Covid Aid marks milestone reaching 125,000 people with support

Covid Aid, the UK’s national Covid-19 charity, is today celebrating the impact it has made, providing much needed support to more than 125,000 people and their families around the UK who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

With hundreds of people still dying from Covid-19 in the UK each week and more than two million people suffering with Long Covid, the role of Covid Aid is expected to grow.

Covid Aid’s Founder and Chief Executive, Michael MacLennan, said: “It is an amazing achievement to have reached more than 125,000 people with our website hub which provides a wealth of advice, information, and dedicated support through the awards-nominated Covid Aid Support Community.

“More than 60 volunteers, 730 community members, and hundreds of others have been responsible for us achieving this milestone – it is truly phenomenal as a new charity. We can’t thank everyone involved enough for their stupendous efforts in building and shaping Covid Aid into what it is today.

“However, the landscape for providing support is more challenging than ever, and we desperately require extra funding so we can make our second-year goal of providing even more dedicated 1-to-1 help for those with Long Covid and experiencing Covid-related grief, and reaching 250,000 people across the UK with information and advice. Please donate and get involved however you can, to support us support the UK.”

Recognising a year of impact supporting and empowering those affected by Covid

We launched our first ever Annual Report and Annual Appeal in May 2022, as we looked to expand our services in the year ahead – and with our ability to provided vital support to people around the country at stake.

Covid Aid is dedicated to delivering the widest possible range of support to all people who have been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic across a range of issues including Long Covid, grief and bereavement, mental health, financial hardship, vaccines and other issues.

We also act as an information hub to broader Covid-19 service provision by supporting, promoting and signposting other organisations, building high-level partnerships with the NHS, Asthma & Lung UK, Marie Curie, and more.

We made a significant impact in our first year as a charity despite a limited budget and the challenges of starting a charity during the pandemic. Highlights in the report included:

Reaching more than 107,000 people in the UK (now 125,000!) with information, advice, and support via a website hub with almost a quarter of a million page views
Being nominated for Charity of the Year at the Scottish Charity Awards 2022 and nominated at the 2022 StartUp Awards
Creating an innovative Covid-19 Support Community platform with Courses, Live Q&As, tailored support Groups and more for people significantly affected by Covid-19
Publishing an in-depth Advice and Information section with more than 175 articles on a range of Covid-related issues including vaccines and Long Covid
Building a comprehensive Get Help service pointing to over 85 trusted sources of support
Offering professional online bereavement counselling for people affected by loss
Participating in an NHS-funded assessment tool for people with Long Covid - My Long Covid Needs - within a Working Group led by Asthma & Lung UK
Hosting lottery-funded workshops and research to build a pioneering services toolkit on Long Covid for other charities, healthcare providers, and organisations
Producing a report for MPs of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Universal Credit about the experiences of those with Long Covid
Receiving congratulations for our efforts in a cross-party Scottish Parliament motion.

Our social impact goes beyond these achievements as demonstrated in three detailed case studies within the report. Each case study describes the personal difference Covid Aid has made for individuals during this challenging time.

One community member, Gillian, said: “Finding Covid Aid has been a huge relief and has allowed me to channel my grief in a different way.” Another community member, Elaine, said: “I am so glad I found this charity. It has stopped me from feeling like I am mad or just a weak person… I came here to meet others in my situation as well as to try and get some answers.”

Funding urgently needed to keep Covid Aid going and provide vital support to hundreds of thousands in the UK

Though we recently celebrated our successes over the first year as a new UK charity dedicated to supporting people affected by Covid-19, fresh challenges present themselves in the year ahead with the cost-of-living crisis and Ukraine war diverting attention and having a notable effect on national fundraising. This makes the launch of Covid Aid’s Annual Appeal for donations more pressing than ever to secure our future service offerings.

Covid Aid Founder and Chief Executive, Michael MacLennan said: “For less than an average UK full-time salary we have set up the charity and supported more than 125,000 people whose lives have been changed by Covid-19. Although the government is saying we now need to live with Covid-19, there is a real lack of support for people and their families, and we are seeing demand for our services grow month on month.

“We are a charity that relies entirely on the kindness and generosity of public donations. So it is vital we secure more funding to build on this success and ensure that people across the country can easily find and access the support they need to deal with the traumatic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is especially true when the number of people with Long Covid in the UK increased to more than two million people, with hundreds of families losing loved ones to Covid-19 every week.”

Read our Annual Report and donate to the Annual Appeal at covidaidcharity.org/annual-report

You can donate now or get involved in a variety of ways – any support will be greatly appreciated and make a huge difference