Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 - Wendy

During these difficult and unknown times we all find ourselves in I have been somewhat frustrated.  Due to my own long-term health conditions I was placed in the Government’s ‘shielded’ group, so I’ve been isolating and have not been out since the middle of March. The frustration was partly that I couldn’t register in the call out for NHS volunteers. However, I was able to help one person - an ex-neighbour and friend who is in her 80’s and sadly has serious chronic conditions.

I registered her with the Government’s & Islington Council’s schemes for vulnerable shielded people. Eventually, she started receiving a weekly parcel of dry and tinned food. However, it took a couple of weeks, and prior to that Islington Council put me in touch with a community group who could help.

At the community group, I spoke with a friendly sounding young lady, and explained my friend was very low on food. She managed to get, and safely deliver, all the food items we had agreed upon, with just one substitution.

A few weeks later, I asked her to get another few items - my friend needed some fresh veg and a couple of treats as was feeling very down. She again managed to get it all. When she rung me to say job done, she told me she had then gone to a nearby shop a second time as she thought that magazines would cheer up my friend. Could I call my friend and ask her to come down to her front door again as she had left a couple of them in ‘our delivery place’?

I am very grateful to this wonderful volunteer who was prepared to go to numerous places for the right things. She was already a star in my eyes, but to think of something extra, and then go and get magazines after delivering the food was an amazing act of kindness, which I will not forget. They certainly gave my friend a boost.

There really are some wonderful people in our community - one of the reasons I love Islington!
Take care and hope to see you all soon.

Wendy – HNG Marketing volunteer