The Corona Angels inspired from the Aids crisis, saving lives

In every crisis comes a silver lining, the fear, the bigotry, the ignorance around the Aids crisis in the 80s did lead to medical breakthroughs during which approx Aids killed 30 million people worldwide, the public Inquiry into the NHS blood Transfusion scandal is still happening in 2020 but took 30 years of activism by NHS hero , the first Aids nurse and my friend Carol Anne Grayson and others , whilst the support network that gave emotional and support to its victims through a network called buddies to those at a time when people needed it most, are back as We Care Foodbank through its Corona Community Support Network have re-established a network of local community volunteers who like some modern dating service match volunteers to people and families in isolation and crisis , a buddy for a single parent in a tower block with small children and no access to a garden, today has a buddy who reads stories down a phone line, gets shopping, toiletries, keeps them supported, a new friend close and supportive, the elderly at high risk left alone and isolated with families living so far away today have a buddy a friend at the end of the phone who pops round everyweek to deliver food and toliteries and to top up key meters , its the company they value , often more than the food they tell me, our food is delivered not by a different stranger every week , but by a friendly neighbour matched who will long after this crisis has come and gone be an important friend and family member thanks to this Buddy scheme we hope will be copied globally , our volunters value being valued , they see the lives they save and the difference they make to people on the edge yes every day we struggle to raise the cash to buy the food to feed the huge numbers that simple are not getting the cash from the money tree or simple find what help they are being told is out their does not match their reality , so if you can please donate. https://www.gofundme.com/f/corona-virus-community-support-network?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1 We are presently filming and recording much of what is going on in our community the extraordinary people, the amazing projects running on fresh air and the difference we are making we hope a mainstream broadcaster will screen our communities story 

Today We Care Food Bank and The Corona Community Support Network, faces new issues to address the staggering number of people losing jobs and business coming our way for help whilst many of those who have volunteered are going back to work another source of worry and concern, whilst the cafes and restaurants running the food hot meals served to people in need will come under their own pressure when these businesses need to open. The good news this week, We Care have matched a food programme with a local school who had fifty families they had concerns about their well being, each family had a child getting free school meals so clearly the whole family was going hungry our project has insured going forward ALL these families will have ready healthy meals delivered to the School every week of the year including the Holidays, its the first project we are aware in the UK, starting in Deptford Lewisham, should this not be like our Buddy system rolled out to every school so after this crisis food hunger and loneliness is no longer an issue?

Corona Virus impact on the elderly , Ray Woolford Corona Community Support Network update May 2020

Last week, we at We Care Food Bank thought we would be looking forward to not running a food bank 7 days a week, the worst the Government would have us believe is over, and yet those of us on the frontline of feeding people hungry and alone and without cash this crisis have seen a rapid increase in people seek help this week, one local school contacted us this week because they have become aware of 40 families that are going hungry because if a child is getting free school meals, the family of which that child is a member is also going hungry, whilst the going back to work rush has seen all Corona Community Support Networks like ours see Volunteers go back to work whilst busy roads make getting crucial food parcel deliveries ever harder to deliver. Thankfully we still have our We Care team made up of awesome people from a variety of backgrounds, including homeless people, architects, film-set designers, actors, political researchers, chefs, refugees, a brewery owner and criminal lawyer, a Windrush hero - but how long will many of them be able to stay as work calls again? Storage is an increasing problem with cafe and restaurants closed and food bank donation points rare, We Care like others are dependent on the food from warehouses and stores to help pad out our food parcels, 80% of what we give out we buy as we get NO state or council funding this week our biggest delivery included Itsu Seawood and MacDonald's dipping sauce when what we all really needed was Cooking oil, rice, eggs, toothpaste, toiletries and yes loo paper, ready steady cook was never like this. so if you can please donate. https://www.gofundme.com/f/corona-virus-community-support-network?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

This crisis has also exposed how tough and what high-risk life is for the elderly, our mums, dads, grandparents, no lunch clubs, bingo or the family round for tea on sunday, poverty has been a growing issue that I have long campaigned to raise awareness, huge numbers do not have a smartphone or the internet, in the age we live those we love, live further away with distancing even visiting a neighbour is not an option when corona haunts your every thought, whilst for years I have been writing about the elderly having the family round for tea on sunday and then queuing at the local food bank on monday, for you see the elderly have worked every day of their lives, they have paid their taxes and many fought OUR Wars, they live in a world that is aspirational nothing worse than having lived a full life and yet finding yourself unable to put food on the table or ask a family member for help, This week this issue was picked up at last by the main stream press and this link takes you to the TV News Interview i did this week, although sadly what i have to say is never given the screen time it deserves and i would ask that when you visit family and friends you take a look at the cupboards and fridge , do they need your help? Pride and Shame words that do not come easily to this community. My RT Television News Interview on the crisis faced by the Elderly https://youtu.be/ECQztOMgKHY

As we enter week 9, how about turning Saturday 23 May, ( The bank Holiday weekend ) Into a front door table sale, sell what you bake, your old books and clothes and raise cash for the local grassroots organisation in YOUR community doing great work, most like us get NO state or Council funding so the pounds you raise will make a huge difference to people and pets in crisis needing Eggs, Fish, Loo roll.

This week we started, at last, filming these people and what is going on at grassroots level on an epic scale across Lewisham, if it's going on here it's happening globally and yet this frontline is going unreported how ordinary people and ordinary places without the state, council or church support have out of fresh air build a logistics network, a food and support network is a truly inspirational story worthy to be told, all our film team are local and have worked at the highest level in the film and TV sector but due to lock down and having been inspired by these events are making the film. We welcome interest from TV-Film commissioners, media to buy this film for broadcast as we move into week 2 of filming what we hope will be the first Documentary film that is so inspirational that will inspire and recognise those on this frontline going globally unrecognised. One day One Community one amazing story .

Corona Virus Ray Woolford Update on Corona Community Support Network with the big question

As I write this yet another food bank has opened in our area to meet the demand for increasing numbers of people who are being told in the present uncertain climate that there is no point putting them on 80% salary as the business they work for can not see a future and will in days cease trading, Waiting staff are suddenly discovering that tips and commissions and the bonus are nor seen as part of their wage even though it may account for 60% of their taxable income leaving many with incomes of less than 30% to pay rent, utility bills and food, whilst the daily Corona press conference is constantly about what the Government says it has been or is doing. Yet, week eight of lockdown PPE is still an issue, 100,000 of people told to isolate due to their high risk and vulnerability are still waiting for that famous food parcel pledged eight weeks ago, eight weeks without food, how would you cope?

If Everyone from the magic money tree was getting this Government money we hear so much about, why are We Care and the Corona Community Support Network having to crowdfund with a GoFundMe page to raise cash to feed the very people we are told are getting food parcels or can secure Government finance?

An army of people grows every day of wonderful volunteers who see for themselves that what we are told at the daily press briefings does not match the reality in our communities we are told Councils are doing a great job. Yet, the reality almost every council is pushing all those in need the way of the countless number of Corona Community Support Groups instead of organising and leading from the centre or even insuring the cash the Government gives them is passed on to the front line groups who are doing their job and ensuring starvation and suicide numbers do not overtake COVID victims.

So if you can please donate if we reach £5000 the Government will give us £2.500 in gift aid. every penny goes to people and pets in crisis we all work as volunteers. https://www.gofundme.com/f/corona-virus-community-support-network?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

This week we started adding. Houseplants to food parcels to help those cope in flats and temp housing without gardens with their mental health along with the books for kids and the bespoke food parcels we organize to address every household dietary and faith as well as addressing the reality many homes do not have internet, smartphones, fridge, freezer, microwave or cooker. While struggling to raise the cash to top up key meters for people to access support, buy nappies and expensive baby milk, our clients are the elderly, the disabled, LGBTQ, single-parent families, much-loved Dogs and Cats, the homeless in temp housing and refugees that long ago accepted #refugesswelcome was far from any reality, you see those we care for are NOT cool, we would love people to sing or march up and down their Gardens to raise cash so we can buy food for people going hungry instead of money for the NHS which is NOT a charity. We are putting together a documentary film crew to record what you do not see on your TV screens the reality of thousands of people once ordinary like the communities they live who through this crisis have bypassed Gov, churches, and Councils and out of fresh air crowdfunded to feed and support their neighbours in crisis to become extraordinary how do you run a food bank in a lockdown crisis?

We are still looking for Experienced Camera operators for the fly on the wall Documentary.that we hope will inspire and engage. as well as to hear from broadcasters interested in broadcasting DM us through www.kathduncanequaltyandcivilrightsnetwork.org

Ray Woolford Corona Community Support Network

This crisis has bought out the best in people I am so proud that my community and the people of Lewisham are leading the way in supporting people and pets in crisis in such a creative way that we are now going to record all that is going on unreported at the grassroots level across our borough for a new documentary that we hope will not just tell OUR boroughs story, across one day, but also record and share the creativity and originality of what is going on across our borough and going mostly unreported, with our awesome characters that make up our neighbours and a terrible crisis has seen communities bypass Council and Government to create projects from the fresh air and go fund me page that literally safe lives

We do not do ordinary in Lewisham, I praised the Women leading the help last week, people like Sharon in this picture who found herself through fate running the Feed The Hill project at The Hill Station Cafe in New Cross and Sian who built an entire distribution network to get food delivered to refugee families in crisis within hours.

Other Community heros have also sprung up one creating a sewing network of neighbours to make PPE, another to establish the new Hill Community Radio station, another the Kids Rainbow picture project that gets children to paint Rainbows for those getting food parcels who don't have children around and the many elderly whose Grandchildren can not visit and whose Rainbow reminds them of there loved ones the time spent together and the times to look forward to. So if you can please donate. https://www.gofundme.com/f/corona-virus-community-support-network?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

We Care will this week will ad house plants that are grown in Deptford to its next round of food parcels to help peoples mental well being expanding on the books for children, they are delivering along with food and toiletries only made possible thanks to the kind donations of strangers, even though We Care Food Bank has been around since 2014 and was the first food bank to open in Lewisham, food, its main donation does not count to secure charity registration and it desperately needs to raise £5000 to secure a Charity number and the access to grants that a charity number brings as well as Gift aid, if everyone reading this chipped in the cost of a mug of tea we would get We Care over the line, many coronavirus community projects across Southeast London get their food via We Care food account access, We Care also Top-up key meters and phones this alone for one family in crisis can cost £30, they do peoples shopping, walk dogs, cook meals, and work with those most in need who do not have Internet or Smartphones although no one in crisis is turned away , social services, churches, homeless and refugee council trust We Care with their most vunarable clients but sadly whilst they get the funding We Care deliver the Food, The Companionship through their buddy scheme inspired through the LGBTQ Aids crisis that matches local volunters with people in isolation during this crisis with emotional as well as food but needs support from their gofundme account . We Care Food Bank also partners #ChrissySentUs Homeless outreach project and www.kathduncanequaltyandcivilrightsnetwork.org that also has a webshop selling cutting edge ethical slogan driven TShirts that whilst making great gifts also help pay for this work

Anyone interested in the Documentary please contact Direct Mail ME 

Camera operator. Work Documentary Film maker needed London during Corona Crisis

We are looking for a number of brilliant camera operators with all the kit for a new 40-minute film we are hoping to make based around One borough One community, One day, in this case, Lewisham South East London a fly on the wall film about the characters and extraordinary people and organisations that have turned them and their organisations from ordinary to extraordinary due to the Coronavirus crisis outbreak, we want the film to be inspiring engaging and really capture what is going on at grassroots and mainly being missed by mainstream media. If you have worked in mainstream media and ideally documentaries we would love to hear from you, must have or access to use C300, FS7, A7 smkil , 5D or GH5 payment would be based on equity rates and we could only pay once we sell the film. We have a number of top Directors and Producers presently in talks as since the lockdown lots of people in this sector without work.

If you think you could help us capture and tell some extraordinary stories and start filming ASAP, Please DM with experience and skill set as we are working with the mainstream director they will need experience

Could you help get this Film on Screen? Featured at Film Festivals? We would also be interested in hearing from Media groups interested in buying a film- the documentary that follows this extraordinary community over one day through this crisis

This Project is a combination of We Care food Bank, #ChrissySentUs homeless outreach project and the work with refugees and others on the edge through www.kathduncanequaltyandcivilrightsnetwork.org the project hopes to film EVERY group and Org at the grassroots level on one day across Lewisham Borough although clearly we will film more than just one day