TEAMS of volunteers are in place across East Lothian doing everything they can to help vulnerable members of their communities.
From collecting shopping and vital prescriptions to dog walking and simply being there for people, the volunteers are there for residents throughout the coronavirus crisis.
Here, we look at six of the groups who are giving up their own time to help out.
Dirleton
A STAND-ALONE website is being created for Dirleton residents to keep up to date with resilience efforts in the village.
Dirleton Area Resilience Team (DART) is launching the website, which will act as the primary port of call for any resilience-related information.
The group has previously shared a website with the Dirleton Village Association and Dirleton Good Neighbours.
David Tait, DART lead coordinator, was pleased to see things moving forward and thanked the other two groups for sharing space on the website.
He said: “This is an amazing new resource for us and we can use it to better deliver tailored information to our community and the wider public.
“I want to express a big thank you everyone involved in setting it up and designing and launching it.
“[Last week] being mental health awareness week, DART has made an extra effort to provide links to aid anyone who has mental health issues.
“We at DART know that this can be a stressful time and we seek to provide all the information and support that we can.”
Although newsletters and other flyers will continue to be delivered, the website will provide a place to add much more information and keep it up to date.
Meanwhile, Janice Macleod, DART area co-ordinator, has successfully launched the DART Wednesday Lockdown Treats, for which 17 residents receive a goody bag comprising soups, cake and other treats.
The success of this venture is much appreciated by local residents.
Janice will run the next Wednesday lockdown treat today (Wednesday) and anyone interested should contact her by email at DART.Coordinators@outlook.com quoting the reference ‘Wednesday lockdown treat’.
Contact details
If you are in need of assistance, contact DART.coordinators@outlook.com or call 07528 856147.
Dunbar
AN APPEAL has been launched for laptops and tablets to be donated so they can be used by schoolchildren during lockdown.
Schools across East Lothian closed their doors on March 20, with pupils having to learn from home.
Dunbar’s emergency response volunteers are doing their bit to try to help youngsters by launching an initiative calling for people to donate the electronic devices.
George Robertson, who is at the heart of the community resilience efforts in the town, said: “We have just started to try to harvest redundant laptops and tablets that people might have lurking around attics.
“They can be repurposed as Chromebooks for schoolchildren to use for their lessons.
“There is quite a big demand for that, with home schooling now the main thing going on with schools.
“Very often, you find in a particular family they might have one laptop shared between several kids and all competing for it.
“In one or two households, they might not have any devices at all that they can access the internet on.”
The initiative has only just been launched, with three devices already having been handed in.
George, who is also a member of the town’s community council, stressed the laptops and tablets would be returned to factory settings to ensure there was no personal data left on the machines.
Anyone looking to donate either device can contact dunbar.covid19@gmail.com or phone 07586 316842.
In addition to the new scheme, the group was pleased to say the hot meals service continued to prove very popular.
George said there were more than 100 customers being given meals on a daily basis.
The hot meals are cooked by catering company Thomas Franks, which operates in Belhaven Hill School.
The demand for the service has proven so great that it has moved to Loretto School, in Musselburgh, before the meals are brought back along the A1 to Dunbar’s Bleachingfield Centre.
From there, they are distributed to people throughout the community.
George added: “The other services, the usual things, like shopping and prescriptions, a little bit of dog walking, are still available.
“We are now linked up with people like The Ridge and the town’s foodbank, so if we get advised of anybody that needs that kind of support – they do not need a meal delivered every day but need food – we can refer them to the foodbank.
“If someone needs some form of counselling that can be done by The Ridge.”
Contact details
For more information, go to Dunbar and District Coronavirus Community Helpers at facebook.com/groups/2770007929781573 or Dunbar Community Council at facebook.com/DunbarCommunityCouncil
Dunpender
STEPS are being taken to ensure volunteering levels throughout East Linton and surrounding villages remain the same, as lockdown restrictions are eased.
A team of volunteers have been working in the Dunpender area to assist people in need during the coronavirus crisis.
However, as restrictions are eased, a number of volunteers will return to work.
Judith Priest, chairwoman of Dunpender Community Council, was confident it would not be an issue.
She said: “We had a Zoom meeting and it was felt we would be at the level we are using our volunteers, and would be able to continue even with people going back to work.
“The people running the volunteer group are going to ask people what the situation will be.”
Many of the area’s volunteers, who offer services including collecting shopping and prescriptions, are retired or work from home.
Contact details
Information relating to the coronavirus is available on the Tyninghame Village Hall website – www.tyninghamevillagehall.org.uk – as well as at www.eastlinton.uk.com People can also contact 07514 136334 or 07933 709745.
East Lammermuir
THE mental health of people living in isolated rural properties is being considered by volunteers in the East Lammermuirs.
The area’s community council covers Innerwick, Stenton, Spott and Oldhamstocks, as well as the surrounding countryside, and set up a team of volunteers to help people wherever they could during the coronavirus crisis.
That includes offering to collect prescriptions and shopping for people who cannot leave their homes for a variety of reasons.
Chris Bruce, chairman of East Lammermuir Community Council, said those services continued to be available to people.
He said: “We think mental wellbeing is probably a big focus that we want to have, and make sure people feel connected and supported in more ways than just getting their shopping.
“I think even more so in the more isolated buildings that are sited with farms or small steadings.
“In the villages, you will at least see people walking their dogs but a number of properties are out on their own.
“That is something we are looking at.”
Chris, who lives in Oldhamstocks, was confident they had a large enough pool of volunteers to cope with any changes to possible lockdown restrictions.
As people go back to work, the time they have available to volunteer could reduce.
However, the community council chairman did not feel that would be an issue, as they had a waiting list for volunteers who were ready to step in.
Contact details
More information on the help available to people in the East Lammermuir area is available from the community council’s website at www.eastlammermuircommunitycouncil.org.uk
Gullane
THE Gullane resilience team continues to hold a weekly hub and exchange in the village hall, every Tuesday from noon until 2pm.
Craft packs for children are available – this week’s was based on getting creative with egg boxes!
The team also continues to receive new deliveries of Mungoswells bread flour, bagged up into 1.5kg bags which cost £1.50 each.
Residents are asked to take correct change, where possible.
Also available is yeast, in 50g bags for £1.
Those residents who don’t use the items in their shielding box or food parcel are kindly asked to donate to the resilience team, who will make the goods available to those who need them.
The toys, books, games, DVD and jigsaw exchange is open every week – there is no charge for any of these items, and everything is sanitised before display.
The Gullane Scrubbers are winding down production after an incredible effort to produce hundreds of scrubs and bags for hospitals, care homes and GP surgeries in East Lothian and across Scotland; they will no longer need donations of fabric.
Fabric masks made by the Gullane Scrubbers are still available for a donation to the East Lothian Foodbank – £150 has been raised via sales of these masks so far.
Contact details
For more information, call 07312 117993 or email GullaneRTeam@gmail.com
More information can also be found online at www.gullanert.com, and also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GullaneRT
North Berwick
NORTH Berwick Resilience Group have launched a new project aimed at supplying face coverings to those who need them most in the community.
Volunteer Khlayre Cairney, who is co-ordinating the project, says if people have access to a sewing machine and would like to get involved in creating the coverings, they should get in touch by sending an email to community resilience@northberwickcommunitycouncil.org.uk
She said: “The pattern is very simple, so please don’t be intimidated if you’re not an expert in sewing!”
The group are also looking for donations of material and cotton.
Khlayre added: “The material must be soft and washable at 60 degrees – things like sheets, duvet covers and pillow cases usually fit the bill.
“If anyone has some material or thread that they would like to donate, please send us an email and we will let you know where and when you can drop it off. All donations will be very gratefully received.”
Khlayre moved to North Berwick in July last year and said she wanted to do something to help the community.
Meanwhile, North Berwick store Turnbull’s Home Hardware has had to radically adapt to the coronavirus crisis but is managing to deliver goods to the local community despite the challenges.
Owner David Turnbull said hardware stores were on the list of businesses exempt from the lockdown.
“But after considering staffing availability plus health and safety, we decided to open for delivery only to minimise risk to our staff and the public,” said David, whose store celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
“The service was subsequently extended to preordered collections in North Berwick with safe social distancing measures put in place.
Customers could phone and place their order and pay for it on the phone, then collect it the same day safely from the back yard.”
David said that when trading restrictions were imposed, staff were put on furlough to safeguard their employment as sales were decimated.
He added: “Presently, five staff members out of our usual 19 are employed, along with the help of two family members.”
David said customers had been extremely grateful for the delivery service as they were desperate for things such as paint, wood stain, compost and plants.
“Our delivery van was stopped many times while out and about in the town, often for advice on how to get through to the permanently engaged phone lines, and we gained new customers when we were out engaging with the community,” he added.
“We would like to thank the people of North Berwick for their patience and understanding and hope that we can see our lovely customers on the High Street again soon, albeit in a restricted capacity.”
Contact details
People wishing to sign up for the service should phone the resilience group helpline on 07745 636441 or email communityresilience@northberwickcommunitycouncil.org.uk
Or you can visit www.nbresilience.com
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