Wealden MP Nus Ghani has presented four heroes across her constituency with the Wealden Hero Award.
Shirley Holland has been the project manager of Mayfacs since it first formed as a charity in 2016. Mayfacs is a community charitable organisation based in Mayfield, East Sussex. It stands for Mayfield and Five Ashes Community Services and offers a variety of activities and services.
Shirley has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to provide support for the elderly and vulnerable. She mobilised a group of volunteers to provide a network of services and ever-ready assistance to the whole community. Volunteers have managed to support over 150 people in the community, helping those in self-isolation with shopping, prescription collection, delivering meals or just making friendly phone calls.
Julie Ruse coordinated the Withyham volunteer community response to Covid-19. She has been at the centre of support, offering to help or find someone who can.
Throughout the pandemic Julie has kept the Withyham Village Hall Coronavirus page up to date with the latest information and liaised with village stores and other businesses to ensure deliveries of food supplies and other essentials could be made to residents.
Earlier this year, Julie led a successful fundraising campaign and organised a community cook-up for children to learn how to make soup, bread, cake and homemade lemonade. All donations proceeded towards the village defibrillator, which is situated at Withyham Village Hall.
The Reverend Alan Weaver is Vicar at St Michael and All Angels church, Jarvis Brook, East Sussex, and has been the key person for the church community throughout the pandemic. He mobilised a group of volunteers from the church, organised rotas of people to support the vulnerable in the community and delivered PPE and other supplies quickly and efficiently to anyone in need. Alan also ensured the distribution of soaps across Jarvis Brook, which were donated by the English Soap Company.
Sue Foster works in Tesco Express in Uckfield. From the start of the pandemic, she has been working long hours, keeping shelves well stocked for residents. In addition to her full-time job, Sue has been going above and beyond for her community, especially for the elderly and vulnerable. As her own family members were shielding throughout the lockdown, Sue has not only been doing their shopping, but also ran errands and shopped for other residents who were nervous to venture outside, and delivered items to their door for them to collect from a safe distance. Sue devoted her spare time to baking and delivering home-made food to her shielding friends.
Nus Ghani said, “Volunteers are at the heart of community-led support across Wealden and it is vital that our vulnerable neighbours have familiar faces they can turn to for support. Shirley, Julie, Alan and Sue have made an enormous contribution to their communities and their efforts proved essential to many residents during these incredibly challenging times. I am delighted to present them with the Wealden Hero Award and to celebrate their dedication. Many thanks for all your work throughout the pandemic and beyond.”
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