Contactless payment system for the isolated
A town's coronavirus help scheme has developed a contactless payment system for members of the community who cannot get to the shops.
The Montgomery Neighbourhood Angels scheme, set up to support the community through the Covid-19 crisis, has developed extra help for those who are self-isolating and who need assistance with shopping which cannot be done by friends and family.
Mark Michaels and his wife Sue, are coordinating the Shopping Angels, which allows people to contactlessly pay for their shopping after volunteers have collected it.
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He explained: "We realised early on that we needed to be able to offer support for people to pay for their shopping and, wherever possible, to avoid the need to handle cash.
"We are encouraging people to shop locally, and many traders are offering an ‘order and pay over the phone’ service, but some are not able to do this, so this is where the contactless payment comes in.
"We can also use it where people require items which are not currently available here in Montgomery, such as food for those with diagnosed medical conditions such as coeliac disease."
Mark and Sue have secured, with the assistance of the Montgomery Town Council, a terminal for people to use to make contactless payments, for shopping up to a value of £45.
In addition, they have designed and created a paddle tool which enables recipients to make a contactless payment while remaining at a safe distance.
