Stenhousemuir FC and Larbert High delivering school meals to pupils amid COVID-19 lockdown

With the season shut down indefinitely, Stenhousemuir FC set up its community help hotline in mid-March to assist the most vulnerable members of society as the effects of the global pandemic began to take hold.

A 30-strong squad of volunteers was assembled in the first week to carry out everyday tasks like shopping or dog walking for those in isolation or for whom such activities would prove difficult.

Since then, the number of volunteers has hit 80, although extra help remains welcome.

Government guidelines mean the volunteers can leave their homes to help a vulnerable person and, with almost every volunteer already assigned to an individual, more support is likely to be needed in the weeks ahead.

The idea has been well received by those who live in the Stenhousemuir and Larbert areas and beyond, so much so organisers opted to branch out and ease the strain on mums and dads by collecting and distributing school lunches purchased by Larbert High School to youngsters stuck at home.

Pupils from Larbert High and its cluster primaries are benefitting from the move. On just one day last month, volunteers delivered more than 130 meals to schoolchildren.

Stenny chairman Iain McMenemy, who helped to organise the initiative, said: “We put out a few requests for further volunteers and the response to each has been really encouraging.

“We’re doing one-to-one tasks for people like dog walking and shopping and we’re putting in calls to make sure they’re okay.

“The advice was clear: if you’re going out for your own shopping, if you have to go to work, if you’re going out for one bit of exercise or if you’re helping a vulnerable person you’re able to go out, particularly because some people have got nobody else.

“We have even had members of family from farther afield saying they have a relative in the area and they want to give you a call.

“We’re still looking for volunteers as we’re only in week three and the smart money is probably on this being extended for three months.

“We’ve also expanded out to do school meal deliveries for a number of the schools.

“Carron Bathrooms got in touch and offered two vans so we now have three. On top of that, we’re doing deliveries for Falkirk Foodbank.”

The team behind Stenny’s community help initiative are also working in tandem with Falkirk Council to ensure volunteers offering a helping hand during the coronavirus crisis reach as many people as they can.

Iain added: “The council has set up a coordinating number which is great.

“If we get any calls from outwith we will pass them on and vice versa to make sure we’re covering as wide an area as possible.”

To offer to volunteer, or to request support, call Stenny’s community help hotline on 01324 466563.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.