Tower and Town, June 2020

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The Covid Street Volunteers

A call went out - the Town Council is asking for volunteers to support the self-isolating with shopping, prescriptions, dog-walking and anything else that's needed. What can I do? I'm definitely in the self-isolating category myself but I have a phone and a computer. So I made my offer and immediately found myself as the designated "key contact" for Zone 11, the High St.

The Town was skilfully divided into 16 such zones by Assistant Town Clerk Clare Harris. Rod Cleasby, from Zone 1, describes how his volunteer band has been working:

From Rod Cleasby, Zone 1:
We knock on the door and stand back, in our face masks and blue gloves. Alien to our usual way of living, but the new normal. We are quickly on first name terms, joking about politicians and the weather, and remarking on the supermarket queues and the empty High Street. First it was food, but soon it will be gardens and hedges, grass and weeds. Our volunteers are amazing, uncomplaining, resourceful and caring. Even those with busy lives of their own.

Anxiety can be destructive, so volunteering is medicine to the isolated. Who imagined that contactless payments would be so useful? We can avoid cash and keep our clients safe.

We keep in touch through WhatsApp and share the jobs roughly based on where we live. "Anyone going to Boots?" "Did you get the scones for Mary?" "I've done the hedge trimming at no7." "Can you do the shopping for Alice?" "Done: 3 prescriptions and one electric key."

With over 150 different jobs completed, we also keep in contact with those we know who are living on their own. Apart from shopping, our volunteers also help with dog walking, prescriptions, newspapers, gardening and passing the time of day. Chatting is also therapeutic for the lonely. When you're over seventy and isolating, the world can seem very scary. A simple kindness from your neighbour can be life changing.

Volunteering on a residential estate, where we live, is surprising and rewarding. We have 30 customers and growing. We seem to have made new friends with our neighbours - those who can't go out in the current circumstances. Getting told to stay at home for safety is one thing, but you quickly run out of food and medicine. We were delighted at the speedy response of our new volunteer team. One day we had no-one, the next there was a dozen people willing to shop and share time with our neighbours in need. Motivated by compassion, and our faith, we are blessed by the love returned to us by the people we help.

One volunteer said, "This helps me just as much. When everything else is out of your control this is something we can do to get that control back." We've promised ourselves a party when this vicious virus has passed, and we can meet again without fear. Goodbye Covid, hello new friends, and a new future.

From Clare Harris
"We have been completely overwhelmed by the level of support we have received from volunteers within the community. We had an absolutely fantastic response to our plea for help from day one... and the volunteers just keep coming. We simply do not have enough jobs for everyone at the moment, but that may change as the lockdown continues"

From Mayor Mervyn Hall
"It is just fantastic that we got such a fast response, from so many people, when we asked for volunteers to help out during the crisis. This enabled us to put together a volunteer structure covering all areas of Marlborough that is helping out a lot of people. Special thanks go to Clare Harris for doing all the hard work in putting it together and of course, to the volunteers. The cash donations that we have received have paid for PPE equipment and hand sanitizer for the volunteers and for essential shopping for those in need."

Sara Holden

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