"We've certainly been very busy" - Tring Road Tesco community champion Fatima King describes how lockdown has affected them

Fatima King, the Tesco Tring Road community champion shares her reflections on how things have changed...

Unfortunately due to my health I’ve been in quarantine since the beginning of the lockdown.

Luckily I’ve able to continue my work as community champion from home.

With the support of the managers and team at Tesco Tring Road, we’ve been able to help those in Aylesbury that need it most.

We’ve certainly been very busy! Charities we’ve worked with for a while such as the Vineyard and Bridge the Gap food banks need our support more than ever.

We’ve also established new relationships with initiatives such as The Oasis Partnership. We’ve been supplying them with food for their volunteer kitchens which feed homeless people in the Aylesbury area.

We’ve started donating snacks to the amazing team at Stoke Mandeville Hospital ICU. We’ve also sent gifts of flowers and chocolate to the Aylesbury District Nursing Team and other frontline workers at Stoke Mandeville.

It’s just a small way we can show our gratitude for the incredible people who are helping get our community through this crisis. I only wish we could do more!

Because I’ve been in quarantine I’m afraid can’t speak from experience about how it is in store. But I’m looking forward to getting back on the shop floor when it’s safe to do so – I’ve missed seeing my colleagues and our customers!

I follow lots of local community groups on Facebook, you will often find local organisations that are looking for support. I’m always checking social media to see where we can help.

Don’t be afraid to volunteer, it can seem quite daunting but it’s so important in these challenging times for us to come together and help our friends and neighbours in Aylesbury.