We are very humbled to have been chosen as a Finalist in the Xero Community Action 2021 Awards.

The Xero Community Impact Award shines a spotlight on Xero partners that have gone above and beyond outside of the office.

Providence is the “go-to” business and accounting services practice for owners, investors and landlords in UK-sited property.

When the pandemic hit, we realised we had several people dependent on us directly.  What if we got Covid?  Who would look after them?

We realised there must be thousands of people, just in our local area, all wondering the same thing. What about the elderly or differently able; those reliant on public transport and low incomes?  How would they manage without public infrastructure, social care and support? 

We wanted everyone to know there was a community out there, during these unprecedented times, who cared about them and was willing to help.

We put out an appeal on the local FaceBook page, asking for volunteers to support anyone shielding or ill and needing support for themselves or their family.  Within 48 hrs we had over 250 volunteers.

Most importantly, we were struck by the level of need in our community, not only due to Covid.  There was a significant amount of poverty exposed by the pandemic which was otherwise going unnoticed, or unacknowledged. 

We quickly began to see appeals for help and realised there was a very serious need.  We rapidly formed a committee and began to plan ways in which we could safely assist our sister villages of West End Village and Bisley.

We were invited to join Surrey Heath Prepared, a collection of similar local schemes which was establishing itself at the same time, and became an area coordinator.

We started by establishing a covid-safe prescription collection programme. We then turned our attention to shopping, befriending of the isolated and checking people’s general supplies. We established road coordinators for every across our responsibility area.  The coordinators were issued ID cards and asked to check every address to establish vulnerable households and offer support and contact details.

Vitally, we needed to find a way to shop for people that ensured not only the covid, but also, the financial safety of both those shielding and volunteers. We tried click and collect, but there were never enough slots. Card machines weren’t practical.  We turned to Xero!

We created a bank account and used Xero to account for every penny.

Coming out of Covid, we have assisted in the creation of a Foodbank for the local community.

The result: we have had over 70 referrals since January 2021 and fed 144 local people this past Christmas, with our work continuing into 2022 and beyond.

Providence: Your Property – Our Financial Know-How.