Adele Gould of the New Mills and District Volunteer Centre drops off shopping and essentials for those in the local community who have no one else to look after them, are self-isolating or being shielded. Among those on her list is her own mum, Maureen.

Their volunteers, who are all DBS-checked, have also been collecting and delivering prescriptions proving to be a real lifeline. The centre, using their networks in the High Peak have also been able to let people know about other services where needed.

Centre manager Beverley Jenkinson said:

“It has been hugely challenging but the response from the community and volunteer groups has been fantastic."

“We were already running a shopping service but we increased its capacity to meet demand, and groups we run, like our stroke support group which has been unable to meet, has adapted by substituting meeting for chats on the phone which are invaluable to avoid people becoming incredibly lonely and isolated.”