The coronavirus response being publicised by Exmouth Town Council at the moment is if you are self-isolating and are in need of help with urgent errands (such as essential food items and collecting prescriptions), or you want to volunteer to help others with this, you can join the Exmouth Mutual Aid Covid-19 Facebook group.

This is the local branch of the national 'Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK' group who are providing expert guidance on how to provide well-coordinated assistance, whilst ensuring (a) safeguarding of vulnerable people, and (b) that volunteer actions don't contribute to the spread of the virus.

The Exmouth group is currently working on getting a phone line, email address and Neighbourhood Groups set up, but in the meantime you can post on the Facebook group if you want to request or offer assistance.

Please note that the group is entirely volunteers and not medical professionals. For medical advice you should continue to check the NHS website for further announcements.

Please join the group and help spread hope and kindness.

Information from Open Door Exmouth:

In terms of support, Open Door is manning the phones and email Monday-Friday, 9am – 5pm so if people need support, they can get in touch and we will do our best to help, either ourselves, or with signposting.

We have a team of volunteers delivering emergency provision of food and toiletries, deliveries running Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

These are coming from our store cupboards and from the weekly collections of surplus food from Tesco, M&S and Lidl.

Call 01395 224218 or email [email protected].

Information from Exmouth Community Larder:

The Exmouth Community Larder is expanding its service and adapting to the growing challenge, supported by the continued generosity from the whole community of Exmouth and surrounds.

Demand is rising fast, and will no doubt soon escalate dramatically.

Volunteers need to be able to work well distanced from each other and well separated from anyone coming in - so the issue is not how many volunteers there are, but how well everyone can remain distanced while maintaining the service.

People who are "shielding" - that is keeping isolated but not normally needing Larder help - will get deliveries as requested.

Many of the usual Larder users are also keeping isolated for medical reasons, so The Larder is gearing up for very many more deliveries.

Additional volunteers, both drivers and sorters and packers, will be needed, more will be needed tomorrow and even more as this crisis develops!

The Larder does not seek any payment. The experience of Exmouth generosity teaches that people who are helped will become generous donors when they can afford it!

For those badly in need, including the homeless who cannot receive a delivery, The Larder remains open at the usual times, 1.30-3.00pm, on Mondays and Fridays.

However, everyone who can is being urged to arrange deliveries by email or phone beforehand.

The Salvation Army hall has been rearranged to keep everyone well distanced, and to function effectively with only a handful of volunteers.

The sorting of donations and packing of deliveries is now organised into separate sessions, without any visitors.

A small number of volunteers at any one time makes good social distancing practical, so that the work gets done without compromising safety.

Delivery drivers are also needed. Our procedure minimises the contacts they make; the deliveries can be put into the vehicle by another volunteer and the supplies left on the recipient's doorstep, who can be alerted by mobile phone to avoid even ringing doorbells.

A cheery wave from the delivery driver's car to the open door is allowed!

The Community Larder has good reserves of basic non-perishable food, but the present retail crisis prevents cash being converted into products.

Bread is effectively unavailable, and long life milk and some other basics are running out.

Gaps on the shelves are normally filled with purchases from supermarkets - but the usual bulk buying is currently frustrated.

Hopefully there will soon be a way around this.

All donations of non perishable food are especially welcome. The Larder is grateful for cash, cheques or BACS payments, which will surely enable it to restock eventually, but tins or packets are what are needed right now.

The Exmouth Community Larder continues as it has for seven years and is here to help; anyone under 70 is most welcome to volunteer and all donations most gratefully received!

More information is available -

Call: 07749 322291 / 07787 882075

Email: [email protected] to volunteer

Email: [email protected] for food help