The pandemic showed how important my job is

Chris shares his experience of looking after Clarion residents during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The estates looked different in lockdown

The estates I look after suddenly looked very different when the first lockdown began. Far fewer people were out and about on their daily routines and there wasn’t the chance to stop and chat with people and find out how they were as I normally would. I tried to check in on the older residents as much as I could, checking they were OK by speaking to them through their windows.

Understandably, many of them were frightened to leave their homes and many had been advised to shield due to their age or health conditions. One day, one of our elderly residents knocked on the window to get my attention while I was working outside. She was very upset and told me she didn’t have any food in as she hadn’t been able to get a delivery slot. She only wanted some bread and milk but it must have taken so much for her to ask. Of course, I offered to get them for her without hesitation and told her it was no trouble at all.

I was only happy to be in the right place at the right time and brought her round the supplies she needed that day. Had I not been there when she was in need, I wonder how long she would have had to wait until she was able to get those vital supplies. The pandemic has shown just how important our job, being out and about on the estates all day, really is.