Posted on by dave

Update on our COVID-19 Help Line

VolunteerUpdate on our COVID-19 Help Line

Earlier this week we announced a COVID-19 Help Line scheme aimed at helping those most in need and impacted by the virus.  The Parish Council is progressing this in association with the Care Network and volunteers in the village.

The aim is for anyone in the village who is in need of:

  • shopping supplies,
  • items from the pharmacy,
  • a reassuring chat, or
  • any other local need that they cannot satisfy themselves,

… to be able to ring a central number and get assistance.

If you are older, have long term health or mobility issues, or are alone or self-isolating, this Help Line could be the answer you need.

Progress made

We have made great progress.  The Care Network has made arrangements with their own volunteers to be able to take calls; they are also:

  • appointing central and area coordinators to receive orders to be fulfilled;
  • amassing wonderful support from over 30 members of the community to arrange delivery of food supplies to needy residents; and
  • arranging leaflets and posters to publicise the scheme.

But for the moment we are not quite ready to launch the service.  The ordering procedures, financial arrangements and co-ordination of delivery with local and national chain grocery stores is not yet in place to enable a service such as this to be launched.

Most popular panic buysNot Alone

We are not alone! Many local communities are in this position.  Ours is one of the first Parishes to work with our MP Sir Bernard Jenkin.  Sir Bernard is encouraging and stimulating national food chains to be able to take orders from local schemes and to arrange for volunteers to pick these up and deliver to residents.

We need to have a system in place that avoids the need for cash (for obvious reasons).  It needs to allow requests to be fulfilled without volunteers staring at empty shelves as they attempt to find supplies. As an aside we need people to appreciate that overstocking at home means less for others; something of a national problem!

We must stress that this initiative is really for those who cannot call on the assistance of friends, neighbours and relatives.  We recognise that many informal arrangements are in place already; this demonstrates the best in us when local  communities such as ours pull together in times like these.

 So many thanks for all the support and we will hopefully be able to bring better news as this situation develops.

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