Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Coronavirus in Harringay? a practical thread about looking out for our neighbours

So the inevitability of tighter restrictions on public gatherings looks only days away; with school closures, enforced working from home, overstretched essential workers suffering all very real consequences.

Beyond the immediate concern about ourselves and those we live with **and keeping perspective for a moment - most of us under-65 and without any underlying & serious health conditions/weakened immunity are going to be ok ** the more important concern to my mind is of its further transmission and spread: what happens during the coming weeks to those of our neighbours that become housebound because they either have the virus or are self-isolating out of fear due to being in a vulnerable group? 

Rather than hopelessly speculate on 'what if' scenarios, I have a practical suggestion and plan for how HoL could come into its own and facilitate some real community spirit and solidarity. The aim being to keep an eye out for our neighbours, helping each other out. With the NHS almost at breaking point even before this came along, it becomes crucial that we do something at a community level now as we wont be able to rely on others to do it for us.

And it wouldn't take much effort...

If one, two or more residents on each street were to volunteer to fetch some shopping or medical supplies for a neighbour on their road once or twice a week, we would be making both a great individual and a wider social contribution to slowing the spread of the virus and reducing the strain on the NHS. If that same act gets replicated across the area in dozens, you can imagine over the days and weeks how this could mitigate the wider spread in a very small but nonetheless essential way. And foster plenty of community goodwill in the process.

If Hugh/HoL admin agreed, we could keep a pinned post of the street reps (HoL users) that could be contacted by DM here if someone goes into self isolation - or knows a neighbour that has. For various reasons it wouldn't be a good idea to publicly post which people or households are self-isolating, but street reps could keep each other updated and help across streets if need be.

Would anyone be interested in being involved as a street rep for shopping or other essential errands?

Constructive suggestions and improvements to the idea are definitely appreciated! - apathy and sarcasm won't be (there's a whole world of social media out there for that!)

UPDATED TO ADD (16.03.20)

Thanks to Hugh there is now a dedicated area on Harringay Online for the duration of the epidemic for local resources and contacts if you need help and to be visited to your door by a Street Rep

UPDATED (14.03.20):

To volunteer as a Street rep text 07980 591375 or email harringayneighbours@gmail.com. If you have WhatsApp follow this invite to join the Street reps organising group for the HoL area https://chat.whatsapp.com/LxCuIy1BcZvBMunk1JZBMy

ALSO:

Similar initiatives are springing up across London and Haringey. If you live beyond the immediate HoL area, you can give offers of help elsewhere in the borough here.

Tags for Forum Posts: coronavirus, coronavirus volunteering

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dermot on March 13, 2020 at 13:44

Hi Lisa, if you want to text or email me your details I will add you to the list of volunteers. Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Jane on March 13, 2020 at 9:49

I'm happy to help - over the tracks in Connaught Road. I don't know elderly, or people in need, in my road but always thought I should be helping to pick up shopping, even without a virus lurking. 

Permalink Reply by Dermot on March 13, 2020 at 13:41

Hi Jane, if you want to text or email me your details I will add you to the list of volunteers. Thanks!

Permalink Reply by tigha on March 13, 2020 at 9:54

Brilliant plan, I was thinking this myself. Put me down for Mattison road or nearby. I don’t really know where elderly live on my road, did think about putting some fliers through the door. But that won’t work

maybe door knocking 

Permalink Reply by Dermot on March 13, 2020 at 13:40

Hi tigha, if you want to text or email me your details I will add you to the list of volunteers. Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Rebekah Billingsley on March 13, 2020 at 10:15

I'm happy to volunteer, I work FT but have a car. Quernmore Road,

Permalink Reply by catherine tutton on March 13, 2020 at 10:25

we are one of the elderly couple who could get stuck in Lausanne road. SO far so good. 

Permalink Reply by catherine tutton on March 13, 2020 at 10:28

We are a couple who might need help in Lausanne road. SO far so good

Permalink Reply by Zoe Dexter on March 13, 2020 at 10:59

Hello - I am very new to the area, but am at the end of Langham Road near West Green Road, and very happy to be a street rep for delivering shopping/errands etc.

Maybe if enough people are up for street repping, maybe a poster would be useful to put up on community notice boards etc. with contact details, to see what need there is? Just in case people who might need this kind of help are not on HoL. 

Permalink Reply by Maren Meinhardt on March 13, 2020 at 11:04

Cavendish...

Permalink Reply by Dermot on March 13, 2020 at 13:40

Hi Meren, if you want to text or email me your details I will add you to the list of volunteers. Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Dermot on March 13, 2020 at 11:13

This is great everyone - plenty of volunteers so far and hopefully more to come. Having given it some thought over night a few immediate tasks come to mind to get this moving:

Raising awareness of this among our neighbours
This might work best by a basic leaflet with email/contact number. If so
- Does anyone know roughly how many households are in the ward?
- Would those volunteering to shop also help to put these through each door on their street?
- Anyone know a local printer that might offer to help print at cost or cheaply?

Street reps - Connecting each other
- Rather than list every volunteer's own details on HoL, this might work best if everyone texts or emails to a single point of contact and this could be fielded to the most nearby rep.
- Does everyone that has volunteered to shop for neighbours have access to WhatsApp?

Harringay Online
- I wonder whether a button on the front page that provides the email & number for contacting street reps could be set up? But there may be a better way... Hugh?

Other ways to help - If you cannot go door to door but would like to help in some way there may be other jobs,eg.
- Can you translate the leaflet into a community language?
- Admin for other techy methods so that neighbours can get in contact eg. HoL's FB page, twitter?!

  1. For the time being I have set up an email account harringayneighbours@gmail.com so that people self isolating can make contact to request help.
  2. If you have volunteered and have WhatsApp (or can get it) please text me your number (to 07980 591 375) and I will set up a Street reps group. Include your name, street address and postcode.


This needs to be a real community effort. I am very happy to get this off the ground and to help out local neighbours (I'm on Hewitt), but if it is going to work it needs to be a collaborative and cooperative project. It could potentially last for a few months, but with more volunteers we can spread the load!

Thanks again all

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