As Tier 2 restrictions come into force in Kingston, council and voluntary organisations continue to provide support for Kingston’s residents.
The Surbiton Coronavirus Community Response Group (SCCRG) was started by a group of volunteers in mid-March, and has since provided emotional and practical support – both recurring and for one-off tasks – to hundreds of residents.
“The three things [we do] is the grocery shopping, collecting prescriptions and friendly phone calls,” said Cole O’Brien, founder and general manager of SCCRG.
“We’ve got a directory of nearly 300 volunteers across Kingston and we’ll use the postcodes to match the resident with the closest volunteer.”
O’Brien said they were anticipating an increase in requests over the next few weeks as Kingston moves to Tier 2 and it becomes harder for people to travel to provide support to vulnerable relatives.
He also urged residents to get in touch if they need help, whatever their reasoning.
“We’re still here,” said O’Brien. “We don’t ask questions – if someone rings us and asks for help, that’s enough…they don’t need to go out and risk themselves.”
To request support or volunteer their help, residents can contact the SCCRG via their website, by calling 0203 868 2626 or by emailing surbitonccrg@gmail.com.
Kingston Borough Council have also reminded residents of the support available.
A spokesperson for the council said: “The Kingston Stronger Together Support Hub is being run in partnership between Kingston Council, Kingston Voluntary Action, Volunteering Kingston and other community groups.
“Together we are helping Kingston residents who cannot leave their home due to Covid-19 and need extra help on top of what friends, family, trusted neighbours and other local services are providing.”
Residents can call 020 8547 5000 or visit the website to find out about the support the council is offering.
