I became Mayor of Newmarket on 18th May, the lockdown was just starting to be eased and I reflected on those early days of “Stay At Home”. I remembered the silence when we went out for our daily walk; the nervousness about doing the shopping; the phone calls and Zoom meetings with our friends and families, who we would not see for months.
Those early days also saw the start of a remarkable wave of people wanting to help their neighbours. In Newmarket, even before the lockdown, various organisations came together determined that there would be some way of providing support for anyone in the town who needed help. The Helpline was started by Lucinda Bennett and Douglas Hall of the Volunteer Network and it was facilitated by the Town Council with support from other organisations. A Coronavirus Response Steering group was set up to bring together everyone who was prepared to offer assistance in the town. From the first week of the lockdown the Helpline was responding to phone calls from people who had to isolate themselves.
The Helpline has helped over 700 families since that first week. We have helped with collecting shopping, posting mail, friendly phone calls, delivering meals on wheels, bringing bins in and out and collecting prescriptions. We shall continue to offer help for as long as people need it. It is important that if anyone is facing difficulties during these exceptional circumstances then they should seek help.
I would like to thank the many volunteers and organisations that have made our Helpline such a success. The whole project has been a collaboration between many different organisations and a huge number of volunteers. I believe it is an example of Newmarket at its very best – working together for the benefit of everyone.
Michael Jefferys
Town Mayor
June 2020