Kington volunteers organise to get food and medicine to vulnerable people

Volunteers in Kington have risen to the challenge of helping get food and medicine to those who need it during the coronavirus lockdown.

Some 27 people are helping get deliveries to more than 50 residents in the market town.

Anna Weston has been juggling her full time care work with helping coordinate the voluntary effort from the beginning of March.

She says people in Kington have really pulled together and she’s been overwhelmed by the level of support.

“As a carer, I look after the elderly and vulnerable so I knew, there were going to be people stuck at home that aren’t going to be able to get out to get their shopping,” she said.

“I thought, right, I’m going to print off a load of these leaflets and deliver them.

“I first did a 500 leaflet drop at the beginning of march with my mobile number on it.

“You can only imagine how many phone calls I got.

“It was quite a big thing.

“Kington town council got onboard with me and helped out.

“They put a telephone number in place which is monitored on a rota.”

She said she felt like a bit of a zombie during the first weeks when she was working and helping volunteers.

But things have got much easier now and there’s a good system in place to deal with calls from people.

“We pick up all the calls that we can,” she said.

“It’s going really well.

“The volunteers get the calls, then email and I’ve managed to rope in a friend of mine to work as my PA.

“I wasn’t expecting so many volunteers.

“When it started, I thought it was just going to be me running around trying to get people’s shopping but it’s been absolutely fantastic.

“We have more than 20 volunteers now and currently have 58 people who need help in their homes with food and medication.

“I wasn’t expecting such a huge turn out but it happened.

“Little by little they were telling their neighbours and the word got out.

“The town has really pulled together.

“It’s been amazing. It’s going really well.

“We’ve set up a weekly rota so that those that are regular users don’t have to call the hotline so much.

“They know what volunteers are going in and at what time on what day.

“It just makes that bit easier rather then having to call me and the volunteer and back and forth.

“One volunteer of mine, Sarah, goes to see two people on the same day and does their shopping for them.

“This has reduced the footfall for them too. I need to make sure the volunteers are safe and this minimises the risk to them.

“We’ve got 27 volunteers, they are all amazing.

“Without them we wouldn’t have been able to do what we’re doing.”

People who needs help with food or medicine in the Kington area can call 01544 230050.

Anyone needing help elsewhere in the county should contact Herefordshire Council’s Talk Community Covid-19 response team on 01432 260027.

The council has more than 1,400 volunteers registered with them with teams across the whole county.