When the lockdown started way back in March, there was a call for volunteers to be on standby for those in the community who were not allowed out – or certainly not out to the shops. The answer to this appeal was amazing: nearly 300 people signed up to offer their help. In a way there was almost an embarrassment of numbers, far more willing folk than help needed as it turned out!  

Initially, there was a demand for grocery shopping, and the volunteers gladly stood up to help. But once the government introduced food packs and the supermarkets enabled shielded people to more easily access delivery slots, the need for this fell away. 

However, there remained an urgent need for prescription pick ups and this task was allocated to Jerry Bygraves who is a retired pharmacist. Jerry mainly picks up from Stotfold Pharmacy and by the middle of June he had made over 80 trips! No mean undertaking as it often meant queuing to get into the pharmacy only to find that the meds weren’t ready. Jerry is unremittingly cheerful and accommodating, a real lifeline to so many. In recognition of how much he has done, Fairfield Parish Council wanted to pay his petrol money, but he refused – so instead a donation was made to the Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Moggerhanger, who looked after Jerry’s Dad in his last few days.

Another Fairfield resident, Gail Andrews, who works in the Arlesey Pharmacy and delivers up to Fairfield, tells us they used to do 50 or 60 deliveries a week to Arlesey and Fairfield, but this rose to over 160 during the pandemic!  

So, Fairfield thanks all those who willingly stood up to help. All are heroes, whether they were out on the stage or waiting in the wings to be called!