SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON

Zoya Yousef has just finished her last year at Stanwell School, albeit earlier than planned, and she is hoping to study law in London come September. She’s lived in Penarth her whole life, and has for the past two years been working at the Haven Spa, alongside volunteering with the local charity Heart Research Wales. More recently, however, she’s been spending her time with the Penarth Helping Hands COVID-19 support group. We spoke with Zoya, socially-distanced of course, about the volunteer group and why she decided to join.

Can you tell our readers a little about Helping Hands?

Helping Hands is a voluntary group in Penarth, it brings together the whole community to unite against these challenging times. Our wonderful group is filled with so many diverse people of different ages, backgrounds and talents, so it is lovely to see everyone collaborate.

What inspired you to join Helping Hands Penarth?

I remember it was the evening that Boris Johnson announced the closure of schools and cancellation of exams. I had been working relentlessly to get into university, and nnow that everything I had worked for was in a state of uncertainty, I was so confused. Although, pretty quickly I realised that all my work hadn’t been for nothing. Whilst memorising mathematical equations and French verb conjugations may not be that useful for Helping Hands, the skills I learnt in school have been of great value: the ability to communicate with others confidently, to think outside the box, and to be organised. I didn’t want to waste everything I had learnt so I put myself forward to support Helping Hands and give back to the community that I have always been a part of. Now there’s not a day that I don’t speak to Kathryn Easthope (who set up the group) and I am so glad that I’ve been able to help where I can.

What has the response been like from volunteers?

We have been totally overwhelmed with support from volunteers—it really shows how kind all the people in Penarth are and how grateful we should all be for our lovely neighbours!

What kind of support do volunteers offer?

We have really tried to make the group as accessible and inclusive as possible so everyone can share their interests and help out. At its core, volunteers can offer to collect shopping and prescriptions, as well as offer a friendly call to check in on people who are shielding or self-isolating. However, we have been expanding little projects like our Activity Banks—boxes of activities, DVDs, books, games and toys, which are scattered all around Penarth. We have over ten boxes in circulation, so feel free to grab anything if you’re ever passing one to keep you entertained! We’ve recently set up a Seed Exchange Box too, so that people can swap gardening goodies like plants, pots, seeds and seedlings. It’s on a swap or donate premise, so if you cannot swap anything we kindly ask that you make a donation to our JustGiving page, which we will use to keep the box topped up. Surplus funds will be used to support those in our community on the frontline. The Seed Exchange Box is located at 19 Woodland Place, Penarth. All these little projects are managed by volunteers for which we are super thankful!

How can people request support?

People can request support by completing our help request form online at https://tinyurl.com/ helpinghandspenarth-help and one of the members of our admin team will get back to you right away! You can also request support by calling our number, 029 2009 9359, and leave a message if we don’t manage to pick up.

How can people sign up to volunteer?

You can sign up to volunteer by completing our online volunteering form at https://tinyurl.com/ helpinghandspenarth. After completing, we will allocate you to a group with nearby neighbours so you can offer your help if anyone in your immediate area requests support.

What are the positives that have come out of this pandemic that you would like to see continue into the future?

The community spirit has definitely been humbling—to see people who don’t know each other go to lengths to support one another has been amazing. As well as this, to see people supporting local businesses—the shops and cafés that line our town centre streets and make our community so special and unique. I have also enjoyed seeing everyone explore more of Penarth, taking walks and bike rides locally to enjoy our beautiful little town. I hope all of this will continue in the future!

Have there been any standout moments or stories for you over the past few months?

I would definitely say the Activity Boxes have filled me with so much joy. Being a bit of a bookworm myself, and valuing the importance of reading, it has been wonderful to see other people embrace it too! I love seeing children walk by and get excited by finding a good read. It is definitely harder for younger ones during this pandemic, so it’s nice to see the boxes benefit the children within our community.