyuk.org.uk

Birmingham Mind

Telephone: 0121 262 3555

Email: help@birminghammind.org

CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably.

A charity providing a mental health helpline and webchat.

Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)

Website: www.thecalmzone.net

Childline

Young people’s mental health service

phone: 800 1111 or use 1-2-1 online chat:

https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/1-2-1-counsellor-chat/

We will keep updating this list as often as needed. If you have any other useful resources or contacts, please let us know. Thanks.