400 Bracknell residents are being congratulated for giving up over 32,000 hours of their time to help others during lockdown.

Today (23 March) marks the second anniversary of the first Covid-19 lockdown which left many people unable to leave their homes.

With no family or support systems nearby, a volunteer service was put in place by Bracknell Forest Council and managed by The Ark, to provide essential tasks such as delivering shopping and medicines.

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During this period the volunteers carried out over 16,000 tasks, including over 4,000 pharmacy deliveries, enabling those who needed to, to stay safe within their homes.

The volunteers also played a crucial role during surge testing in June 2021, as well as providing assistance at the Waitrose vaccination site, assisting in the smooth running of both.

Cllr Paul Bettison OBE, Leader of Bracknell Forest Council said: “Without these selfless people who have given up over 32,000 hours of their time, our community would have had a very different experience during the pandemic. We are incredibly grateful for all their assistance during this time and, as a community, we owe them an incredible debt. 

“We would like to thank each and every one of them for their help and support.  Thankfully for us all, their assistance goes on and they will continue to help and support fellow residents as we move to the new normal way of living with COVID-19.”