A Banff councillor has praised the efforts of devoted volunteers across the north-east to help during the fight against coronavirus.
Councillor Glen Reynolds issued a plea for people to give up their time to help others when the outbreak first impacted Scotland.
And within 48 hours he had enough people with in-depth knowledge of their towns and villages who stepped forward to help the vulnerable.
Mr Reynolds said: “Since I began to coordinate volunteers with local community groups or directly with people who contacted me with their own concerns, the volunteer list has grown to a sizeable cohesive body of kind-hearted souls who have worked speedily and in a determined way, as only a local community can.
“Within 48 hours, these volunteers deployed their eyes and ears in the towns and villages in which they live and work.
“They distributed contact leaflets, facilitated immediate need for those most at risk and most significantly interacted with each other in a way they have never had to do.”
His praise particularly went to the Facebook groups that came to help, such as the Portsoy Area Action Team and the Helping Hands Banff and Buchan Group.
With communication from a distance being the key to effective and safe volunteering, Mr Reynolds felt it has been a “masterclass in caring” and said it has highlighted those who face daily struggles.
He said: “This crisis has also indirectly shed light on those in our communities whose needs have previously remained hidden.
“Hidden deprivation and domestic circumstances have been shared as never before.
“What is beginning to emerge is also a significant number of people who need to have someone to talk to.
“Loneliness can be a desperate situation and I am increasingly pulling together caring and astute listeners with those who need to hear a voice in their own personal wilderness.”
Having taken guidance on how to conduct that, Mr Reynolds also commended the charities, shop workers and other key workers in his area.
“I pay enormous tribute to everybody who has played a part in helping out from those in the front line of volunteering to those who are doing their bit by staying indoors,” he said.
“I urge everyone to heed the advice given by local and central government and to contact myself of any of the local volunteers who could be of any assistance.”
