The volunteers were a lifeline that was very much appreciated

I’m Ella Williams, I’m 18 and I joined the voluntary group Nantwich Buddies in late 2020. I was at Reaseheath College studying Business and Event Management and only work part-time so I had a lot of spare time and thought I would do something useful to help my local community.

I had done some volunteering before with the Rotary Club and their Christmas Float but obviously, that didn’t happen last year. I saw the ad on Facebook about Nantwich Buddies and they were asking for people to help out with the vaccination programme.

I have done lots of shifts at the Civic Hall in Nantwich since January and also supported the two-week Lateral Flow Testing programme at Reaseheath College. I enjoyed both of these because I had the chance to meet other volunteers and members of the general public. It was great to see people come out for their vaccinations, get dressed up and treat it as a day out after being at home for so long!

The tasks I enjoy most though, are shopping and collecting prescriptions for people. I feel as though I’m making a real difference and have visited people who hadn’t seen anyone else in months.

I was shopping or collecting prescriptions for five different people at one point and for one of those people, I didn’t ever see them face-to-face, we used to talk through their intercom. When I visited another lady who was isolating, we would talk for an hour with me on the doorstep – she hardly saw anyone else.

I have just left college and started a job as an Accounts Apprentice in Crewe where I will train to be a Chartered Accountant. When I went for my interview, one of the first things they asked me was how I had spent the last 12 months. It was great to be able to talk about my volunteering and I’m sure that went in my favour when they decided to give me a job!

I will continue to volunteer as I like helping others and enjoy it. I’m looking forward to getting together with all the other volunteers to celebrate our achievements over the last year. It will be great to meet them and swap stories!

A Thank You to Ella

Nantwich residents Moostopha and Susan Ramjaun send their thanks to Ella:

“The volunteers were a lifeline that was very much appreciated. Ella was always bright and cheerful and happy to collect our medication whenever we needed it. We could not have shielded without this help and are very grateful for all their efforts”.