‘I just think the volunteers were blooming fantastic’ - highlights volunteers remember from lockdown

Kieran James spoke about the groups and individuals that got involved to help out the Burgess Hill Helper Army, like the Premier Inn which offered spare toilet rolls and Sharon Gilbert who ran coffee mornings and yoga sessions.

He said: “Sharon’s calls proved to be really helpful to anyone who had a computer, especially as there were lots of people who were used to coffee mornings being one bit of socialising a week.

“It got people together who missed those type of activities.”

However, there were some more serious situations that were also highlighted as being a standout moment.

Kieran said: “There was a woman who had been in some potentially harmful situations who got in touch.

“She was very panicked, and didn’t want to talk to a support worker because she would lose everything but it sounded like she could use some help.

“After about an hour and a half on the phone I talked her to a calmer place and she agreed to let me put her in touch with social services.

“She’s now in a much better place which was really nice to hear, that to me was a feel good moment.

“It felt amazing to have changed, essentially, maybe a life.”

“It was the people struggling the most that we were able to help.

“I wanted to help the people who didn’t know where to turn to or what to do.”

He also spoke about a man who was bored with nobody to talk to, and didn’t know how to pass the time.

Kieran said: “One of the most enjoyable moments for me on the phone line, I was able to get this man on the buddy service and taught him how to find games on his computer.

“He liked to play board games so I told him how to find things like Battleships which I think really helped him out.

“It just felt really nice to have helped him in such a way, the gratitude he gave and how I felt afterwards was amazing.”

Prue Heron had endless praise for the volunteers of Hurst Covid-19 Neighbours’ Support Group, calling them ‘blooming fantastic’.

She said: “Words fail me. I know they work so hard and i just thought they were wonderful, the sense of community and giving and generosity — I’m speechless.

“And the same for the coordinators, my four who worked with me all the time, none of us had met each other through the whole thing and yet we really got on well and got where each other was coming from.

“We went and had a celebration meal together when we were allowed out that lasted all afternoon.

“It was absolutely wonderful to meet them and say thank you to them.”

Barbara from Cuckfield talked about a donation of books from Waterstones and the work a courier company offered.

She said: “We were able to get a donation of books from Waterstones for a woman who ran out of reading material.

“At that time, we weren’t sure if giving second hand books was hygienic but then we realised it was alright.

“We were also approached by ILG, a courier company, who just wanted to help in some way.

“As lockdown eased there were people who were so supportive and wonderful and it just felt wrong to say we didn’t need them anymore, we had to do something with them, so people would collect food bank supplies and then ILG would collect and take them into Haywards Heath.

“Getting it from people’s homes worked well because people knew it was a regular thing so they would make more of a point of buying something for the food bank.

“We’ve had a resurgence in donations after it died down over the summer, and we have been collecting double what we had last time around.

“We have more from collection points and the courier company is doing a staff collection.

“This little start has turned into something quite amazing.”