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“As a full-time carer for my mum, who's battling ovarian cancer, it was tough even before COVID showed up. Cancer is an uncertain rollercoaster so, to me, it was just another hurdle, and I was determined that it wouldn't get in the way of Mum's treatment. Numerous A&E trips for sepsis, chemo and radiotherapy peppered the lockdowns. Thankfully Imperial Hospital Trust kept her cancer treatment going, despite the huge impact COVID was having on their NHS staff. But my experience there, up close and personal, made me very worried about how all this was affecting the most vulnerable elsewhere. That's what inspired me to create Colindale and Burnt Oak Mutual Aid group. I dived into connecting online with neighbours I didn't know and suddenly we were a real mix - unemployed, self-employed, carers, students, mums and dads. Together we helped support vulnerable people who needed shopping, prescription collections or drivers. Then we created a whole programme of events to help people to stay connected, combat isolation, avoid spreading COVID and have fun. Things like wellbeing cuppa chats, mindfulness sessions, our film club and our isolation discos. We really enjoyed creating and testing them out, and keeping busy was good distraction therapy from the COVID infection rates and news too.
"We've often discussed on our Mutual Aid social media how we don't want to return to 'normal' but to a different world. Hopefully, one as we shift from a pre-COVID 'MeMeMe' society to a post-COVID 'We' one, where we can keep the collaboration and these community networks going and build on them. I believe that the world is a better place if we take small steps to help each other, and that also gives us purpose and is rewarding. Kindness is often seen as a weakness in Western society, but I think it's a crucial human value. Without it where would we be? It costs nothing, but receiving it can change someone’s life dramatically. Also, having come together to help during the crisis, we all feel more connected to our local area and supported. Now we know we can reach out ourselves, day or night, so we're less lonely and more hopeful about the future too."
“As a full-time carer for my mum, who's battling ovarian cancer, it was tough even before COVID showed up. Cancer is an uncertain rollercoaster so, to me, it was just another hurdle, and I was determined that it wouldn't get in the way of Mum's treatment. Numerous A&E trips for sepsis, chemo and radiotherapy peppered the lockdowns. Thankfully Imperial Hospital Trust kept her cancer treatment going, despite the huge impact COVID was having on their NHS staff. But my experience there, up close and personal, made me very worried about how all this was affecting the most vulnerable elsewhere. That's what inspired me to create Colindale and Burnt Oak Mutual Aid group. I dived into connecting online with neighbours I didn't know and suddenly we were a real mix - unemployed, self-employed, carers, students, mums and dads. Together we helped support vulnerable people who needed shopping, prescription collections or drivers. Then we created a whole programme of events to help people to stay connected, combat isolation, avoid spreading COVID and have fun. Things like wellbeing cuppa chats, mindfulness sessions, our film club and our isolation discos. We really enjoyed creating and testing them out, and keeping busy was good distraction therapy from the COVID infection rates and news too.
"We've often discussed on our Mutual Aid social media how we don't want to return to 'normal' but to a different world. Hopefully, one as we shift from a pre-COVID 'MeMeMe' society to a post-COVID 'We' one, where we can keep the collaboration and these community networks going and build on them. I believe that the world is a better place if we take small steps to help each other, and that also gives us purpose and is rewarding. Kindness is often seen as a weakness in Western society, but I think it's a crucial human value. Without it where would we be? It costs nothing, but receiving it can change someone’s life dramatically. Also, having come together to help during the crisis, we all feel more connected to our local area and supported. Now we know we can reach out ourselves, day or night, so we're less lonely and more hopeful about the future too."
As a full-time carer for my mum, who's battling ovarian cancer, it was tough even before COVID showed up. Cancer is an uncertain rollercoaster so, to me, it was just another hurdle, and I was determined that it wouldn't get in the way of Mum's treatment. Numerous A&E trips for sepsis, chemo and radiotherapy peppered the lockdowns. Thankfully Imperial Hospital Trust kept her cancer treatment going, despite the huge impact COVID was having on their NHS staff. But my experience there, up close and personal, made me very worried about how all this was affecting the most vulnerable elsewhere. That's what inspired me to create Colindale and Burnt Oak Mutual Aid group. I dived into connecting online with neighbours I didn't know and suddenly we were a real mix - unemployed, self-employed, carers, students, mums and dads. Together we helped support vulnerable people who needed shopping, prescription collections or drivers. Then we created a whole programme of events to help people to stay connected, combat isolation, avoid spreading COVID and have fun. Things like wellbeing cuppa chats, mindfulness sessions, our film club and our isolation discos. We really enjoyed creating and testing them out, and keeping busy was good distraction therapy from the COVID infection rates and news too. 