What acts of kindness have you experienced during lockdown? - £100 voucher to be won

Mom, aged 91, had a fall a couple of weeks ago. She broke her wrist and fractured her pelvis.
Because of the COVID 19 situation, she was taken to a hospital far away from where she lives and is now in rehab.
I live a long, long way away now and getting in touch with her has been a nightmare.
In the end, the Occy Health lady who has Mom in her care let me speak to Mom by calling me on her own mobile phone. This would not be a cheap call.
She did it as a favour to me and for Mom. It has put my mind at rest and helped Mom calm down and get on with getting better.
How lovely of this young lady to help me like this.
It was only a small thing but meant a huge amount to me.

There’s a wonderful charitable community group nearby where individuals have gone beyond the pale to collect prescriptions and the odd item we’ve been needing. I fancied chopped pork one day talk about being pregnant which I’m not the craving for chopped pork was just there and a lovely young woman bought it for me she and her partner worked together to buy and deliver hats off to them both.

I am able to access food deliveries (as I am classed as vulnerable) so I shop for my OAP neighbours either side. We have also been sharing our baking and one day I got a beautiful bouquet to say “thanks for being a lovely neighbour”.

My mum is 96 and in a residential care home. Mentally she is totally 'with it' but physically very frail. The care workers are excellent but mum relies on my sister and me to do various little tasks for her. It is very difficult now we cannot visit, but two of the care workers have taken it upon themselves to arrange phonecalls from mum to my sister and me twice a week on their phones. It may sound like such a little thing but to me, my mum and my sister, it is a life line. I am so grateful to these care workers going over and above their duty to enable this when they have so many difficulties to overcome in their everyday work.

Out of the blue this week I received a beautiful mask in the post. It's in a very smart washable floral cotton, well made and with a disposable inner lining. It came complete with a matching bag to keep it safe in my handbag when not in use.

It had been made by a friend who I don't see these days because we live too far apart, and when I thanked her she said she was making them for all the people she doesn't want to lose.

So I not only got a very pretty, possibly life saving gift, but a nice rosy glow which has lasted quite a few days now.

I wouldn't single anyone out but during our lunchtime walks so many people have walked in the road and jumped into driveways to be mindful of social distancing/ general respect . We have had plenty of 'good mornings' and smiles . I think this has brought out the gentler side of people. We hear stories of those who crowd onto beaches and gridlocked car parks around some beauty spots but I feel the majority of people have been so kind and thoughtful .

I am shielding and my neighbour who is Muslim is fasting for the month of Ramadan.
They break their fast at about 8.30pm with a family meal. She has brought plates of lovely food to our front door on many evenings during the month - chicken, rice, samosas, bhajis ...all sorts of lovely dishes. We’ve also had dishes of fresh fruit and deserts.

She is a very kind soul ...

On the first day of lockdown, a neighbour that I hardly know, (she’s just moved in) posted a note through the door to say that if I needed any shopping just to send her a message. She has collected milk and fresh stuff every week since then.
When I thanked her she said it was because I was the only one to say hello and welcome her to the neighbourhood.

During applause for key workers and the NHS my neighbours across the road (which is the High Street so usually extremely busy plus although my flat overlooks it I don't have a door onto the street so we have never spoken) shouted up to my window and gave me their number in case of emergency. We exchange hellos and ask after each other every week now. I am alone and really appreciate their care

I have a friend who is 90, shielded and a husband who is older, shielded and unwell. We live about 3 miles apart.

I am not shielded but should go out infrequently which I do because I have online deliveries.

I reduced her to tears when I rang to ask if she was okay for money because I knew she was paying a volunteer and various neighbours to buy food. She said it was those simple things which mean a lot. I have not forgotten that.

Masked pairs of carers often pass my house. If I’m out we always exchange greetings, I’m touched that they always pause to ask whether I’m all right when they are at far more risk themselves.

Despite my being in the vulnerable class, my wife is still working in our local hospital. She has had no time off, although some of her colleagues have, as they have shown the warning symptoms.

I have a blind friend who lives across the other side of town. Because he is blind, he doesn't have a hob or oven and usually goes to the local cafe to eat his lunch then for his evening meal uses his talking microwave. Because of the lockdown, another friend of his has been making him meals and dropping them 'round for him, which is fantastic and ensuring he is okay too with anything else he may need.

There is an 11 year old boy in our neighbourhood who was so upset about food shortages during this crisis that he set up a food bank drop off at the end of his drive. His dads company promised to donate 50p for every item he received. Well he picked up 500 donated items in the space of a week. Then, with his dad, delivered them to the local food bank. His dad's company consequently donated £250. What a kind and thoughtful young man. Deserves recognition

The main challenge for us, as with most people, is the lack of freedom. We are lucky to have a garden. We have found the supermarkets to be helpful and considerate, especially Iceland in our case. Someone close to me works in a secondary school. Some of the children have difficult home lives. Some are living with their families in poor conditions, often flats with no outside space. This person drove around to some of their homes (observing social distancing) and left boxes of goodies and notes of encouragement outside their doors.

A simple act of kindness from yesterday but one I will remember. In mask, gloves and, hanging on to my walking stick, I ventured to go in my local supermarket. I needed a trolley but only had a £5 note instead of a £1 coin. A kind lady saw me dithering and just put £1 coin in the trolley for me saying I could just keep it.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-52707072

Posting a link to one initiative which I believe deserves more widespread publicity. The article details how a comic book writer is helping the village of Moniaive (in Dumfries and Galloway) mount a "fightback" against the economic impact of the coronavirus.
It strikes me as such a good example of the many acts of kindness being carried out on a daily basis during lockdown, and of the importance of community.

I'm in the high risk category, having had recent treatment for cancer, so have been unable to go out at all. I live alone and my grown up children and their families all live in a different part of the country, so have not been able to help me with shopping etc. However, I've had so many offers of help within my local community that I feel very cared for in a really practical way.

Many small acts. DD3 has sent me 2 hampers from a farm near her in Devon. Full of naughty goodies to cheer me up. Our village has been amazing in producing /selling for charity/swapping plants. Our gardens will soon all be bursting with flowers and veggies which otherwise we couldn’t have acquired. A neighbour left some rhubarb on the doorstep, another posted a parcel for me from his office FOC and another put my list on his Asda delivery. Even the Vicar has phoned to ask if Im ok! So many kindnesses. I have met more villagers (at a distance) in 9 weeks of lockdown than in the 2 years I’ve been living here. ?

My daughter is shielding her son who has heart problems and is unable to go out at all and one day she received a large box which a friend had sent her with afternoon tea for 3, she was over the moon.

In March, my partner got stuck in France when a quarantine was announced there and the border closed. I was very worried about shopping, as I am in at-risk group but was not able to register for online shopping due to high demand. My elderly neighbour offered to buy cat food, bread, fruit and veg for me when doing his own shopping. He is a healthy and very active 76-year-old who would not be put off his daily outings. I cannot tell you how happy I was to get "proper" cat food with gravy and jelly, as Oscar was put on a diet of dry food out of necessity and was very grumpy! I am planning a lovely outing with our neighbour in August for his birthday to thank him for his kindness. Hopefully, by then restrictions would be lifted on cafes and restaurants with proper safety measures in place.

This is a lovely thread.

The act of kindness I've experienced was when my local Waitrose gave me a beautiful planter containing three hyacinths for free! I was so surprised that the Waitrose employee had to tell me twice that yes it was a free giveaway to all customers that day It made my day and they are exquisite now that they are open. (I wish I could thank the grower who donated them because I believe that's what prompted this gesture).

My neighbour is shielding and she can't see her prized peony which is currently in full flower, the best display I've seen on it in years - it's in her front garden. So I've been sending her 'progress' photographs every other day so she can enjoy it. Plus I picked a bud and put it in a small vase and left it on her gatepost, so she can see it when she opens her front door.

We have had friends leave food parcels at the door and others who check up on us regularly by phone or social media. We feel so blessed to have so many lovely friends and family.

From the start we had kind offers of shopping etc from our younger neighbours, and the street has been busy with donations and loans of excess garden produce, books, exercise dvds and so on. It’s reassuring to know that we’ve a community that pulls together when times are difficult.