Children who find themselves in dangerous situations in Plymouth will now be able to get help and assistance at Co-op stores in the city following the establishment of a scheme which is the brainchild of a volunteer at the Rees Centre Wellbeing Hub in Plympton.
Claire Hambly who came up with the idea said:
“I approached Co-op as it is quite accessible to young people in the area, especially the Chaddlewood one being near the ramps etc.”
The matter was referred up to the Co-op’s senior management who agreed to embrace the idea and it has now been rolled out across all their stores in Plymouth. The Co-op stores can now act as a safe place for young people if they feel worried or scared about their safety and they are unable to get home safely.
Staff at the stores will be able to offer support to young people to enable them to alert appropriate help, wait for a lift or contact the police.
Young people will also be able to ask the store for assistance in calling a parent or guardian if they have run out of battery on their phone, have no credit left or have lost their phone.
Parents and guardians are asked to make their children aware of this initiative should they ever find themselves in circumstances where they need to make use of it.
The scheme has already worked for one Plympton family. A thankful parent said:
“Co-op Chaddlewood have already done this for my daughter and her friend who were being followed, watched the cctv and called the police.”
(Story courtesy of the Plympton Podcast)
