The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Councillor praises ‘kind-hearted souls’ for helping the vulnerable
A Banff councillor has highlighted the efforts of volunteers across the north-east during the fight against coronavirus.
Councillor Glen Reynolds made a plea for people to give up some time to help others when the outbreak first hit Scotland.
And within 48 hours enough people had stepped forward who had an indepth knowledge of their towns and villages to be able to help the vulnerable.
Mr Reynolds said: “Since I began to co-ordinate volunteers with local community groups or directly with people who contacted me, the volunteer list has grown to a sizeable cohesive body of kind-hearted souls who have worked speedily and in a determined way, as only a local community can.
“Within 48 hours, these volunteers deployed their eyes and ears in the towns and villages in which they live and work.
“They distributed contact leaflets, facilitated immediate needs for those most at risk and most significantly interacted with each other in a way they have never had to do.”
He had particular praise for Facebook groups who offered help, such as the
Portsoy Area Action Team and the Helping Hands Banff and Buchan Group.
With communication from a distance now the key to effective and safe volunteering, Mr Reynolds felt it has been a “masterclass in caring”.
He said: “This crisis has also indirectly shed light on those in our communities whose needs have previously remained hidden.
“Hidden deprivation and domestic circumstances have been shared as never before.
“What is beginning to emerge is also a significant number of people who need to have someone to talk to.
“Loneliness can be a desperate situation and I am increasingly pulling together caring and astute listeners with those who need to hear a voice in their own personal wilderness.”
Having taken guidance on how to conduct that, Mr Reynolds also commended his local charities, shop staff and other key workers.
“I pay enormous tribute to everybody who has played a part in helping out, from those in the frontline of volunteering to those who are doing their bit by staying indoors,” he said.
“I urge everyone to heed the advice given by local and central government and to contact myself or any of the local volunteers who could be of assistance.”