Kind hearted Small Heath volunteers deliver food during coronavirus lockdown

An inspirational youth club run by volunteers in Small Heath has put aside fun and games to concentrate on helping people during the coronavirus pandemic raging across Birmingham.

Dream Chaser Youth Club in Green Lane, Small Heath, have shown real community spirit and courage by raising funds and responding to calls of help to deliver food and supplies to the elderly and the vulnerable during the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Sergeant Charlesworth (left) and PCSO Hogan with Asha Rage (right) at the Dream Chaser Youth Club in Small Heath

The visionary behind this project to help the people is 43-year-old Asha Rage.

Asha originally created a youth football team called Dream Chaser FC after enrolling on a football coaching course at Aston Villa in 2017.

The reason for Asha’s decision to enrol on a coaching course was to use football as a means of providing a platform for the youth to escape from an inner city life of crime.

Asha had read the countless headlines in the press about youth knife crime, gang violence and the tragic loss of young life.

Her work with the local youth in Small Heath has brought about some positive change and inspired young people.

Asha Rage (center) hopes to inspire young people towards positivity and unity

The outbreak of coronavirus, and the resulting lockdown by Boris Johnson, inspired Asha to use the services of the Dream Chaser Youth Club to help the community in a time of a national crisis.

She made a WhatsApp group to raise the issues and people began to offer donations and advice, including pleas from residents asking for help.

There were people who were unable to venture out to do their shopping due to various reasons including underlining health or mobility problems, single mothers with young children who could not be left alone, and elderly folk who would be placed at risk if they ventured out to get their weekly grocery supplies.

I Am Birmingham STAY AT HOME government and NHS advice IAB

Some individuals were living on the breadline and too poor to buy food.

There were also some residents with mental health conditions which place limitations on them and prevent them from going out to shop.

The donations that Asha received through social media were used to purchase food and essential medicines and supplies.

Asha and her team purchase essentials with the donations — Asha Rage and her team of volunteers purchase essentials with the donations

Asha and her team worked tirelessly to get the shopping and then to deliver it to the people despite the serious health risk to their lives.

The team always make sure they follow the government’s strict medical advice about keeping safe and wear gloves, masks, and obey social distancing rules when they make their deliveries to the people in need.

Washing hands and using sanitizer are all part of the process as the team performs their tasks.

The volunteers always follow health advice when making deliveries to those in need

This inspirational and courageous team of helpers from Small Heath are not only helping local people but are also helping residents in other parts of Birmingham including Aston, Smethwick, Nechells, and Handsworth.

Despite the threat of the deadly coronavirus the community spirit is alive in Small Heath and people are finding ways to help each other in a time of crisis.

For more information on coronavirus and the government’s official response, click here.