Ross Good Neighbours overwhelmed by volunteer response

Whilst the UK marks Volunteer Week (1st-7th June), thousands of volunteers continue to make a huge impact on the lives of those more vulnerable or needy in our communities up and down the country.

The Ross Good Neighbours Scheme is no exception, having now received an incredible 369 offers of support to assist those still being isolated due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To date, hundreds of members of the community have stepped forward to offer their help in and around Ross-on-Wye – extending to Bridstow, Brampton Abbotts, Foy, Upton Bishop, Weston-under-Penyard and Walford.

The Ross Good Neighbours scheme was set up prior to the global pandemic at the end of 2019 by former Ross-on-Wye Mayor, Jane Roberts, who also chairs the Ross Community Development Trust (RCDT). A plea was sent to the community to support those more vulnerable who may be living on the same street, with daily chores such as shopping, filling in forms, dog walking and other tasks that some people may find more challenging than others. The team is now in a position where they have been so overwhelmed by responses from volunteers, that they are sadly unable to utilise the enormous number of offers to help.

One of the reasons for this is attributed to the fact that there are good neighbours everywhere, independently shopping for elderly and vulnerable people – thereby fulfilling roles that the Ross Good Neighbours shopping team would otherwise have allocated to volunteers.

Volunteer Team Lead, Paul Cummings, said: “We wish to thank every one of the 369 individuals that have volunteered to join the Ross Good Neighbours Scheme – the response has been simply staggering and has left us in the embarrassing situation of having more volunteers that we can utilise within the various initiatives that are currently being run. I know that this will be disappointing for many who had hoped to be able to do their bit to help the whole of the community in Ross and many of its surrounding villages. At present we have allocated 160 volunteers with specific tasks, and we have placed 78 volunteers on a Reserve List with a further 130 that have offered to help but have yet to forward the necessary accreditation documentation. We are actively considering how we will need to change our operation once the government provides clear guidance about the future. We know that many of our volunteers will be returning to work and may not be able to provide their current level of commitment or current hours. However, having a significant Volunteer Reserve should enable us to maintain a degree of agility to review processes and the tasking of individuals.”