Fishbourne 'volunteer squad' have helped 100 residents - Here's how you can get support if you need it

Anyone in Fishbourne who is isolating at home can call a dedicated number to ask for help, with each job being taken by one of more than 70volunteers

That was the message from the chairman of Fishbourne Volunteer Squad (FVS), which has completed a century of jobs in the community during lockdown.

Anyone in the village who is isolating at home can call a dedicated number to ask for help, with each job being taken by one of more than 70 volunteers.

Julie Barwell said the volunteer support has been 'amazing', with a dedicated crew manning the phone and jobs typically allocated to a volunteer 'within minutes'.

She added: "Users are advised who will be completing their request and when to expect them to arrive.

"To have completed a hundred jobs in just a few weeks is a significant achievement."

Chief organiser Jak Dyer said most of the jobs they've completed have been shopping for people who can’t leave their homes and collecting prescriptions.

"But we also provide someone to chat to if people are feeling lonely, and we’ve even reunited a lost elderly cat with its owner," he continued.

The organising committee consists of Fishbourne Parish Council, the church, Fishbourne CE Primary School, the Friends of the school, and the Fishbourne Companions.

FVS has also been awarded a grant from the Sussex Charities Foundation.

A parish council spokesperson said: "Anyone in Fishbourne wanting help can phone 07377 231074 any time between 8am and 8pm, 7 days a week.

"All volunteers practise social distancing at all times."

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