A community courier service delivering vital care packages to shielded older people in Bramley, Swinnow and Stanningley is going from strength to strength.
As we reported two weeks ago, generous volunteers from the Bramley Breezers have been picking up supplies from Bramley Community Centre and running them to vulnerable people unable to get out during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Community reporter and photographer Simon Cullingworth joined the runners – nicknamed ‘BrAmazon’ – this morning for a special delivery of books and magazines. Here’s his report:
BrAmazon co-founder Vickie Jamieson said:
“BrAmazon is another example of local people and community groups coming together to benefit everyone.
“It began around the middle of May and aimed to provide a carbon free mode of delivering essential items, and care packages for local vulnerable or elderly people who are isolating due to the Covid-19 crisis.
“The group came about by members of Bramley Elderly Action and Bramley Breezers coming together to share skills, time and resources.
“Bramley is well known for community groups working together, Bramley Elderly Action, Bramley Community Centre, Bramley Community Clothing Exchange and Bramley parkrun all rely heavily on volunteers and community engagement, and seems to be an endless supply in Bramley.”
BrAmazon, a combination of the words Bramley and Amazon, was brought together by Fran Graham and Vickie Jamieson. They linked the people power of Bramley Breezers running club to the essential deliveries for Bramley Elderly Action.
“The running delivery service gives the club runners purpose for their daily exercise, means they can contribute to the national effort to keep the country going, enables those who are isolating to have contact with others despite remaining home safely. It’s environmentally friendly, it encourages exercise, and it means the runners feel that they are still running as a group, in spite of being separate.”
I joined Bramley Breezer Pearl on a BrAmazon delivery this morning to see the courier service in action.
Pearl said:
“It’s all about giving back to the more vulnerable members of the local community and I hope somebody will look after me when I’m too old to look after myself.”
Pictured below is a happy recipient of a BrAmazon delivery this morning.
Pictured in the image at the top of this page are Bramley Breezers Pearl Shipley (left) and Joanne Brugger collecting books from Bramley Community Centre.