MSP Graham Simpson joined a volunteer to experience first-hand an important service being provided by local charity, Older & Active, in partnership with Connected East Kilbride.
He met with Nancy, a project volunteer from Older & Active, who was helping a local resident by delivering shopping to their home in the Murray area of the town.
This was part of Connected East Kilbride’s ‘Shopability’ service, which has been set up for residents who struggle to get their own shopping or cannot leave the house for one reason or another.
Mr Simpson, who recently met with representatives from Connected East Kilbride, discussed the successes of the project with Nancy and saw how important the passionate volunteers are to the scheme.
He also heard directly from the resident benefitting from the service who was delighted with the help from Nancy and the rest of the team at Older and Active.
As well as ‘Shopability’, Connected EK also run a ‘buddy’ system for those who have barriers to coming back into the community and have opened their hub for drop-ins between 10am and 2pm each day at the Olympia where residents can access support.
Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland said: “This is a great service and I heard first-hand just how important it is for people.
“They send through their shopping list, which is forwarded to a volunteer who then goes and gets it.
“The volunteers don’t just drop off the shopping, they stop and chat too. Nancy was also very positive about how enjoyable she finds volunteering and we know how rewarding it can be.”
Lesley MacIntyre, Chief Executive of Older and Active said: “Our dedicated volunteers, including Nancy, have worked tirelessly during the pandemic, making sure that some of the most vulnerable in our communities had access to basic necessities including prescriptions and shopping.
“As an organisation we would not be able to offer the wide range of services that we deliver without our dedicated team of volunteers. I would like to personally thank each and every one of them for their continued support.
“I appreciate Graham Simpson MSP taking the time out of his busy schedule to accompany Nancy delivering shopping, witnessing first- hand the impact that these supports have for local people and the benefits of volunteering”.
