Following our blog on community members’ kindness in Eaglesham and Waterfoot, we have more inspiring examples of how people in the areas area supporting each other through these tough times.
Fundraising success
Marjory Lamb, a regular at Age Concern at Montgomerie Halls on a Friday, is currently shielding at her son’s house in Waterfoot. With the same spirit and ingenuity she displayed during the war years, Naval Wren Officer Marjory decided to raise funds for PPE equipment for personal carers and staff in care homes by walking 100 lengths of her son’s garden. She set up a Just Giving Page and has raised over £4,000 to date. Marjory has written a book of her life experiences called “The Making of Me” which is available in Eaglesham Library if you want to learn more about this remarkable local woman. Well done Marjory. You are an absolute gem and we hope you have an amazing 100th birthday when it comes!
Fancy dress fun
Some of you who live around the Hill Drive area might have noticed a variety of strange characters wandering around waving and clapping during the Clap for Carers at 8pm on Thursday evenings. Well, the big reveal is that the person behind it all is resident Mags Mutch! Mags said she just wanted to cheer people up, give them a bit of a laugh and get everyone anticipating which character she might appear as next. She has appeared as a zombie, a jockey, Cruella de Ville and – children’s favourite so far- Bananas in Pyjamas! What will she appear as next??
Community superheros
“Calling all superheroes-in-training! Eaglesham Assemble! Our local heroes need YOU! We want you to design a superhero that honours our key workers! It can be our doctors or nurses, police officers, shop staff, posties, ANYONE who is risking their health to make our lives better during this pandemic! What will you design? 1st Prize – £15 Movie Cafe Voucher. 2nd Prize – £10 Villagio Voucher. 3rd Prize – £5 RS McColl’s Voucher. Post all entries on this page then the committee will choose the three winning entries! Closing date Friday May 8th, winners announced the next day!”
Eaglesham Fair Committee have organised a “Design Your Own Superhero” competition with prizes donated by The Movie Café, Villagio’s and RS McColls. They’re looking for designs that honour any key workers, be it nurses, doctors, care staff, shop staff, posties, bin collectors – anyone who is putting their own health at risk for the health of others in their communities during the pandemic. What a lovely idea, giving the children a project to focus on whilst creating a visual homage to our own local heroes!
Lending a helping hand
Finally, the Covid 19 Self-Isolation Helping Hands now has 153 local volunteers. The volunteers are helping self-isolating neighbours and housebound people by bringing them their essentials across the length and breadth of Eaglesham and Waterfoot. Helen Dougall, the person responsible for setting it up said all it took was an idea, a map and a spreadsheet to start with.
Her timing was impeccable, mobilising her friends and a few volunteers in the days before lockdown. They addressed and delivered offers of help letters to over 2000 homes in just a few days. Helen said the group have had some touching letters of support and thanks from relatives (at home and abroad) of people receiving help. She’s even had a few kind donations which have helped buy flowers and cards for people who she’s heard could do with a bit of cheering up in these difficult times.
An unintended outcome is that people have gotten to know some of their neighbours a lot better and new connections have been formed from it. It just goes to show what can be achieved with very little money, in a very short time to bring the greatest good to many. Can we build on this to sustain the connections once the pandemic is over? Helen hopes so.