A ROSSENDALE 74-year-old Parkinson’s sufferer has been given her own ‘personal shopper’ to her through the coronavirus pandemic.

The assistant has been delivering fresh food to Bacup’s Chris Worswick and her husband who are confined to their house for fear of contracting Covid-19.

She is one of scores of Valley residents being helped by the Rossendale Connected community hub.

Mrs Worswick said: “My family all live away and so it has been a lifeline for us because I enjoy cooking.

“Having a personal shopper means that I can get the ingredients I need to keep making healthy food because I like to cook using fresh produce.”

At the hub’s centre, four people man the phones taking more than 40 calls a day and signposting them to the appropriate help.

One of those manning the phones, Debbie Dewhurst, a social prescriber who normally works from a GP practice,said: “My role here has completely changed. Normally I am looking at how to get people out into the community to get support from a group and at the moment I am persuading them to stay in.

“We are working with vulnerable people, arranging them to get their shopping done and their prescriptions collected and also helping with their anxiety and mental health.

“In milder cases we can arrange for telephone befriending but in more complex situations we will help them direct.”

Rossendale council leader Cllr Alyson Barnes said: “The quickest way to receive help remains through family and friends, but there are vulnerable people with long-term health conditions who are not able to do that and we are pleased that Rossendale Connected is providing a lifeline for those residents.

“It is important that no one feels alone at this time.”