～ S O UT HWA R K A N G E LS ～
LOCAL LOCKDOWN HEROES BY K atherine Johnston & Josh Salisbury
A Rebecca Pritchard
The pandemic brought out community spirit in spades. Everyone’s doing their bit, south of the river
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oint winner of the Elephant and Castle ‘local hero awards’, Kiosk MM factory, part of Mercato Metropolitano, remained open throughout the lockdown, with Abramo Tezgazzi praised by many nominees for knowing many customers by name, being happy to chat and lend a friendly ear. The kiosk was selected for its customer service, work ethic and sociable, welcoming staff. It has also been involved in collaborations with the Mayors Fund for London, Pembroke House, Age UK and Lendlease. One nomination said: "I have been at work for the NHS throughout the pandemic and lockdown, working long hours and craving normality, and this kiosk remained open, offering upbeat conversation and good coffee. “I am so thankful that I have been able to pick up my morning coffee on my walk to work. It has really
helped start my day on a positive note, and he has even offered an NHS discount during uncertain economic times. Just really thankful for the Kiosk MM Factory!" Runners up include: BEZA, for its “genuine desire to support the community every day and during the crisis" by cooking meals for NHS, homeless and vulnerable people; Amy Gray the owner of Dragon Castle for her work making free masks for NHS cancer centres; Super Arts Academy’s founder Irene Hayes for online support during lockdown for those interested in performing arts, the charity Hatch Enterprise for its continuing business support, and Pembroke House’s Richard Galpin for his commitment to getting food to families in need. For more information visit www.elephantsays-hi.com 22
charity worker from Crystal Palace worked round the clock and against travel restrictions and closed borders to deliver life-saving stem cells to blood cancer patients. 32-year-old Rebecca Pritchard has worked for the charity Anthony Nolan since 2014, where she helps recruit donors to its register. During the lockdown she volunteered as a courier, traveling across the UK to collect cells and then transporting them to blood cancer and disorder patients awaiting their transplant. Normally the charity has around 50 volunteers, mostly retired who do this work; including overseas collection. During the pandemic the charity decided to find alternative arrangements to protect its volunteers - many of whom need to self-isolate - including training up office staff. Once a donor has given their cells, couriers have just 72 hours to get them to the patient for them to be transplanted effectively. An emergency ‘handover hub’ was set up at Heathrow for volunteers to pick up cells from international couriers who would normally go directly to hospitals. “I have always wanted to courier although it’s a huge responsibility there’s something incredible about being that link between the donor and the patient and playing a small part in hopefully saving someone’s life,” said Becca. To donate visit www.anthonynolan.org/ coronavirusemergencyappeal
