Edinburgh Coronavirus Support has gone from strength to strength after launching as the seriousness of Covid-19 became apparent #NeverMoreNeeded

An organic volunteer movement is playing a key role to help residents in Edinburgh stay connected.

Edinburgh Coronavirus Support was launched at the start of March, and immediately gained a strong and active following online.

The group was conceived by a group of volunteers who saw the need for community support before serious measures had been implemented in the UK.

It aims to act as a group for connecting and communicating efforts to help those dealing with the direct or indirect effects of Covid-19.

“It was in February, when the effects and scale of the virus worldwide was first becoming apparent that it was thought it might be a good thing to create a volunteer database in Edinburgh,” said Sam Buckley, one of the group’s administrators.

“In March it began to come together, and we had a great response to the Facebook page being launched.”

More than 300 people signed up as potential volunteers in the first 10 hours, and the group now has more than 9,000 followers.

It was initially envisaged that the page, and a specially created app, would see volunteers directly matched to groups and communities however the plans were adapted slightly in response to national volunteering plans and with guidance from Volunteer Edinburgh.

It now coordinates local support via Facebook, and a GDPR-compliant database of more than 2,400 volunteers has been created. Local charities can sign up to allow them to link with volunteers that are skilled and in their area.

The page aims to give local residents information that they need, which is up to date.

A website has been created which acts as a community directory, signposting residents to useful services that are local to their area such as food delivery, health support and local support groups.

The group is looking to connect with more charities, in order to make good use of the database and further expand support across the city.

The support service will continue to evolve as the pandemic continues, and may even continue in its aftermath to offer general community support.

Buckley added: “The group has been growing organically, and we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. I think it’s possible that Edinburgh Coronavirus Support could become Edinburgh Community Support after the pandemic, and this is certainly something that we are thinking about.”

You can connect with Edinburgh Coronavirus Support on Facebook or Twitter. For more information, visit the group’s website.