A GROUP established during lockdown to help the local community has formed a charitable trust to help individuals and families forced out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tavistock Locals Help, the community group which formed in March to assist people with food and prescription delivery along with many other small requests, announced on Monday that it will be stopping its service on August 28, 2020 but the core volunteers identified a financial crisis was looming for people out of work.

With the end of lockdown and many of the volunteers heading back to work and other responsibilities, the group decided that now was the right time to end their formal services.

Ursula Mann, one of the group’s founders, said: ‘We’ve seen a slow decline in requests over the last two months and we’re helping any regular requestors arrange alte rnative services if they are still needed. We felt that the end of the summer holidays was a good time to get both our volunteers and the requestors back to a more normal routine.’

Over the last five months, Tavistock Locals Help has taken more than 1,600 requests and served 472 individuals in the local area during lockdown.

While TLH is going to stop offering delivery services, the spirit of community that arose through the group will continue to help through the newly formed charitable trust — Tavistock Locals Help Trust.

Andy Hutton, TLH organiser and chairperson of the new trust, said: ‘If you’ve found TLH was helpful to you, please consider making a donation to the TLH Trust, which will go to help individuals in Tavistock who experience a financial crisis as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.’

If struggling financially due to Covid-19 people can also contact Citizens Advice by visiting www.ruraldevoncab.org.uk For more information on TLH visit www.tavistocklocalshelp.co.uk or www.TLHtrust.org