Bury, Salford, and Manchester City councils have commissioned The Fed to lead on Covid communications for the local Jewish communities.
This unique approach to commissioning enables The Fed to work with both Health and Council colleagues across 3 areas to deliver the key messages about Covid testing and vaccinations.
Commissioned in April 2021, the Local Authorities have charged The Fed with producing a culturally aware communication program around Covid safety, vaccine distribution and public health awareness, as society emerges from the grip of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Bernie Garner, Director of Community Services at The Fed, is thrilled with the evolution of the new partnership:
“We are delighted that the leadership of each Council has seen The Fed as a key strategic partner to lead this messaging campaign.
“It is especially gratifying given the guidance and leadership that the Local Authorities have provided throughout the pandemic that they have recognized the importance of delivering this key communication to the Jewish community.
“The Manchester Jewish community sits across the boundaries of the three authorities, and this is a groundbreaking example of collaborative working to produce culturally-appropriate messaging.
We have an army of volunteers ready to assist us in delivering these important messages.”
As the leading Jewish social care charity in Manchester, The Fed has links with community members across the entire religious and social spectrum.
With an existing ability to deliver mass messaging, and working in partnership with the three Authorities, The Fed will now focus on spreading simple, educational, and culturally and community-specific public health information.
Lizzie Hughes, Integrated Neighbourhood Lead for Cheetham Hill and Crumpsall, was effusive in her praise for the commission:
“The Tri-borough work led by the Fed is a great step forward in providing a more consistent level of support and develop better services for our Jewish residents,” she said.
“It has been inspiring to see how the Jewish-led organisations across the three boroughs have come together to give voice to the Jewish community.
As local authorities we are also coming together to make sure that we provide a good level of service and give out consistent and appropriate messages to support our communities to live safely with covid.”
“We have been the point of contact for Covid messaging for the Local Authorities since the beginning,” Bernie continued, “and we recognized early on the importance of community vaccination drives. We are proud to continue supporting Hatzolah as they go about this crucial work.
“This partnership will provide a model for future collaboration which will benefit communities across the county.”
Marc Levy, CEO of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region, commented:
“At the height of the Covid pandemic, delivering high quality public health messaging was one of the key successes of the Jewish Strategic Group.
“Working in partnership with our communal organisations and colleagues from wider society, we ensured our whole community was aware of key information from government.
“Through the Strategic Group, we are delighted with the progress that has been made in ensuring the community are able to operate across local authority boundary lines.
“The collaboration and cooperation between our community and representatives from local and national government has been truly unprecedented.
“As Chair and coordinator of the group, the JRC is looking forward to working in tandem with The Fed to ensure key information reaches its target audience.”
For information, contact Bernie Garner, The Fed’s Director of Community Services on bernie.garner@thefed.org.uk or 0161 772 4800.