Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland has issued a rallying call to help people through the covid-19 crisis
A charity caring for people at risk of coronavirus has issued a rallying call for people to join the largest volunteer drive that Scotland has seen in a generation.
The call comes after hundreds of thousands of people volunteered to help the NHS to fight coronavirus.
Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) urgently needs volunteers to help people to stay safe and well in their own homes.
Volunteer roles include:
• Kindness calls will help to reduce social isolation and loneliness and provide a check-in service for those who are stuck in their homes.
• The charity is also looking for people to sign up to deliver shopping, including groceries and medication, and dog-walking for those in high-risk groups – government guidance permitting.
The only skills required for these roles are a friendly, listening ear, a willingness to help in your local community and to follow medical advice around social isolation and distancing. The charity will be providing training and coaching for all volunteers.
Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive of CHSS, said: “People living in our communities who are isolated and scared right now, need your help more than ever.
“We are appealing for volunteers to come together as an act of kindness and make sure that no one is left to fight the virus alone. This is the biggest volunteer movement that Scotland has seen in a generation – be part of it and join the fight against coronavirus.
“Many people have lost their weekly support groups and their only social interaction – they are devastated. By simply giving them something like a kindness call you can make a huge difference to their health and wellbeing. It will mean the world to them.
“You have the power to help the most vulnerable people in your communities and we are urging you to sign-up now.”
Volunteering with the charity will help people like Eve and Donald who are scared and isolated right now.
Eve is in her 70s, she is a retired nurse and cares for her husband Donald, who had a massive stroke in 2002.
She said: “It feels like we’re living in a nightmare right now – I keep thinking to myself this can’t be true; it must be a horrible dream.
“I’m scared for my husband. He’s a stroke survivor and had pneumonia last year and is particularly vulnerable to infections right now.
“We’re not seeing anyone to try and fight off the virus – we're in complete isolation.”
The charity is urging people to sign up at www.chss.org.uk/kindness
