This Leeds running club is delivering care packages on foot to isolated older people

The Bramley Breezers are now using their daily runs to drop off donated items to nearby residents to keep them entertained. The packages, organised by the Bramley Community Centre organisation, include donated books, puzzles, DVDs, and kits for people to grow their own sunflowers. Vickie Jamieson, 44, one of the delivery runners, said: “These are people who might not get to speak to others for days on end. “Distributing these packages means you’ve got a reason to go out and run while you give people stuck at home something to get them through the day.” The partnership came in response to feedback from isolating older people to Bramley Elderly Action, which runs Bramley Community Centre. The centre had already set up shopping deliveries and a befriending scheme for elderly people but many said they felt bored and isolated during lockdown. They came up with the runner delivery scheme and asked the Breezers to take part to keep the deliveries emission-free. Fran Graham, services and development manager at Bramley Elderly Action, said: “There’s a lot of older people who don’t live with anybody else, so it’s a really lonely time for them. “People come together in a crisis. The Breezers are trailblazers, showing how easy it is to brighten up someone’s day. We hope that in a small way, this collaboration will help more local people to bond.” Bramley Elderly Action is a network that provides support to people aged 60+ across Bramley, Swinnow and parts of Stanningley. Many of their members are vulnerable and have been self-isolating since lockdown started. More than 70 members of the Breezers signed up to help with deliveries and were briefed on social distancing practices. They have distributed more than 120 items so far. Jo Marsden, 45, member of the Breezers, said: “It’s much harder to get the motivation to run on your own than with a group. This definitely helps because you’re out helping someone - it makes you feel useful.” Like all sporting clubs in the UK, the Breezers had to stop running as a group in March due to Covid-19. The club has found other ways to keep its members active, including socially-distanced relays and giving members points for running to landmarks in the area. Bramley Community Centre encouraged anyone in the area who wants to get involved with the delivery scheme or to request a package to get in touch with them. Anyone able to donate items can drop them safely at Bramley Community Centre, Waterloo Lane. Ms Jamieson said: “The crisis that we’re going through at the moment has demonstrated how we need each other even more, how we’re good at working together. “We’re doing things separately, but we’re doing them together.”