Volunteers of Carillon Cottage in Wadhurst have received the Wealden Hero Award, for their dedicated work throughout the pandemic and beyond. Wealden MP Nusrat Ghani presented the award to the staff of the community information centre in Wadhurst High Street.
Carillon Cottage was launched 20 years ago by local people and the Parish Church, to provide volunteer help to the community. It serves as a hub for communities to meet and its team of volunteers provides support to residents in Wadhurst, Tidebrook and Stonegate, offering help and advice as well as a wide range of services to benefit every age group.
When the pandemic struck, the Cottage's two decades of support in the community meant it was uniquely placed to quickly provide help where it was most needed, operating a seven-day-a-week service.
During the pandemic, Cottage managers organised and deployed almost 200 volunteers who carried out more than 1,500 tasks helping people to cope in isolation, including shopping, prescription collection and delivery, and providing lifts to medical appointments, hospitals and local vaccination centres.
Carillon Cottage is open from Monday to Saturday between 9.30am and 12.30pm. If you need help or if you’d like to find out more about joining the team of friendly volunteers, call 01892 785658 or visit their website: www.carillon-cottage.org.uk. They are particularly looking for new drivers and gardeners to join the team.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Carillon Cottage is a great asset to residents in the Wadhurst area. Volunteers are at the heart of community-led support across Wealden and we are so lucky to have so many extraordinary individuals, who selflessly dedicate their time to supporting others throughout this incredibly challenging time.
"Many thanks to the whole team at Carillon Cottage for making an enormous contribution to the community and helping hundreds of Wealden residents along the way. I have previously held surgeries in Carillon Cottage, and I look forward to resuming face-to-face meetings across Wealden again.”
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