Doncaster village comes together to make sure community stays safe

Nicola Anderson, aged 36, from Skellow has set up a community group with her husband Tim Anderson for the Skellow and Carcroft area.

They started the group on Facebook on Friday, March 20 and since it has gained 980 members.

Nicola said: “We have allocated a volunteer to every street in the village and they will be responsible for the elderly and vulnerable who live there.

“We have been leafleting to see who was available to be a volunteer and to locate anybody who may be in need of assistance.”

Nicola and her husband spent last weekend printing and stapling 2,000 leaflets before distributing them out into the communities of Skellow and Carcroft.

They have been using the cafe Coffee Corner in Carcroft as a base for donations.

“Since the group started it’s just mushroomed and we have been blown away by the community spirit,” she continued.

“People have been so thankful that we have done this - one person said that it had restored their faith in humanity.”

Nicola is a teacher at Trinity Academy and also has a two-year-old daughter but despite this has dedicated the time to organise this group.

She wants to say thank you to the other people that have made it possible including Joanna Kelly, Lynne Fardell-Wain, Nial Chambers, Michelle Hallam, Linda Knifton, Mike Hallam and all 75 volunteers that are working together.

“I know what it’s like to be vulnerable,” Nicola continued.

“I have been in the past as I’m immunosuppressed – I’m proud to live in Skellow and I want to support my community.”

One of the many reasons Nicola wanted to set up the group is that Skellow has a large elderly population.

She said: “I’ve volunteered with the elderly for a few years now and I want to support and help them through this time.”

She is part of a volunteer program where on the last Sunday of the month she hosts a tea party or lunch for 10 elderly people to provide socialisation.

You can join the group here.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor