Community groups and volunteers praised for COVID response

Published: 2 December 2020

Community groups and volunteers in Exeter have been praised for their response to COVID-19 and their “unwavering compassion and dedication” in delivering support across the city.

It comes as the second national ‘lockdown’ ends and Exeter enters the new Tier Two restrictions.

Exeter Community Wellbeing have been working with local area teams made up of volunteers and community groups across the city, who have been swift to swoop into action and support communities according to their needs.

Cllr Amal Ghusain, Lead Councillor for Communities and Culture, said: “The work being done by volunteers across the city is a testament to the unwavering compassion and dedication in our Exeter communities.

“People are so committed to supporting each other and working together to improve this difficult situation wherever they can, in big ways and small. Many lessons were learnt in the first ‘lockdown’ about how to reach those who needed it the most, and now as we emerge out of the  second national ‘lockdown’ we can see how efficiently our community members, groups and individual volunteers have stepped in to make sure they can be there for anyone around them who requires support.”

Groups and volunteers across the city have thrown themselves at the challenge that COVID-19 has brought about, providing help and support in so many ways, from delivering food and prescriptions to providing online help to the lonely and vulnerable.  

“It’s worth noting the many community food projects that have been active, and will continue to be active, as we move into a period of new restrictions over the coming festive season. I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has gone the extra step to support their neighbours in this time.

And she added: “In Exeter we are in Tier 2, and though we have more freedom than we’ve had at other times in the past year, we’re very aware that there will still be people in our city who would benefit from extra support, particularly the clinically extremely vulnerable.

“Exeter City Council are continuing to staff the Exeter Community Wellbeing hotline, which was set up and started running in March this year. Anyone who isn’t sure what support is available to them, either from the government, council or in their local area, can call the hotline to talk to someone who will put them in touch with the most useful contact for their needs.

“It has been a very trying year but the resilience, compassion and spirit we have seen in Exeter throughout this pandemic has been heart-warming. Now we are moving out of a lockdown period and looking towards what is traditionally a time for family and goodwill, I think everyone should take a moment to feel proud of themselves and their communities, and remember that this won’t last forever and we can get through it best by sticking together.”

Exeter Community Wellbeing can help people with things like:

• Arranging priority food delivery slots from local supermarkets
• Delivery of essential supplies
• Food vouchers
• Collecting and delivering prescriptions
• Wellbeing check-ins by phone
• Connecting you with people or services who can offer further support

Exeter Community Wellbeing

The Exeter Community Wellbeing hotline can be contacted by anyone on:

01392 265000

Lines are open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday, with an answer machine option out of hours.

You can also visit the website at: https://exeter.gov.uk/wellbeing/

You can read news about what community groups are doing across the city in the . Please get in touch with hello@liveandmove.co.uk if you have news that you would like to contribute to this celebration of our community heroes.

Exeter Community Wellbeing is co-ordinated by a team including Wellbeing Exeter partners, Devon Community Foundation, Exeter Community Initiatives, Exeter City FC City Community Trust and Exeter City Council. Funding partners include Exeter City Council, Devon County Council and Sport England.