Border Village presents a United Front

We asked Duncan Borthwick of Llanymynech COVID-19 support group, to tell us about the ways in which the local community has come together to support each other during this lockdown period. From sunflowers to sing-a-longs this is a community that's truly presenting a united front.

“When the Covid 19 crisis started to hit, we quickly realised that things needed to be put in place. I work in the local shop and post office. So along with a friend of mine in the village, Susanne Walker, we set up Llanymynech Covid 19 Support Group. We put out a call for volunteers, as we weren’t sure how big this was going to be and we had so many people offer their help. We haven’t fully utilised our volunteers as yet, as we’ve been trying to keep everything together by reducing the amount of people out at any one time. 

Duncan Borthwick & Susanne Walker

We quickly registered with all local surgeries, introduced ourselves to the councils on both sides, and made contact with PAVO. And we also leaflet dropped the entire area. This was all before the lockdown so we were in a good place once everything shut down. Between myself and Susanne, we have now delivered several hundred bags of prescriptions and around a hundred food shops, including full trolleys for people. We have volunteers making phone calls to those isolating too.

PAVO, in particular Sheela Hughes, have been a godsend in terms of information and advice and our community can’t thank you enough for this. We have had referrals from PAVO, the doctors, social services, councils. We have been collecting from food banks for people, as well as making up our own food parcels to ease pressure on food bank services. We have been involved with people who literally have no money due to their jobs disappearing overnight due to this crisis. Through PAVO we have arranged help and advice, and have been easing the pressure on them through regular contact and food drops.

Because of our location on the English/Welsh border, acquiring funding is an issue. The border runs down the road in the middle of the village. So we set up a fundraiser privately. None of us know how long people are going to need support, and we desperately do NOT want to ask people what side of the border they live on- if we get a pot of money from one authority, it cannot be spent on the other side. So we took it upon ourselves to ask our community for help. They overwhelmed us. We did two separate fundraisers. One was open overnight, and they donated around £800. The next one raised £3500 over three days more or less. We cannot thank our community enough for this, it was humbling. We have also been inundated with food, offers for help with fuel costs, etc. This is to provide fuel costs, emergency food help etc. We are aware that children aren’t getting their fruit and balanced meals in school so we are looking into things to help with that too.

Local food drops

I am aware that there are many people that need help, but don’t want to ask- I urge anyone in our local area to get in contact if they feel they need anything. We haven’t been just sticking to our village- we are helping people from Sarnau (near Arddleen), to Four Crosses and Llandrinio, Wern, Llanymynech, Pant, Morda, Oswestry. We collect from pharmacies in Welshpool, Oswestry, Llanfyllin, Knockin, Four Crosses. Anyone who has come to us for help, we have helped. Even if out of area. Anyone we couldn’t help; we have contacted the relevant people to provide help. Privately myself, I have purchased Sunflower, Dwarf Peas, and Sweet-peas, compost and pots. I’ve bagged them up into packs containing all three sets of seeds, for every child in the village that wants one. A few people made donations to help with this. They have been distributed, and we are having a competition to see who can grow the biggest sunflower, largest crop of peas etc. while they are off school. Had a really good uptake with this. I have also organised a mass community singalong where people are filming themselves singing a particular song, and I am putting it all together into a music video, and a music producer friend of mine is going to work his magic and overlay all their voices and cut a full song from it. Again, something fun to take the children’s minds off being isolated. Had MASS interest in this too.

Seed packs & compost for local children 

We are an amazing community here, and we’ve all come together to help. My motto is “Non nobis solum nati sumus”. (Not for ourselves alone are we born), and every member of our village has proved this. Every single member of our community should be proud at how they’ve dealt with this, how they’ve come together to help, and I look forward to a stronger, closer, and more involved community after this. I would like to thank my partner Paul, I don’t drive, and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without him. Our wedding was cancelled this year due to the crisis, so it has taken his mind off things doing this. "

Duncan Borthwick.