Coronavirus: 1,000 Telford volunteers sign up to help the vulnerable
Around 1,000 people have responded to Telford and Wrekin Council’s appeal for volunteers in just one week.
The council has set up a Community Support Helpline and volunteers will help co-ordinate calls from vulnerable people in the Telford and Wrekin area as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Teams are now reviewing all applications and matching them against people who have said they need help.
Once the scheme is fully up and running, volunteers will help the council respond to calls for help coming through to its Community Support Helpline from vulnerable people in the borough who do not have family, friends or neighbours to call on.
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Picking up medicines and pensions, dog walking or simply phoning for a chat with someone isolating at home are among the tasks volunteers are offering to help with.
Councillor Paul Watling, Telford and Wrekin Council cabinet member for community engagement, said: "The community response has been fantastic. Hundreds of people have come forward which is just amazing and makes me so proud of our borough. Thank you to each and every one of you.
"With so many applications, it is taking us a bit of time to review them all and see how best we can match the offers of help to the requests for help we have received.
"Our message to those of you who have offered to help, is to please bear with us, we are working through the offers and will be in contact as soon as we can."
Councillor Shaun Davies, leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, added: "I would also like to add a huge thank you to everyone who has responded to our call for volunteers and also to those of you who have signed up for the NHS volunteer scheme too. You are all heroes."
The council said they need to take a number of considerations into account when organising volunteers, for example, people's locations as they do not want people taking unnecessary journeys.
The council hopes, however, to be in a position to start allocating tasks to volunteers over the coming week.
