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Woking’s community leaders are joining the millions across the nation to say a big ‘thank you’ to all volunteers in Woking Borough who have been essential in the borough’s community response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Woking Borough Council is supporting the nation’s first ever Thank You Day which is taking place this Sunday, 4 July, by encouraging borough residents to write special messages of thanks to individuals and local groups which have helped them through the pandemic.
Using the Council’s new Woking Community Forum engagement website, residents can post their heartfelt thanks online at www.woking.gov.uk/thankyou. To enable residents to post messages at their leisure, the ‘thank you day’ webpage will be live before, during and after the national thank you day.
Throughout the public health crisis, thousands of local residents have volunteered to support their communities, employers, neighbours, friends and families. These personal acts of kindness and support have included donating and/or making personal protective equipment (PPE), driving people to medical appointments, delivering shopping to housebound residents, helping in community kitchens, distributing food supplies to voluntary and community sector organisations and foodbanks, keeping the borough’s waste collected and green spaces tidy, helping with the vaccine rollout, and so much more.
As part of the community’s response to COVID-19, Woking Borough Council employees and volunteers have:
- allocated and paid £26 million pounds of business grants to over 4,500 local businesses
- made and delivered over 100,000 community meals across the borough
- supported over 1,100 vulnerable residents, including making over 20,000 phone calls
- housed and supported 160 homeless individuals
- rapidly deployed over 100 volunteers to deliver surge testing in nominated areas.
Ahead of Thank You Day this weekend, Cllr Liam Lyons, Mayor of Woking, said: “The past eighteen months have been extremely challenging for a great many people, but the hardship has brought out the very best in our communities. From health and social care professionals, to third-sector workers and volunteers, Woking thanks you for the extraordinary effort and the care you have given to the most vulnerable residents. We all hope never to be in such an extreme situation again, but one of your lasting legacies is the network of support that has strengthened across the Borough.”
Cllr Ayesha Azad, Leader of Woking Borough Council, added: “Thank you to everyone that has played their part to keep Woking safe and continues to do so.”
About Thank You Day
Starting from just 13 individuals proposing a Thank You Day, the idea is now supported by hundreds of organisations across the country, ranging from the Scouts and Guides to Rotary and the Royal Voluntary Service, NHS, The Mirror and the Sun, the Football Association and the Church of England.
It’s got the backing of celebrities, religious leaders and sports stars, local councils and schools, businesses and communities throughout the UK.
The aim is for as many people as possible to be involved, however they would like, so everyone who deserves it gets a thank you – and the whole of the UK gets together.