The Budleigh Hub has done many amazing things in the last 12 months to support our community though Covid.

We have been lorded by our MP, councillors, local businesses and other community groups.

Actually, I have an admission to make, we haven’t.

The Hub has not collected a single prescription or delivered food shopping to a vulnerable member of our community.

Nor have we transported people to their vaccinations or out-patient appointments at RDE, cooked thousands of meals for our isolated community or telephoned those most vulnerable in our community or walked their dogs.

Volunteers have done the heavy lifting and they continue to do so.

The Hub normally ticks over with 50 volunteers. During the first lockdown 200 further volunteers signed up to help.

Just one volunteer is Doris. At the time of writing, in the last 11 months Doris has handwritten 459 letters to friends, family, former work colleagues and pen pals, just checking-in making sure they are OK.

Having friends and family all over the world, Doris never needs an excuse to write.

All done with a fountain pen which enhances Doris’s beautiful handwriting. How special would it make you feel to receive such a hand-crafted, thoughtful letter?

Doris feely acknowledges it makes her feel better too. Nothing wrong with that.

During normal times Doris still looked out for her community.

She organised activities for her friends and vulnerable people. She set up ‘Ladies who Lunch’, a regularly afternoon get-together over tea and cake at the Hub.

How I would love to hear their laughter again at the Hub as they took over the café area.

It is the individuals in our community that have made all our lives much easier and safer.

Reminds me of a quote: “Anyone who thinks they are too small to make difference has never tried to fall asleep in a room with a mosquito."