OAPS get helping hand from the virus volunteers
HUNDREDS of thousands of volunteers are rallying around their neighbours to ensure no one becomes lonely or runs out of food while self-isolating.
Boris Johnson yesterday paid tribute to the ‘amazing energy and creativity’ of the British people, who have responded to the crisis with an outpouring of altruism.
The Prime Minister urged people in self-isolation to ‘ask for help from others with getting food and essentials’.
Volunteer groups have been established in all corners of the country to ensure ‘no one is left to fend for themselves’.
Facebook said more than 200,000 people in the UK are already part of more than 300 groups created to help support others during the outbreak.
Users are sharing a printable postcard which could be dropped through neighbours’ letterboxes, with offers to pick up shopping, post mail or even simply join them for a ‘friendly phone call’.
A national organisation, named Covid-19 Mutual Aid, has set up more than 400 community groups around the country to distribute food and support to those in need.
Shopkeeper Jawad Javed, who owns a newsagent in Stenhousemuir, Stirlingshire, has been handing out protection kits to elderly and vulnerable local residents.
He and his wife Asiyah, who run Day-Today Express, have spent about £2,000 on the packs, which include face masks, sanitiser and wipes. They have also delivered them to care homes.
Judy Lockhart, chairman of North Berwick Community Council, has said the local resilience group, last mobilised during the Beast from the East Arctic weather, has seen a surge in members.
Miss Lockhart added: ‘All in, we have had well over 100 people agree to volunteer. It is so important during times of emergency that the most vulnerable are supported.’
Elisabeth Elektra, who founded Glasgow Mutual Aid, said: ‘Glasgow is one of the largest cities in the UK, but we are a city with a strong sense of community and social responsibility.’
With 500 members already, she added: ‘We are beginning to create smaller groups divided by ward to make it easier for people to organise and reach out to those in their own area who may be vulnerable and requiring assistance.’
In Cupar, Fife, Alvina Menzies, who set up a mutual aid group, said: ‘There are so many local individuals posting their offers of kindness and I wanted to help by creating a way for them to centralise, collaborate and co-ordinate their support, hopefully allowing us to have a wider collective impact.’
In Orkney, more than 1,000 helpers joined an online group offering support to those who are forced to stay at home because of the virus.
The Orkney CV Mutual Aid Group on Facebook was founded by Sarah MacGregor on Saturday.
She said: ‘The aim is to organise volunteers to help those in needperhaps elderly or other vulnerable people that need help with shopping or other essentials, or those who have to self-isolate and don’t have anyone to go and get essentials that they need.’
Medical students at universities in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee have offered support to medical staff on the front line, including babysitting and dog walking. Edinburgh Medics Share organiser Jenny Pewsey said: ‘We’ve been inundated with requests to join the group. It has about 650 members.’
South of the Border, Bryony Doughty, 37, set up a group called Helping Out Higham and Rushden, which now has hundreds of volunteers helping elderly people near her home in Northamptonshire.
She said: ‘It’s incredible how selfless and community-minded the public can be if you just ask.’
‘So many posting offers of kindness’