A HADDINGTON resident who previously had a stroke and also has a heart condition has thanked a volunteer for his weekly telephone call during the pandemic.

Irene Herkes was worrying about her health during lockdown and called Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s advice line.

Irene, 80, explained to nurses that she was feeling low because of the pandemic and they put her in touch with the charity’s kindness project.

Since October, Irene has been receiving a kindness telephone call once a week from William, who is based in Glasgow.

The charity had linked up with retail chain Scotmid as part of a one-year partnership, which was extended due to the pandemic.

Scotmid staff raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to fund the charity’s kindness volunteers, who deliver shopping and provide a friendly voice at the end of the phone.

Irene said: “It means such a lot to me that William makes that call once a week.

“I really look forward to talking to him and he’s such a nice person.

“We chat about how I’m feeling and what I’ve been up to through the week and how his week has gone.

“It’s just great to have someone to chat to, other than family, that you can be honest with about how you are feeling.”

Coronavirus restrictions have left many vulnerable members of the community indoors as they try to ensure they do not catch the virus.

Irene added: “I struggle sometimes being in the house all the time; the four walls sometimes feel like a prison.

“I know there are others worse off than me and I should be getting on with it but it’s hard.

“I don’t want to burden my family sometimes as they have enough going on so it’s great to have William to speak to.

“He talks to me about his gran, who I think is probably around my age, and I think that is why he can relate to me and help me.

“His calls always give me a cheer up and a bit of hope and it’s great to know that someone else other than family cares enough to give you a ring every week.”

Forty-year-old William, who is a Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland kindness volunteer, was happy to help out.

He said: “I had started to help my gran in lockdown, looking after her and getting some shopping, and I knew it was so hard for her, so I wanted to help others who might be feeling the same.

“I know that Irene is on her own. She doesn’t get to see her family as much as she wants to and that can make her feel down.

“I love having a chit chat with Irene and talking about all the things we’ve got in common.

“We try to avoid talking about Covid and lockdown because it’s nice to take our minds off it for the time we’re on the phone – it’s like an escape for me and I hope it is for Irene, too.”

Scotmid staff and customers helped to raise a total of £300,000 for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, which allows the charity to provide six months of support for 1,000 stroke survivors in Scotland.