Unity Coronavirus Support Groups and Hotline
Support for residents over Christmas
Test Valley Borough Council is urging residents to contact their local support groups early if they require help during the Christmas period due to coronavirus.
Across the borough, community groups have come together in response to the pandemic to pick up medicine, deliver food and run other errands to assist residents who are clinically extremely vulnerable or self-isolating.
Those who will need help over the festive period are being asked to speak to their support groups now to arrange deliveries to enable volunteers to organise their resources and plan around shop and pharmacy closures.
Anyone who isn’t sure who to contact can call the Test Valley Community Helpline on 0330 400 4116 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and they will put them in touch with their local group. This helpline will be open up to and including Wednesday 23 December.
Between Thursday 24 December and Sunday 3 January, anyone who requires urgent food or prescription deliveries can call the Hampshire Coronavirus Support and Helpline on 0333 3704000, between 9am and 4.30pm. The Hampshire helpline will be open for emergency calls every day except for Christmas Day.
Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, councillor Phil North, said: “I’d just like to reassure residents that if they require urgent help then they will be able to access it. But this is simply to make people aware that if they know now that they will require support to access food or prescription collection soon because they are isolating, then they would be best to request it before Christmas when it will be much easier for volunteers to assist.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for helping to looking after their vulnerable neighbours and local communities during the pandemic. You have all made a massive difference to people’s lives at an incredibly worrying time. Hopefully it will be a much brighter picture as we head into the new year with the vaccine being delivered across the country.”