The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Money
Blitz spirit is back: meet the Covid-19 heroes
Glimmers of generosity and courage are cutting through the noise and darkness of coronavirus. Small business owners and neighbours across the country are digging in: giving up their time, money, skills and in some cases their workforce to help others.
Some have found that, even though circumstances have stopped them from making a living, they are still able to make a difference.
Here are five of our favourite examples of the Blitz spirit making a welcome comeback.
Marianna Hunt meets the businesses and individuals putting their livelihoods on the line to help others through the coronavirus pandemic FREE SCHOOL LUNCHES
When the Government ordered pubs, bars and restaurants to close their doors, it would have been easy to simply throw in the towel. But Dan Stewart, Yorkshireman and kitchen manager at The Craven Arms in the county, was having none of it.
Seeing his elderly neighbours struggling to get the essentials they needed at the supermarkets, he decided to put the 16th-century inn’s unused resources and suppliers to good use by turning it into a temporary village shop.
The Craven Arms, which sits on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, is also doing takeaways and deliveries of real ales and pub food to people’s homes. On Mothering Sunday it took around 100 orders of roast dinners, pies and lasagnes from the local community without even opening its doors.
“It’s meant we’ve been able to keep on some of the staff and not let everyone go,” Mr Stewart said. “The grocery deliveries have been really popular: the supermarket shelves have been cleared out but we’re still able to get flour, rice, pasta, toilet roll and fresh fruit and vegetables from our suppliers.”
The pub gives priority to local suppliers – butchers, bakers and farmers – many of whom had also feared that the coronavirus crisis would cut off their livelihood.
“It’s a tough time for everyone but the local support has been brilliant,” Mr Stewart said. “People have been sending me thank-you cards, chocolate and wine.”
Thousands of soon-to-be brides had their plans ruined on Monday after the Prime Minister announced an outright ban on ceremonies. Luckily they have dressmaker Lucy Menghini to spread some cheer.
Her business, wedding shop Six Stories Bridal, was another victim of the ban. “I’ve lost tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of orders in less than two weeks,” Ms Menghini said.
Rather than despairing, she decided to send free gifts to any bride whose wedding had been cancelled and offer customers free exchanges on any made-to measure dresses if they didn’t fit by the rescheduled date. Expenses will be covered by her business.
The gift offer – an item of clothing from the shop’s loungewear collection – has been taken up by more than 1,000 brides in just a few days.
“We’ve received some lovely thankyou messages; some from NHS staff who’ve had their big day cancelled and are now giving their all on the front lines. They are so grateful for a little pick-me-up,” Ms Menghini said.
She added that some brides had lost their jobs and were very grateful that they wouldn’t have to fork out again for tailored dresses for a rescheduled wedding when money was tight.
“Our supplier gets most of his revenue from making school uniforms and he was going to go out of business too – luckily we are able to keep him going a little while longer,” Ms Menghini said.
There is such a thing as a free lunch for Tessa Clarke from Wiltshire. She is leading a campaign to encourage people to cook extra meals and hand them out to children missing out on free school lunches while at home.
She has harnessed the support of the users of Olio, a food-sharing app she helped found. Mrs Clarke said she had been amazed by the responses from the app’s two million users.
Within 24 hours of the campaign’s launch, there were already dozens of listings, with one person pledging to cook 10 lunches a day.
Anyone with children eligible for free school meals can look on the app for offers in their area and get in touch to arrange a no-contact pick up.
“We’re all about community and sharing. Users started reaching out to us asking what they should do to help,” Mrs Clarke said.
The idea was sparked by her children’s surprising reaction to the news that schools would close. She said: “The first thing they asked me was, what about the children who get free school meals?”
There are currently 1.3 million children in Britain who rely on hot lunches from their school because they are from disadvantaged families. Schools are still trying to work out how to support these pupils.
Mrs Clarke and her two children, Archie and Charley, have also been doing their bit by making vats of risotto and bolognese. The scheme has received the support of celebrity chefs, including James Martin and Jonathan Phang.
PUB ON WHEELS
LEFT AT THE ALTAR ‘It has meant we’ve been able to keep staff on and not let them go’ ‘We want to support other small businesses – no matter the cost to us’
LITTLE BLACK BOOK
Hundreds of other kind people are offering their services free or at a discount. Here is our pick of the best.
Exemplar Education, an online tutor, is providing free maths tuition for children whose schools are shut.
A Mother Place, a website for pregnant women, is hosting free online antenatal classes for key workers.
Dare to Dream Digital, a web consultancy, is offering free advice on setting up a website for businesses that aren’t yet online.
Daisy First Aid is providing reduced-price first aid courses virtually for parents and carers, as ambulance waiting times are much longer than usual.
Architecture firm Windsor & Patania is offering its design skills free of charge to help people adapt homes and workspaces to social distancing.
OurRemedy, a beauty business, is sending free care hampers to NHS workers. People in local communities can vote for who receives them.
Blue Lizard Marketing is providing free social media training for small businesses struggling to cope during the Covid-19 crisis.
Kristy Lomas of The Ki Retreat, a therapist, is running free meditations online to help people who are struggling with stress during the epidemic.