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Do you know a Haddington Hero? We’re asking you, the Haddington community to nominate your unsung community hero who went above and beyond helping others during the last two years.
Haddington Heroes 2022
Outstanding Adult Volunteer
Karen Fraser
Karen worked and helped at the Haddington school hub all the way though the pandemic, she selflessly volunteered hundreds of hours to help the young people of Haddington area.
She insured the young people had a positive outlook while their keyworker parents were out working.
Karen now works at Knox Academy.
Outstanding Adult Volunteer
Chris McEwan
During the pandemic, Chris was the acting Single Point of Contact officer for the Haddington and District area, even though he was also working full time from home.
He set up the resiliency group and recruited many people to assist in the town’s response to the pandemic
Not only did he allocate and alert all the members of the resilience team to respond to emergency calls, but he also made over 2,000 protective shields for key workers working through the pandemic.
Taking on these duties and working full time took its toll on Chris, but he continued right till the end, he deserves this recognition.
Pat Lemmon
Outstanding adult volunteer.
Pat has been an active volunteer of the Haddington Community as a whole for many years. Pat has volunteered in the past with the Resiliency team, Haddington Business partnership and with Haddington Events Group.
Pat was also one of the key people who helped out during the pandemic helping set up the Food and Clothing grants and was the key driver behind the Lending library that was set up to deliver books and jigsaws to the community while the local library service was closed.
Pat still contributes to the community in her current role on the Community Council as Vice-Chair and one of the daily volunteers with the Lammermuir Larder.
Alison Reynolds
Outstanding Adult Volunteer
Alison’s enduring commitment, dedication, and loyalty to our local community through Our Community Kitchen are commendable by anybody’s reckoning. She continues to sacrifice her time to ensure the work of OCK fulfils all its obligations to the people for whom OCK has been a lifeline.
Alison was responsible for setting up, training, coordinating, and running over 6,400 kindness calls, an initiative set up since March 2020 lockdown to maintain a weekly connection to the community who were referred by our GP and hospitals.
Alison acted as our Welfare Officer during the lockdown so that if anyone was unwell and not at home, she would be in touch with local hospitals and the police to ensure the person was well and/or attended to and admitted to the hospital.
She still is regularly in touch with all OCK’s people, remembering birthdays, and anniversaries and organises cards, calls and celebrations for those at home who are still feeling so low and alone or just afraid to come out following the lockdowns.
Alison managed to fulfil all these roles and obligations whilst shielding herself due to her being a full-time carer for her husband who has a progressive illness as well as being a mother, grandmother, and a Haddington Guides leader.
Today Alison has been determined to continue with an immense allegiance to the work of OCK
Louise Begbie
Outstanding Adult Volunteer
Louise is an active, the hard worker behind the scenes and has made things happen around the town with quiet efficiency.
Kind and helpful to neighbours; full of ideas, bringing things like Rotary buying Couriers to deliver through OCK. Taking on Santa’s sleigh, installing planters around Mercator Cross, and quietly donating to many good causes which she supports
Chair of Pleasance Garden, Blooming Haddington Committee, Rotary and other organisations.
HDCC Resilience Team
Outstanding volunteer group
The HDCC Resilience team was quickly set up to respond to the pandemic lockdowns to fill a gap in aiding those shielding and unable to go out to do day to day activities.
Every single volunteer of the resilience team worked extremely hard throughout the pandemic whether they were still working or on furlough, all of them gave up their time.
From doing their shopping, organising tradesmen for repairs, helping with gardening, collection, and delivery of prescriptions to generally keeping in touch with people who were isolating the members of the team gave their help to anyone who needed it.
Lammermuir Larder
Outstanding volunteer group
Lammermuir Larder had its origins from the food and clothing grants set up in August 2020 where it was found there was a need for a local community food initiative to be set up to support individuals and families in the Haddington and Lammermuir area who are struggling to feed themselves and or their families.
The Larder is a totally volunteer-led community initiative and has received support from the Haddington & District Community Council, HLAP and many other organisations.
Anyone at any time, for whatever reason may need support and the volunteers at the Larder provide this with no questions asked.
Our Community Kitchen
Outstanding volunteer group
Our Community Kitchen exists to reduce social isolation for people of all ages and abilities
by bringing them together to enjoy good hearty fresh food and allowing friendships to form. Running from Haddington Bowling Club where OCK were seeing around 100 people per week
prior to lockdown in March 2020.
After this most of the attendees were forced to self-isolate and OCK decided to turn around their operation at the Bowling Club and deliver hot food out across the
community. Based on referrals from the local GP service OCK started to deliver up to 250 hot meals per week.
During the pandemic, the OCK volunteers were made up of many of Haddington people, school children, businesses and local third sector organisations who made things like small kindness notes, little gifts, donated food, supplies, and of course to the volunteers who gave their time to deliver these along with the meals to all those people shielding at home.
On top of this
Coming out of the pandemic our OCK Team have been welcoming back up to 90 people over 3 days each week back around the table to once again allow people to build on existing friendships and make many new friends, while continuing to deliver meals to those in our community who are still feeling anxious and vulnerable.
Caroline Mckee
Special Person who went above and beyond.
Caroline currently works in Hilton Lodge Care Home and works out in the community for the Call-In Homecare service. She is on the front line in caring for elderly people in and around Haddington
She worked tirelessly in both jobs throughout the pandemic and continues to do so today.
On top of holding down those two essential jobs, Caroline also volunteers in her spare time to help disabled people.
Jan Wilson
Special Person who went above and beyond.
Throughout the pandemic, despite being in her seventies and having health issues, Jan Wilson was the “voice” of the HDCC resilience team in Haddington. She was the first-person people spoke to when they phoned the local emergency resiliency number.
She also ran a number of the kindness calls for people who used Our Community Kitchen, ensuring they were ok and didn’t require any further help.
For nearly 25 years this lady was part of the H&DCC and behind nearly all the Haddington Festivals, craft fayre, fundraising events, art exhibitions etc. all as a volunteer.
Eddie Paton
Special Person who went above and beyond
Eddie worked full time throughout the whole pandemic as a support practitioner with ELCAP where he followed all of the government guidelines closely to ensure the people, he supported were kept safe.
Eddie is also an avid fundraiser and is always raising money for local charities such as beyond boundaries, age of autism and Scottish families and his work ELCAP.
Eddie started a gofundme campaign to raise funds for his father in laws funeral and raised over £2,500, not only that Eddie provided support his mother-in-law and extended family every day during their difficult time being described as the family’s rock.
During all of this Eddie has been keeping fit by climbing Munros and going wild camping in various places in Scotland. He also recently organised and hosted ELCAPs first barbecue for the support workers and all people they supported.
Colette Walker and Emma Scott
Special Persons who went above and beyond
Colette Walker and Emma Scott were key to supporting Haddington and surrounding areas by providing stable regular childcare to the community.
Colette and Emma kept Pear Tree nursery running throughout the pandemic a hub for the children of NHS and other frontline key workers. They also took on children who’ were eligible for special support.
Congratulations to all our Heroes
Fiona McEwan
Special Person who goes above and beyond
For over 16 years Fiona has provided childcare to children within the Haddington area and paid special attention to those who need some extra love and care including deaf and autistic children.
She has spent many years working with the Community Council and is the lynch pin on the Haddington Events Group.
Nothing ever seems too much trouble. With coordinating and helping on many events over the years and passing on that knowledge to others.
She has provided so much support and guidance to so many people over the years and always does this with grace, kindness, and a smile.