Haywards Heath coronavirus support group has huge response

Haywards Heath COVID19 Mutual Aid started in March with a simple message on Facebook asking if people needed help during the lockdown.

The response was so huge that within days organisers set up a dedicated Facebook group and begun to co-ordinate the operation.

Moderator Monira Choudhury said: “It started with seven and now there are 11 admins, 25 coordinators and over 650 volunteers divided in ten areas to manage the requests.

“As of April 19, we managed over 600 requests of shopping/prescription drop offs. This doesn’t count the phone calls and food drop offs we do to PRH.”

The group aims to bring together the community to provide aid and support to each other in times of crisis; to promote partnerships, mutual support and joint aid; to recruit volunteers from the local community and provide safeguarding/volunteer guidelines; and to provide support to vulnerable, elderly or those in isolation throughout the coronavirus pandemic and after while getting back on their feet.

The team is working closely with councils, Age UK, Mid Sussex Muslim Centre and Mosque and other local faith groups and communities.

For more information, visit the Facebook group HaywardsHeathCOVID19 MutualAid or phone 01444 635002. For help, email [email protected] and to volunteer, email [email protected].

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.