The woman who has managed the volunteer project response to the coronavirus pandemic in Keswick will be hanging up her hi-vis jacket in September as she moves on to pastures new.
Heather Askew set up and has coordinated the volunteers’ programme on behalf of Keswick Community Emergency Recovery Partnership (KCERP), helping and supporting vulnerable people who have been self-isolating in the town and villages nearby with shopping, medicine delivery or just a friendly voice to chat to over the phone since the Covid-19 crisis restrictions were put in place in March.
However, Heather, who will be staying in Keswick, is set to take up a four-day-a-week role as general manager of Highlights Rural Touring Scheme, an organisation she has been involved with for the last two years, running alongside her emergency volunteer role, which takes music, dance, theatre and storytelling to village halls, schools and community centres in rural communities.
She is also studying for a diploma in Social Enterprise Leadership with a focus on the Arts and Cultural Sector on the two-year Cultural Change Programme course run by the University of Cumbria, Brathay and Theatre by the Lake.
As a member of Keswick Lions, Heather joined KCERP a few months after acting as a volunteer during and after Storm Desmond devastated many areas of the town in December 2015. Although the current volunteers’ plan was based around an emergency flood situation, when the Covid-19 emergency hit Keswick Heather quickly adapted the project to respond to the pandemic.
With the social distancing restrictions in place Heather and her team quickly adapted to working via the internet and social media so that volunteers had support. Every street in the coverage area was allocated a warden with a team of volunteers who made contact with each household to find out who needed help and have supported those vulnerable people for the last 10 weeks.
Heather said: “It’s been immensely rewarding to work with so many dedicated volunteers in our community. I always find it very moving to see how much people want to step up and help other people in a time of difficulty. The first couple of weeks of the response was very intense, it felt like the situation was developing very quickly and there was a sense of urgency. We were in a fortunate position that we had an outline plan and were able to implement it quickly, whilst linking in with the what the statutory authorities were doing.
“We’ve been in a steady state now for the last six weeks or so. But with the relaxing of some of the lockdown measures we are moving into the next phase. We are now looking at how best to continue to provide the safety net we have set up for the Keswick community.”
Heather has loved working as project manager with the emergency volunteers over the last four years, and has also worked with groups in various areas across Cumbria during that time to pass on good practice.
She added: “The volunteers have been amazing. We couldn’t have achieved what we have without it being a huge team effort. It’s been wonderful to work with such an enthusiastic and supportive group of people. I think we’ve seen a real increase in the sense of community in Keswick, which was already pretty strong, over the last two months. What I am really looking forward to is when all of this is over going to meet the volunteers over a pint and say thank you in person.”
KCERP trustee Lynda Walker, who is clerk of Keswick Town Council, said that Heather will be sorely missed by the partnership. “Since she took over the project manager post she has moved the partnership on in many ways and it is now a stand-alone charity with a professional reputation which is well regarded by the many agencies involved in delivering an emergency response,” said Lynda, who added: “Her expertise will be very difficult to replace and we are very sorry to be losing her.”
Over the next couple of months KCERP trustees will be looking for a replacement project manager, during which time they will receivie a period of handover and training in September.