COMMUNITY groups comm-itted to helping their neighbours through the coronavirus pandemic are springing up all over Scotland, it has emerged.
Facebook groups are being set-up by resident in Scottish towns and cities, with community members signing up to volunteer to deliver food and essential supplies, call those self-isolating for phone or skype chats or even read aloud to ensure people feel less alone.
In some streets neighbours are self-organising to arrange whatsapp groups, swapping phone numbers to be used if someone needs support, or putting up posters in communal spaces and noticeboards. Some are offering to walk dogs or look after pets if someone is unwell or needs to be hospitalised, while a group of medical students have proposed stepping in to offer childminding for doctors and other health care workers if schools are closed.
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Local cafes are volunteering to deliver soup and several shops including the Day-Today Express in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk, have been giving out free masks, soap and hand sanitiser to help protect older people who have been unable to buy supplies. In East Ayrshire Mossgiel Family Farm in Mauchline said it would carry out home deliveries of fresh goods starting this week.
In Glasgow the Southside Self-Isolation Support Group was one of the first to appear on Facebook late last week and attracted hundreds of members within 24 hours.
Iain Wallace, a Glasgow business development manager and one of the group’s admins, said it had been set-up by local resident Rhona Sweeting to help those in need. He claimed the community had always been close knit.
“I’m surprised at the speed of the response,” he said. “But I’m not really surprised at the willingness of people to get involved.
“People in need sometimes don’t know where to turn to ask for help and existing organisations and charities may well be limited in what they can do because of staff overload and so on. We hope to link people with needs to those within the community who want to help. We’re really encouraged at the enthusiasm of the community.”
Local resident and dog owner Judith Stark, said she had offered to walk, or even temporarily rehome, her neighbours' dogs if owners fell unwell. She said: “People in this community want to help. I’m not that surprised by that though. I’m originally from Austria and that has always been my experience of Glasgow. I’ve experienced such kindness here.”
By yesterday equivalent groups had been set up in other parts of the city, East Kilbride and beyond.
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Age Scotland welcomed the move for neighbours to support older people in the community. It recommends people keep in regular touch with older family, friends and neighbours by phone, skype, letters and postcards and check if they need help doing an online shop or picking up medication
Chief executive Brian Sloan said: “We would urge people who are well and have had no contact with others from high risk parts of the world to think about older people in their community who might be feeling anxious and alone.
“Being a good neighbour by checking in with vulnerable older people to offer to pop to the shops for them or pick up medication will go a long way to reduce loneliness and isolation. It will also help bring communities together at a challenging time for everyone.”
Campaign group Better Than Zero also urged people to offer their support to precarious workers who may find themselves without, or on a low, income during the pandemic.
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