All Hail the Volunteers of Biggar Community Action Group

Where to start with Biggar Community Action Group (BCAG)? This is a caring town with more than its fair share of elderly residents, many living alone. At the start of lockdown, a small group of us realised quickly that something had to be done to keep them safe - and BCAG was born.

We called out for volunteers, and they came - people working from home; retired folks; part-time workers; mothers; grannies!  At its peak we had 90 volunteers to call on. We delivered shopping and prescriptions to those shielding or suffering from Covid; we managed queues in the busier shops; we walked people’s dogs; we delivered over 370 beautifully decorated “Kindness Boxes” stuffed full of goodies and cards, poems and drawings- to let those living on their own or feeling anxious or worried know that the town had them in their thoughts. We successfully applied for funding and started to provide around 50 hot lunches twice a week to the very vulnerable. We set up a “Listening Ear” service - a dedicated phone line for anyone who wanted a wee chat if they felt the need - at one point volunteers were calling 47 people per week. We reacted to every call out for assistance - if we could not help, we found someone who could.

Did we make a difference? YES, we did and with many added bonuses - our volunteers struck up a rapport with those elderly folks with whom they were in regular contact: a wee chat on the doorstep, a bit of company, doing wee errands, a friendly voice to look forward to - in fact our volunteers’ visits became a lifeline for many lonely isolated residents. Many of these friendships have endured.

And what of BCAG now that lockdown is over? Well,It became obvious over time that the  anxiety and loneliness which were very apparent during lockdown were just an exacerbation of what had in fact always been there, hidden and often unaddressed. So, even as lockdown was eased, we decided that there was a need for us to carry on in the town helping in our own small way to address these issues. We still continue with a weekly  shopping and delivery service; we continue to deliver around 20 hot lunches twice a week; when funds permit we organise afternoon teas to help those who have lost confidence to get out and meet others in a safe environment; Listening Ear is still in demand; We added a winter gritting service to help prevent falls; recently we organised a day trip for a few of our regular users and we are now working with Shotts Getting Better Together organisation to help organise transport to hospital for those who would struggle to get there.

It has to be underlined though, that NONE of what BCAG have achieved could have happened without our lovely, dedicated, hard-working volunteers, so we would like to send a massive THANK YOU to them, in recognition of their huge contribution in keeping our town as safe as possible. They so deserve some recognition- you only have to look at what they have achieved between March 2020 up till April 2022 (an estimated total of volunteer hours in excess of 5500!)

Activity	Total number delivered
Shop/Prescription Deliveries	7762
Hot Meals	4381
Kindness Boxes	378
Listening Ear calls	2414
Queue Management (hours)	1286
Dog walking	328
Afternoon teas	251
Gritting and Snow clearance	166

BCAG volunteer’s rock! Here is one volunteer’s experience of volunteering with us:

Alec, Volunteer for BCAG

"Lunch smells fill the car as I first open the bag. Hearty meals individually labelled for each recipient, together with fruit, bananas, grapes or tangerines on the side. How many calories does one take in just breathing deeply?

There are just one or two stops with tricky parking and with my luck, the first stop is the hardest. I never get to see one or two of my customers (is “customer” the correct word)?  and this is one of those. Nevertheless, the cheerful chatty carer who opens the door always smiles and says thank you. It’s a great start.

Back to the car and off to number two. We joke about whether I’m there before she opens the door because I park under her window, so she knows I’m coming. Her gratitude shows as she comments ‘Oh, a banana, a sandwich for tea’. She moves away struggling to balance the hot meal, using her walking frame.

On it goes. A lonely man with head injuries, the character that he once was still showing through. Once again, the gratitude pours out. The ‘thank you’ he calls repeatedly echoing down the hallway of his flat as I leave.

The lady with Parkinson’s whose cat always tries for the great escape, the couple one of whom has cancer, the widow still grieving and struggling to find her way alone. There’s been the disabled veteran, the old man whose life had known better days and others too, some now who have passed and are missed.

Occasionally, new folk are added to my round and new bonds forged. At every door, new or longstanding, I meet warmth, gratitude, a smile. For some I’m the only human they’ll see and speak to that day. Others want to tell me about meetings with friends. It is difficult sometimes to let them down gently and move on.

The strange thing is that they say thank you to me. I finish my round and all I want to do is say thank you to them. So many folks who are seen by many as past their sell-by date. They are hard up, they are disabled, ill and old. In some cases, age has taken its toll. For others, life has been unkind in other ways. And yet they all want to talk to me, to interact, to smile and chat. They don’t know anything of me and yet I’m welcomed into their lives even if just for a few moments.

How blessed can I be?  Don’t let anybody try to tell you that volunteering like this is about giving or that you're a good person for doing it. It is one of the highlights of my week and one from which I receive so much."