PRAISE FOR VOLUNTEER LIFESAVERS
BRITAIN’S army of volunteers have been hailed as “lifesavers” by carrying out 75,000 tasks during the lockdown crisis.
They responded to a plea by NHS England and the Royal Voluntary Service to recruit 250,000 helpers.
But their numbers soon swelled to 750,000 as they offered their time.
And they have been doing errands ranging from delivering medicines to shopping as well as calling to check on those self-isolating.
Doctors, pharmacists, social care staff and local authorities have been turning to the volunteers.
A helpline was also set up for people to request assistance.
Nick Mason, 63, has been confined to his home as he has an autoimmune disease, myasthenia gravis, making him vulnerable to Covid-19.
But he needs daily medication to prevent his muscles from slowing down as it would become difficult to eat and talk. He usually collects his prescription from a pharmacy but he feared his supply would run out last week as he could not go out.
So he called the helpline for volunteers and they delivered his request within two hours. The motorcycle fan, from Northamptonshire, said: “Having volunteers out there doing their bit restores your faith in humanity. It is a lifesaver for many. I would like to say thank you.
“Without my medication my condition would deteriorate rapidly, I would be putting myself at risk. For me one of the hardest things about all this has been accepting I need help, it makes you feel lost.
“I didn’t feel comfortable asking friends to put themselves at risk to get medication, so it was a relief that the process was so smooth.”
Royal Voluntary Service chief executive Catherine Johnstone CBE said: “The selflessness of our volunteers has inspired the nation, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support we’ve received since the launch.
“Demonstrating the continued love and support of our NHS in this difficult time has given hope to everyone working on the frontline.
“Now we have our army of volunteers already working or ready to accept activities to support people at this critical time.”
● For assistance from a helper, call NHS Volunteer Responders on 0808 196 3646