Around 100 volunteers have signed up to be part of the Tavistock Locals Help group to offer help and support to people over the coming weeks.

Borough councillor and group member Steve Hipsey said there had been ‘an amazing response’ to the appeal for help in Tavistock.

The volunteers have been split into their local neighbourhoods, each with a co-ordinator that has been selected either from an NHS or social worker background or similar field.

There are eight zones covering all areas of the town and the volunteers will be helping West Devon Borough Council identify and help of those people in need and at risk in the town.

Steve said people could phone the 0800 046 5531 number or go to the website www.tavistocklocalshelp.co.uk where they could get assistance on a number of things from delivering their shopping to picking up prescriptions to just talking to someone if they were worried.

Assisted by Tavistock BID, an app has also been set up with information about local businesses who deliver their goods.

A dedicated phone line is also being organised for people who are suffering from loneliness, organised by the churches in Tavistock and all the volunteers have received training from the likes of Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS).

Borough councillor Andy Coulson said on Tuesday he had received calls from four ladies in their 80s within 40 minutes who just wanted to talk to someone.

‘By talking to people we can find out if we need to refer them to services but, more often than not, they just want to have a chat. There are many people out there who were lonely and isolated before the coronavirus even started so it is vitally important we are in contact with them.’

The level of community spirit in Tavistock has been mirrored in other communities around West Devon, including Horrabridge.

Two weeks ago resident Olivia Dunn set up Facebook page ‘Team Horrabridge’ and the response was huge, already standing at 428 members.

People were asked to pop a note through a few of their neighbours’ homes with their contact details should they need anything — and through this most of the village was covered. Olivia then met with local pubs the London Inn and the Leaping Salmon where the idea of a community foodbank was discussed and they pledged their help and support. Olivia enlisted the help of fellow resident Sally Northmore to manage the foodbank, with Emma Emptage also helping out and volunteers from around the village helped deliver flyers to in excess of 800 properties.

Local student Dylan Tweedale organised an initial collection to build stocks and villagers were extremely generous, donating a wide range of goods and cash. The collection was held at Horrabridge Youth Club and donations of money and food were also dropped at the two pubs, before they closed their doors last Friday.

The foodbank is predominantly for villagers of any age who are self-isolating, vulnerable, elderly or all of the above and is prioritising key workers and NHS staff.

The team of volunteers organised the first foodbank ‘packaging’ on Sunday last week and within three hours had filled 15 to 20 crates of items from toilet roll to tinned soup.

Sally said that the amount collected and donated was remarkable: ‘The circumstances around this is horrid but what is happening in the village is marvellous. We are making sure, as best as possible, that anything donated is quarantined for two to three days before we hand them out to people. Since tougher social distancing measures have been put in place we cannot open the foodbank to visitors, but we’re co-ordinating collections and drop-offs and we hope very much that nobody will go short.’

Another community to set up a group is Yelverton under the banner Yelverton Neighbour Help. The group was put in place to facilitate those in isolation to request assistance or for those willing and who are well, to offer their services for prescription collections, supplies and more.

Tavistock Foodbank is still operating and will continue as normal for as long as possible on Fridays between 10am and 2pm. Be aware that it is not able to offer the usual refreshments while clients are waiting and that social distancing measures are in place, people must also stand two metres apart.

If anyone would like to donate food, in order to adhere to safety measures as much as possible, bring items to the basement at the United Reformed Church in Russell Street (opposite Roots and Vines Deli) on Wednesdays between 10am and 11am only. Alternatively, there are permanent foodbank collection points at the exits in our local supermarkets, including Morrisons, Tesco and the Co-op.

Thanks were expressed to everyone for generously donating food and money.

If you would like to donate money to Tavistock Foodbank the BACS bank details are: Account name: Tavistock Foodbank; bank: Nat West; sort code 60-21-49; account number 59650486.