Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, members of our local community went above and beyond to look after their friends and neighbours.
Jeanette Fenn, Louize and James Hunt and Elizabeth Brunton were nominated by members of the local community as part of my Cambridgeshire Coronavirus Community Champions Awards.
Jeanette helped to set up a local food bank, collecting donations and supplying swaps support. She also set up a Covid connections group, providing time and ways for people isolated due to Covid to connect with and stay in touch with other people. In conjunction with this work, Jeanette helps with a community event for the village carnival and Over's selling site. Her nominator said, "she has rallied the village around itself and been a centre point for information, support and help."
Louize and James Hunt, working closely with Churches Together, (a partnership of different denomination churches which offers practical help to families in need), Louize and James organised and distributed weekly food parcels, starting in the first lockdown.
The scheme grew out of an original plan to supply a hot lunch for school children and their families during the Easter holidays. When lockdown prevented this, the plan changed to delivering food parcels.
James took on the planning responsibilities with other colleagues, whilst Louize took charge of shopping and collecting donations. They were both part of the team that sorted and packed the boxes, and then delivered them to the recipients.
The scheme has continued to the present day, through all the school holidays. Where necessary, help has been extended to some families during term time.
Additionally, Louize continues to be an active participant in Chippenham’s COVID ‘Helping Hands’ scheme, volunteering tirelessly to help the elderly and vulnerable in Chippenham and neighbouring Snailwell.
From the first lockdown, Elizabeth helped to organise the village’s support network delivering shopping and medicine and was available to keep people connected with the outside world. Elizabeth did this whilst looking after her children, individuals in another vulnerable household and working from home.
It is clear that she went above and beyond to keep the local community connected during such a difficult time.
Thank you Jeanette, Louize, James and Elizabeth for your fantastic work!
