It’s nice to see the COVID Kindness Team growing but we can’t forget those smaller groups who have helped out during the pandemic. There are those that have gone out of their way with no publicity and done their duty without recognition.
There are smaller groups who deserve just as much admiration and praise for the past year, so I’m writing this email as a thank you to all of those people who you haven’t mentioned or covered during the past year.
My wife’s parents live near Holbeach Drove and are in their 90s and they were very fortunate to have Gedney Hill Parish Council and the local Memorial Hall group go out of their way over the past year and provide them with so much help to everyone nearby.
Right at the start they delivered red and green cards to all residents with a letter asking them to put the card in their windows so that if anyone had an issue, they could show the red card. This allowed the local postie or anyone passing to know there was a problem and this team then went into action contacting the parish clerk Dom Leedham.
This encouraged people to support the local community through a difficult period. This was a great idea and I wish the place I lived had done something similar. Recently we have been able to visit them, having had the vaccine and now feeling comfortable as their support bubble to visit and as we drive through the area, we see the sun-bleached cards in the window and understand they have proven invaluable.
I want to go one step further though and publicly thank one other person, Paul Redgate.
My in-laws tell me he has gone about his business with little fuss and in a cheery manner and helped whenever the call has come. He has delivered food and medicine to my in-laws for quite a while during lockdown as they have had to shield and been afraid to go out.
I can’t imagine they were the only ones he or the others have done this for and I get that as a councillor it’s his job to help residents but to me this goes above and beyond that in my opinion. Thank you, Paul, for all you have done for our family and I hope you see this and I hope we get to thank you in person at some point soon.
There must be many other unsung heroes in the area over the past year and whilst some groups have gone big and sought publicity, the smaller acts of kindness and support to me are more important and valuable.
So, whilst this letter is to thank Paul, it’s also a thank you to all of those others who haven’t had the formal recognition of support during COVID.
It would be nice to have these individuals or smaller groups recognised in some way in the area. How about a page of local stories of dedication for people to write in and thank them all for what they have done during the year?
Dave Thompson
Lincoln
