Since Covid-19 has caused the public’s lives to drastically change in such a short space of time, many people have had difficulties when it comes to going about their daily lives. This can tasks as simple as shopping for necessities, something of an arduous mission nowadays.
Thankfully, the kindness of others still shines through as every day, neighbours, relatives, friends and even strangers have banded together to help those who cannot go outside and live their lives the way they could before.
In the Cornish village of Lanner, groups have come together to help buy items for people in need.
One such group called is, ‘Lanner Covid-19 Mutual Aid’. One of the groups’ admins, Nathaniel T.J Square, spoke to me (online) about how he and his group came together to help people out.
“I started the group here in Lanner on the 14th of March, after hearing that so far our country is not prepared, and we need to organise in our local communities.”
“We have mostly been doing shopping for those in self-isolation for whatever reason. And we’ve had a lot of very positive feedback from people, which has been awesome. “
When asked about how he and his group are getting the word around, he said that as well as their Facebook page, they have also started to give out flyers, as some older people have said that it is not as easy for them to access the internet.
The group is being run solely by volunteers who want to help those struggling to help themselves.
“The basic idea is to coordinate care efforts for people who are self-isolating, especially if they are part of a more at-risk demographic including the elderly, disabled and people with other pre-existing health issues.”
They upload regularly on their Facebook page which is where they upload their new information, and they currently have around 214 members.
The Mutual Aid Uk Banner
But it’s not just groups that have been helping others. One woman called Jane Bennett who lives in Lanner, has set up her own food deliveries in the local area.
“I have a few suppliers who will deliver individually packaged orders to my garden for people.
People tell me what they want. I order and pay. They pay me via transfer or correct cash in an envelope. Deliveries are made to my garden. I contact people. They collect from my garden one at a time. With no physical contact with anyone.”
When asking how many people she delivers for, she said,
“Just with a group of about 10 people (and their families), it takes quite a bit of time. And I also don’t have storage facilities or the time to chase up people I don’t know for money!
One of my neighbours is 101 and his family are all in isolation too.”
Jane used to run the soup kitchen in Camborne, which had to close due to the pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped Jane from helping others.
Many people, not just those from Lanner, have pulled together to help people in need, which just goes to show that through these tough times, the community spirit remains strong.