Kindness of volunteer army shines in the dark days of coronavirus isolation

Big-hearted Britain defied the coronavirus chaos this week with acts of kindness that revealed the nation’s extraordinary strength of spirit.

From neighbours offering to help with shopping to pubs delivering beer and free meals, the country has shown its best, despite the fear and anxiety triggered by the outbreak.

Ruby Porritt, who is 12, and her brother Kit, ten, launched a ‘kindness patrol’ to check on elderly and vulnerable neighbours in Woodbridge, Suffolk.

The caring siblings put up posters and distributed leaflets asking ‘Do you need our help?’ and offering to do shopping, walk dogs or send letters and drawings to cheer up anyone forced to self-isolate.

Their proud mother Ellen said the pair had been worried after seeing reports about panic buying, and feared their elderly neighbours might be left with nothing. She said: ‘It’s grown into something really special. I’m very proud of them. This is a time for communities to support each other.’

Jessica Bennett,16, visited elderly residents in Ely, Cambridgeshire, to offer them essential groceries including milk, bread and toilet rolls

Seven-year-old Jimmy-Dean Hudson was also horrified by stock-pilers who stripped supermarket shelves of toilet rolls. After spotting some in a local store, he spent his pocket money to buy about 70 rolls and delivered them to elderly residents near his home in Westcliff, Essex. He has told his mother Tracy he wants to use his next pocket money to buy drinks and snacks for paramedics.

And teenager Jessica Bennett joined the kindness crusade. The 16-year-old schoolgirl visited elderly residents in Ely, Cambridgeshire, to offer them essential groceries including milk, bread and toilet rolls.

Meanwhile Gracie Muddiman has been sent sacks full of birthday cards from well-wishers after her family was forced to cancel her fourth birthday party because of the outbreak.

Gracie has a life-threatening condition, hereditary angioedema, which puts her at extra risk from the infection, so mother Kathryn Buffin had to cancel her party at a farm park planned for tomorrow. Kathryn, from Bream, Gloucestershire, asked social media users to send birthday cards to cheer up Gracie, and said she had been ‘overwhelmed’ by the response.

Gracie Muddiman (right with her brother Charlie) has been sent sacks full of birthday cards from well-wishers after her family was forced to cancel her fourth birthday party because of the outbreak

Seven-year-old Jimmy-Dean Hudson spent his pocket money to buy about 70 toilet rolls and delivered them to elderly residents near his home in Westcliff, Essex

On a larger scale, finance expert Martin Lewis set up a £1million fund to give grants to charities and volunteers, and crowdfunding site GoFundMe said its users had donated more than £500,000 to appeals linked to coronavirus.

Thousands of local groups have also been set up to help communities support older and more vulnerable residents. Charity co-ordinator James Carlin, 35, registered 750 volunteers in just 48 hours after setting up an appeal for a ‘Compassionate Community’ in Bath and Somerset. 

Pubs and restaurants have offered to deliver free meals to those who are struggling, while milkmen have delivered groceries and prescriptions. Nick Lisher, of the website Nextdoor which connects people based on their postcode, said: ‘There has been an overwhelming outpouring of people putting their hands up and saying, I’m here to help.’

He said volunteers were using common sense to avoid spreading potential infection, including staying at a distance and leaving shopping outside front doors.