Local heroes praised on national day of reflection
As the country embarks on a national day of reflection to mark a year since going into the first lockdown, The Mayor of Eastleigh Cllr Darshan Mann pays his respects to the ‘local heroes’ of the community.
“We know that the last year has been a difficult one for everyone, which is why we wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the positive outcomes of the last twelve months. Since the start of the pandemic we have heard incredible stories from people in our community who have gone above and beyond to help their neighbours and friends during this challenging time.
We wanted to celebrate these local heroes and so we asked people to nominate individuals and groups by sharing their stories of kindness and creativity and we were not disappointed. We’ve had nearly 100 nominations from across the Borough including six -year-old Harry Stagg from Eastleigh. This fantastic young man decided he wanted to help local families that were struggling to put food on the table during the coronavirus pandemic. Harry raised £450 by drawing pictures for people that donated. He used the money to do a Christmas food shop for families in the Borough.
Another nominee that we’d like to praise is Crestwood Community School for their support towards their students and families and the wider community during lockdown. As well as supporting students with online learning they were also able to provide food parcels to families affected by the pandemic and they also managed to make hundreds of face shields for the NHS in their workshop.”
The day of remembrance was initiated by the charity Marie Curie, with the idea that the country comes together in a doorstep vigil to remember everyone that lost their lives to coronavirus. People are asked to shine a light from their phones or candles/torches on their doorsteps as a beacon of remembrance at 20:00 to reflect on the collective loss of the whole country and look towards a brighter future.
There is still time to nominate an individual or group that has helped during the coronavirus pandemic.