MORE than 1,000 Maldon district residents were helped out of crisis by local volunteers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now the service that pulled the efforts of around 350 volunteers together is planning how to support the community as it recovers.

The director of Maldon and District Community Volunteer Service (CVS), Sarah Troop, told how the vast team of helpers rushed to the aid of those in the community needing help when the virus struck in March. A helpline was set up seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm.

From prescription collection to food parcel delivery, through to safe and well calls and help for those struggling to access vital services through the internet, the dedicated volunteers were on hand.

Sarah said: "We really did all this just to make sure that nobody was left behind."

The CVS worked with 20 other organisations in the area to bring help to those in need.

Helping the community recover from the crisis

Now the plan is to start signposting most people to where they can get the right help, while at the same time filling the gaps where residents need support to get their lives back on track.

This includes a 'buddy walker' scheme, started in July, where those who are struggling to go out alone again can have a volunteer go with them as they make those first steps back into the world outside.

Sarah and her colleagues have also identified a need for a weekly 'socially-distanced safe space' where people can go and enjoy a hot drink and biscuits, knowing that extra Covid-prevention measures have been put in place and where they can feel safe.

Sarah said: "We realised there is a gap for some people between staying at home and going out to a coffee shop, so we wanted to put something else in place for those people."

Maldon CVS is hoping to release details of the weekly event soon. In the meantime, the focus will be on helping the community recover, with remote classes on resilience and mental health and, in September, virtual sessions on money management.

The helpline, Maldon Community Coronovirus Response, is currently still running from 9am to 7pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm at weekends. From the end of August it will be open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays only, on 01621 851997 – or visit the Maldon CVS website