“We just want to make a difference” - Project in Calder Valley delivering PPE and food to those in need

Husband and wife Guy and Jan Lymer are co-ordinating efforts to protect the public and healthcare workers from coronavirus, while ensuring those in need are supplied with food.

Bridge Rectifier have made and distributed thousands of visors and face masks to be used across Calderdale, while the Hebden Bridge Old People’s Welfare Committee is helping elderly people in the town by providing meals and support.

Jan said: “We have an elderly gentleman we’re helping who has coronavirus and cancer, his family’s flying over from Canada and Germany, and we’re providing them with PPE so they can say their farewells to their dad.

“We have a lady in her 90’s who didn’t want to get her boiler fixed because she was frightened of possibly getting the virus, so we sent loads of PPE there so she can have her boiler changed after six weeks.

“There is a dark side to all this, we’ve had cases of self-harming and attempted suicide, people not coping well, but we have a great team in place who take care of that.

“We have our first virtual supper party on Thursday (today). Our IT team has been training our volunteers and isolators on how to use the technology.

“We have local entertainers who will be doing stuff via Zoom, everyone will get the same three-course meal from Hebden Bridge business Chapter 17, and they finish it off at home.

“There’s bunting that kids have made, there’s quizzes, goody bags, place sets to make the tables look nice.

“There’s 54 guests and we’ll be doing it again.

“We’ll be doing a Sunday lunch in a couple of weeks’ time with the same format.

“The Tibetan, who have a restaurant in Hebden and in Manchester, drive all the way over from Manchester once a week to deliver hot food to anyone who requires it in Hebden or Mytholmroyd.

“Jinny Woodington, who owns a craft shop in Hebden called Word of Mouth, is producing 2,200 face masks to go into care homes, hospitals, wherever they’re required.

“She and her sewing groups have worked diligently to make sure it’s the right specification of material, so much so that it was hijacked by Team McLaren and Team Lotus to be used for the work they’re doing in hospitals.

“We developed our face visor to respond to the need for PPE for front line carers. and have delivered over 2,000 so far to care homes, hospices, funeral parlours, Team Rubicon, GP surgeries, midwives and GP hot hubs.

“We just want to make a difference and take care of our own and our community.

“None of us can bear the idea of our frontline workers not having the equipment they need.”