The place you live The people you know A selection of stories and examples of people in helping their communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

1 Wendover Youth Centre 3 5 Denham Community IT department • Pen Pals: Young people are writing Support letters and emails to elderly isolated Enabling not only the council services but James Foraye, a small business owner and people. the GPs and the NHS to function during graphic designer at Prontaprint used his • Food Parcels: Young people are lockdown, by moving everyone onto resources and skills to design a website, preparing food parcels for those who teams in record time. leaflets, ID badges for volunteers, and are in need. coordinated a community response to • Family Phone Calls: Young people support people self-isolating in Denham. He has had some great feedback from and their families are calling isolated 4 Paul Kelly & Woodstocks individuals to help reduce loneliness. local residents. • Youth Work Sessions: multiple times Coffee house a week through group zoom chats. In conjunction with Paul Kelly, Woodstocks Coffee House have been 6 The Risborough Basket delivering a home-cooked, lunchtime 2 Seerah Today - Wycombe meal, on a daily basis to local elderly Supporting people to stay at home by residents currently in self-isolation, setting up a free local grocery delivery Delivering emergency same day food who have no family in the area that can service. supplies, with the help of volunteers support them. This service is free of including the Exiled Bikers; a charge to those in need and is being philanthropist local bike group and funded by Mr. Kelly, for a limited time. 7 Bin collectors donations from the public, including Thara Store Castlefield and Mak Foods Meeting the challenge and collecting Totteridge. kerbside waste despite staff shortages.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 2 8 Buckinghamshire Council 11 Buckinghamshire 15 Daniel Austin Social Care teams, NHS council staff Producing over 1000 3D printed ‘ear staff and volunteers Rising to the challenge of keeping the savers’ for face masks worn by health Repurposing The Olympic Lodge into council running and helping communities and care workers. a 240 bed care centre for the vulnerable, during the COVID-19 crisis. (whilst also freeing up vital hospital beds. launching a brand new council!) 16 Childminders and 12 Bledlow / Saunderton child carers 9 Meals from Marlow Parish Council For continuing to look after key workers’ children so they can carry on doing Local celeb chef Tom Kerridge Organising mass deliveries of grocery their jobs alongside volunteers, business and and medicines to all Parish residents. Marlow Town Council are aiming to deliver 25K free meals to NHS staff 17 Restore Hope, and those most in need. Chiltern Food bank, 13 Stoke Poges Good Bernwode Community Neighbourhood Scheme Bus and local volunteers 10 Stoke Mandeville (SPGNS) Community Support For providing and delivering Using their Good Neighbour Scheme to hundreds of Easter eggs and toys to 80+ volunteers, inc Bucks and help support locals in need of extra help disadvantaged children across Bucks. Parish council staff, helping locals and telephone contact. who are self-isolating. Getting their shopping, prescriptions and making friendly phonecalls. 14 Waddesdon Manor Aspire School Delivering free school meals to pupils and vulnerable people in the area.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 3 Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 4 18 Local support group in 22 Sir William Ramsay, Stowe, 25 Aston Clinton Covid-19 Whitchurch Beachborough and Support Group Westbury schools + the Set up by the local Church, now has 39 Local volunteers supporting their volunteers offering help in the village and University of Buckingham community and making sure everyone supporting anyone who needs them. Producing personal protective equipment has what they need to stay safe and well. for health and social care workers.

19 Sophie Jugé and students 23 Our Councillors 26 Shaun Marshall and 3D Print World Creating an uplifting version of ABBA’s For their hard work supporting their Producing over 300 protective visors in ‘Thank you for the music’. ‘Heroes to me’ communities during the Covid-19 crisis. his spare time with the kind support of thanks key workers, health and social Including organising a free curry delivery 3D Print World. care staff keeping us safe and supported. to emergency workers, litter picking/ grass cutting and collecting/ delivering donations. 20 Dial-a-Ride 27 & Sewing for Carers Offering their services for food deliveries 24 Aylesbury Grammar Creating headbands to make and taking vulnerable or elderly residents School pupils wearing masks and visors much more to health appointments. comfortable and brightening up the Setting up a food bank collection/ place for care staff. donation service. Created a website with a simple online form to collect items from 21 The Ivers Community doorsteps and deliver to a local food bank. Kindness Outreach 28 Support Volunteers and residents pulling together Group and delivering 100’s of weekly Kindness Helping people in the community Kits to vulnerable locals. with food, loo rolls & groceries as well as leafleting half GX to see if people need help.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 5 29 Charlie Clare and 32 Rev. Doug Zimmerman 36 Berryfields Parish Paul Fealey For becoming the new paper round Council Working hard to ensure local schools person for many of the Old Town Helping vulnerable people in their in the north of the county benefit from residents during lockdown. local area to stay safe and well. the Community Fund ready for the new term. 33 BuDs 37 Covid-19 Support Group High Wycombe 30 Buckingham Young After receiving a @HeartofBucks Carers coronavirus UK grant they launched a Creating a community group to assist Providing children’s activity packs to the professional new BuDDies befriending people self-isolating and help them most vulnerable children in homes with service for disabled people and carers. gain access to support. adults who need care.

34 Schools in Bucks 38 Local MP, our councillors and volunteers 31 Buckinghamshire Fire Sir William Borlase, & Rescue Service Senior, Akeley Wood, The Greg Smith, Rob Butler, Angela Worked closely with our GPs and Sir Henry Floyd Grammar schools Macpherson, Ashley Waite & Paul Irwin and Primary Care Networks, for donating or using their 3D printers/ plus all the volunteers, supporting Bernie Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust, laser cutters to make headbands and the Bus on his trips collecting donations Oxford Health, Buckinghamshire visors for health and social care staff. for Aylesbury Vineyard foodbank. Clinical Commissioning Group and Buckinghamshire Council to help to set up a range of COVID-19 vaccination 35 Downley Covid-19 Group 39 The Buckingham centres across Buckinghamshire. Food Bank We now have 20 vaccination centres Getting Street Reps on all roads in Supported by Buckingham Athletic across the County. the Parish, setting up a home delivery Club and the Rotary Club of service from local shops and running a Buckingham - local volunteers pharmacy collection/ delivery scheme. collecting and delivering donations.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 6 Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 7 40 Old Town Street 43 Hyundai 47 CSP Community Association Hyundai offered the use of a fleet of brand A volunteer group in A group of 12 volunteers are shopping for new, fully insured cars for members of the which helps support the local residents anyone at risk who does not have support BORG 4x4 volunteers group. and businesses during a difficult time. from family, friends, or carers. Running their operations from a vintage caravan, parked in the Rectory, they are taking care of 30 households, they have completed 49 44 Parish Council 48 The White Hart shopping lists in less than two weeks. Set up a Covid-19 support group to help in Preston Bissett has produced hundreds vulnerable people in the village. of food boxes for local residents. 41 Chesham Citizen Advice Bureau 45 Raj Khan, Niknam Hussain 49 Buckingham Support For supporting local residents and Network continuing to provide help and advice and Waheed Raja The Facebook group was started by a by telephone about food, benefits and Delivering 100 individual portions of resident and is dealing with all sorts of local support. Chicken Biryani to Stoke Manderville adhoc calls for shopping, medications hospital, NHS staff said that “It was and advice. all very tasty, gratefully received and 42 Katie Galvin from enjoyed”. Buckinghamshire Council 50 “Stay at Home” Food & Katie was made aware of some toys and Supplies directory toiletries leftover from the Christmas 46 Shires Scrubs toy appeal. Each Community Hub was Warren Whyte has created the allocated a bag, Katie arranged for hers In just 4 weeks they have made and “Stay at Home Food & Supplies to go to the Restore Hope Latimer - delivered to various hospitals: 170 sets Directory” to help promote businesses Storehouse in Chesham, to be delivered to of scrubs, 5,035 headbands and 16,035 in and around Buckingham that have families in need over the Easter holidays. scrub wash bags. adapted their business to offer special takeaway services, delivery options and even mail order.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 8 51 Royal Mail 54 For the Love of Scrubs 57 Jim McKellar, Orchard View Farm Mr Kashifr, a manager at Royal Mail 25+ seamstresses in Holmer Green When Jim heard about a local man who realised hand sanitiser was in very are making Making new scrubs and was a priority food customer, couldn’t short supply. So he took the hand rub recycling old duvet covers into wash get hold of basics. Jim decided he formula from the WHO website and bags for local hospitals. made 6000ml of it to give out to the wanted to help these people and in turn local community. He’s intends to make a support local food producers who were facing a tough time. Within 36 hours further 6000ml as soon as he gets more 55 Winslow Big Society 100ml bottles. he had adapted his website to process payments and sorted out a delivery Winslow’s Big Society Telephone service from his shop to the community. Contact Service, has become a lifeline 52 Aylesbury & Winslow for Winslow’s vulnerable residents. Sue Markets Keane matched over 100 people, to a regular caller to support them at home Winslow and Aylesbury Markets are whether it was to do their shopping, dog 58 The Ludgershall Friends trialling a ‘click & collect’ service in walking or running errands. Each person Winslow to help local villages buy and support group who needs it is matched to a shopper is receive fresh fruit & veg, meat, fish and has been helping with shopping, guaranteed a weekly shop. some canned goods without needing to prescriptions, organising bulk deliveries visit a local supermarket. of meat, fruit/vegetables, gardening supplies, dog walking and telephone/ social media chatting. Every resident 56 Sharon Coutanche and who is over 70 years, or vulnerable, has 53 Chris Adams George Stokes been allocated a shopping buddy so Co-wrote a song titled ‘Rainbows’ that there is a named person they can has been doing maintenance in his which was recorded on the 14th go to for help with basic provisions and local area while there are reduced April 2020. A song of hope during errands. To address some aspects of services such as litter picking, these hard and uncertain times. The low morale, loneliness and depression in strimming and grass cutting. song has raised over £9000 for NHS the elderly, the ‘Friends’ were successful Charities Together. in applying for a £2,000 community grant to supply a weekly roast dinner.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 9 59 One Can Trust 62 Fulmer Parish Council 66 The Pointer Butchers, Bernwode Lunch Club, A huge Thank You to #onecanstreet hero A walking group which carries out litter Brill School Meals and Adam who collected foodbank donations picking at the same time has been with his sister Ayaat in High Wycombe. organised. All necessary tools are Brill Memorial Hall provided also to support the local farm Fifty ready meals delivered to shop, plants were bought by the Parish vulnerable residents in Brill. 60 The people of Denham Council and planted in the village.

Thank you so very much for all your WISE Charity donations for DENHAM FOOD BANK 63 Feed Bucks 67

Feed Bucks - Gerrads Cross is local WISE charity was nominated for the not-for-profit food delivery service that Covid 19 - Councillor Crisis Fund. 61 High Wycombe’s works with local restaurants to keep their We are receiving more and more Coronavirus Mutual kitchens open and provide contact-free requests for free food parcels as people Aid group food delivery to residents. have started running out of savings and have difficulty buying even essential 300+ volunteers signed up to High food items. Wycombe’s Coronavirus Mutual Aid group. Volunteers have been delivering 64 Nissan Group shopping, fetching prescriptions and reaching out with friendly phone calls. The Nissan group provided 100 face 68 Heart of Bucks It’s been great to see so many people shields for use at Olympic Lodge, from all walks of life working together Stoke Manderville. Heart of Bucks has awarded The through social media and looking out for Fremantle Trust a grant of £4,940 to each other! purchase 41 tablets, enabling residents to stay in touch with their loved ones. 65 Haddenham Parish Council Haddenham Parish Council volunteers are helping to sew scrubs for the NHS.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 10 Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 11 69 Austin and Jenson 73 Medical Detection Dogs 76 Better Connected Beaconsfield Five year old twins, Austin and Jenson Six super noses could soon be trained (with the help of mum and dad) have to detect if someone has COVID-19 and BCB sprang into action recruiting 350+ been putting together face visors for the play a vital role in preventing further volunteers known as ‘Buddies’ to help NHS and other frontline workers. spread of the pandemic in future. with shopping: collecting prescriptions, The charity Medical Detection Dogs running errands and making check- will intensively train six dogs to help in phone calls to the most vulnerable provide a rapid, non-invasive diagnosis residents. Recognising that not 70 Bucks WI for the virus. Working closely with everyone is online, BCB published the government, and in partnership and distributed a one-off ‘Community Have made and delivered nearly 1000 with the London School of Hygiene Together’ magazine to 15,000 residents scrub bags for hospitals and surgeries. and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and in and around Beaconsfield. The Durham University. A crowdfunder has excellent work done by BCB has not been launched to start raising funds for gone unnoticed, BCB received £2k from preliminary stage of research. the Cllr crisis fund to help them support 71 Media Ace - Thame vulnerable people locally.

Have donated face shields to Aylesbury Vale Police response officers. Ensuring 74 Dean Jones at 77 Apetito - Meals on they are able to go about their daily duties Buckingham University safely and effectively. Wheels 40 PPE Face Shields to Hamilton House Care Home in Buckingham. Apetito drivers have been going out to deliver meals on a daily basis at 72 Marie Biswell this crucial time ensuring that those that need it are getting a hot and A British Sign Language interpreter, is 75 Chesham Muslim healthy meal daily. posting signed stories on her youtube Community Foundation channel, ensuring they are accessible Donated a Sainsbury’s gift card to a for all. family in need, so they could purchase fresh fruit and vegetables.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 12 78 Kelvin Wong - 80 The Chesham 82 Five Pillars High Watermead Inn and Miya Support Hub Wycombe and One YMCA restaurant in Aylesbury The Chesham Support Hub (TCSH) Volunteers at Five Pillars High Wycombe have been supporting the community in Immediately after lockdown was supports nearly 200 shielded residents more ways than one with their endless announced he used the remaining food with food parcels, help with getting acts of kindness and generosity. From he had in the restaurant to make meals medicines and getting to medical supporting local residents and vulnerable for vulnerable residents and frontline appointments and a multitude of other people by sourcing fresh fruit, vegetables, workers, his team of volunteers were erands, for example, requesting financial bread and other produce for ONE YMCA, dropping them off outside peoples’ support so that a resident could attend to Arif Hussain and his family raising homes. Kelvin is also a huge part of the multiple Chemotherapy treatments at funds to bulk purchase food essentials volunteer group that collect food items hospital. A black taxi cab provided the and delivering them to local elderly people from residents who can donate and then best local transport option as the screen in need (with thanks to Aldi London Road, make up food boxes for vulnerable or in the cab observed the social distancing High Wycombe and WISE group). desperate residents and families to help rules for all parties. them if they run out.

81 Wooburn / Bourne End 83 Seer Green singing group 79 The Oasis Partnership SOS and Wye Valley The community of Seer Green in South Volunteers Bucks has been getting together via Outreach workers for drug and Zoom every Saturday morning to sing. alcohol harm reduction, have been Heard from an elderly lady who was This song was written by two members going to supermarkets to help to feed unable to fix her broken glasses, which of that community, Jane Smith and Fliss homelessness people in temporary she needs to see properly. Through Coombs. Over 70 people of all ages, accommodation. their network of volunteers they found someone locally who had a glasses including some very young children, took repair kit who’s relative was an optician. part in the video recording and have been Within half an hour of the call, the singing the song every week to lift their volunteer arrived and was able to safely spirits. mend the glasses.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 13 84 Iver South Bucks 85 NHS as an administrator 86 Chiltern Rangers in the Mental Health The Ivers Parish Council set up a Team based at Wexham The Chiltern Rangers, were given Community Food parcel scheme which funding through the Wexham & collects donations of non-perishable Park Hospital. Ivers Local Area Forum to deliver a foods and delivers to nearly 200 people a conservation project for schools in Karen Woods is a learner in one of week. The recipients of the food parcels Iver. With the aim to improve the local Buckinghamshire Adult Learning’s are not the only ones to feel the benefit. environment and also to educate and dressmaking classes. When not help young people learn conservation dressmaking, she works for the NHS as “I felt powerless to help in the fight skills. This project was on hold due an administrator for the Mental Health against the virus, I wanted to do to Covid-19 but is now starting to get Team based at Wexham Park Hospital. something to help my community and back up and running at Iver Village all the people who need to self-isolate. Infant school, with the activities As the Covid19 emergency worsened The Parish Council initiative has given amended to adhere to social distancing Karen saw that her team were in dire me the opportunity to help and be part guidelines etc. need of PPE. So, armed with her newly of a team of like-minded people who pull acquired dressmaking skills Karen together to ensure the most vulnerable offered to make some much needed are supported and have access to food scrubs. Karen set up the Scrub Hub, and basic necessities. It’s about helping mobilising a team of six dressmakers 87 High Wycombe Food people, everybody has needed a hand including fellow learners and her tutor. Response group at some time so it is satisfying when you

can give back. I find it very rewarding. The Food Response Group in High To date 70 sets of scrubs have been I’d tell anybody to volunteer if they can.” Wycombe is made up of a number of made and gratefully received by the partner organisations, led by Hannah NHS and so long the fabric keeps “It is a good feeling and makes you Fenton from Sustain and funded by coming they have no plans to stop. realise that not only are you blessed but The Rothschild Foundation. that community spirit is still very much part of village life.” It’s purpose is to improve the food system and ensure that the provision of fresh food is accessible to all.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 14 88 The Sticky Bun Run 90 Chesham Help for 92 Hilltop Villages Coronavirus group Volunteers Downley’s Sticky Bun Run was featured on Ross Kemp’s new TV show - Britains Chesham Help for Coronavirus group Hilltop Villages Volunteers surprise one Volunteer Army on BBC1. organised the local community to resident with a 90th birthday celebration. celebrate the 75th Wedding Anniversary The Sticky Bun Run is a joint initiative of a Chesham couple – which took Volunteers learnt one of their resident’s by the Disraeli – Coronavirus place on the 18th May. There was a Geoff was due to turn 90 on the 16th Community Support Group and fabulous cake and hundreds of cards May, so they secretly organised a Pastures Church Foodbank. Volunteers and included a concert from a 14 piece surprise birthday party. Friends and go out every night to collect residual orchestra and opera singer, all from a neighbours to ‘gathered’ to sing Happy food and Sticky Buns from local safe distance! Birthday, he was presented with a hand- supermarkets. The Food is then painted birthday card, a cake and an distributed to those in need across Age UK take the lady to medical Acer tree to plant in his well-kept garden. High Wycombe. appointments, a volunteer learnt of the Geoff was taken completely by surprise celebration and asked Chesham Help and was clearly very touched by all the For Coronavirus to ramp up a surprise. fuss being made of him. The happy couple were interviewed on 89 Buckingham Primary Three Counties radio. school 93 Seed 1 Buckingham Primary School created a video to cheer up their pupils and school 91 Wendover Youth Centre Seed 1 is Marlow’s first zero-waste community using ‘Take That’s - Let It shop and also a registered Community Shine’ and posted it on facebook. The Interest Company with all profits going were delighted when Take That’s very Wendover Youth Centre have been towards providing accommodation own Gary Barlow responded via video to running a pen pal scheme where young and support for the homeless in Bucks. say he thought it was great! people and elderly people have been Seed 1 posted a BIG THANK YOU writing letters to each other during this on social media to Buckinghamshire time where people are feeling isolated, Council for supporting 93 families bored, cut-off and lonely. facing homelessness during the current Covid-19 crisis.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 15 94 Good Neighbours 95 YC2 Buckingham & 97 Savay Close - VE Day Scheme Winslow Young Carers Celebrations and Sue Lynch from the Good Neighbours Isolation Bingo From the outset of Lockdown Young Scheme has been shortlisted to the last Carers 2 (YC2) implemented a ‘Contact four of the Daily Telegraph Lockdown Savay Close’s community spirit not just & Support Plan’ for children and young Awards. surviving but thriving !! people in Buckinghamshire aged 6-18 Sue Lynch chairs the local Good years old who have a caring role. Neighbours scheme in Stoke Poges, Every Wednesday and Saturday Buckinghamshire. Normally the group, residents of Savay Close in Denham With the usual number of YC2 volunteers which has around 20 volunteers stand on their doorstep or sit by an open greatly reduced YC2 still manage to covering the village, provides lifts to window to join in with a game of isolation contact each family/YC every week, hospital appointments, helps with DIY, bingo or take part in a quiz. The cost finding out if they have any needs, gardening or simply offers a friendly of taking part is a donation to the local offering a friendly impartial ear, helping chat. foodbank. with practical needs, new clothing, benefit advice, medication supplies, The lockdown meant an even greater Savay Close went to town with it’s VE whilst keeping our volunteers safe. effort was required, existing volunteers Day celebrations, they decorated the were over 70, so new recruits were street, had a BBQ and a DJ play music needed. Lynch recruited 60 new from 11am-10pm, fantastic, socially- volunteers to help the elderly or those distanced fun. self-isolating. 96 Buckinghamshire Council Registrars “The community spirit has very much 98 Aylesbury Vineyard come to the fore,” Lynch explains. who have continued to work and process deaths providing much support to “People are pulling together, looking out Working in partnership with Council bereaved people during the lockdown. for their neighbours. I was very moved teams, Bernwode Bus and Street to be nominated for this award, but I Association providing groceries to would say it’s the volunteers doing a people in need throughout lockdown. great job; everyone is doing their bit.”

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 16 99 Global Infusion Group 101 Hello 103 McAuley’s Pizzas (GIG) for Carers The Hello Prestwood Volunteer Group, are experts in delivering global catering Every #Clapforcarers Thursday evening, are very proud of the difference they are and were booked to provide catering the McAuley family have been firing up making within their local community. for high-profile events worldwide their own Pizza oven, making delicious With an amazing network of approx. throughout 2020 including the wood fired pizzas to raise funds for carers. 150 volunteers, who have completed Olympics in Japan, the UK Pavilion at Offering a variety of tasty toppings on the more than 1,000 shopping trips and Expo 2020 in Dubai and Glastonbury. Pizzas with no fixed prices just asking for prescription collections and made over However, the global events industry a donation to The Care Workers Charity. was one of the first industries to 200 phone calls, dog walks, hospital trips etc. be impacted by COVID-19 and GIG Their initial fundraising target was £500 effectively lost £9.4 million of business they have reached over £760! in three days due to cancelled events. Equally important, the volunteers offer vulnerable and isolated residents human The Global Infusion Group sprang interaction and engagement, the into action to pivot their activity into volunteer maybe the only person they supporting the NHS and are now see that day or even that week. 104 Our Library Staff catering for 15 NHS sites across We applaud our council library staff Buckinghamshire, providing over 1,000 for adapting and changing roles to meals per day. 102 Unbound theatre group help people in need: arranging food deliveries, helping organise medicines Unbound theatre group, who are based and simply being there for a chat on the 100 All Saints Church in @queensparkarts centre, have not let end of a phone when people feel alone. High Wycombe the lockdown slow them down. Check out the great work they’ve been “Thank you and your team for looking For helping their community through doing over the last few months. after us so well, we do not feel alone virtual coffee mornings and virtual with you alongside us” services. The congregation has also delivered free ready meals to residents and made masks and scrub bags.

Buckinghamshire Council Covid-19 Report - Appendix A 17 For more #ProudofBucks stories have a look at our new blog at medium.com/proud-of-bucks