Doncaster mum making welfare packs for elderly self-isolaters

A Doncaster mum, whose holiday was cancelled because of coronavirus, is using the money she's saved to create 'welfare packs' for self isolating elderly people.

Alhanna Butler has been putting essential items like toilet roll and pasta in bags to distribute to vulnerable members of her community.

She says she was worried about how others were coping with the pandemic:

"I was really struggling to find basic essentials for myself and my own family and I'm lucky enough to be able to go out and drive to however many shops I need to go to.

"The older, the more vulnerable people...I thought I need a way to get essentials to people who can't get them for themselves.

"Inside the welfare packs are essentials like toilet roll, tissue papers, cough sweets, porridge, rice, pastas. There's a cross word with a pencil just in case people get bored, biscuits, there's all sorts in them."

It comes as communities across South Yorkshire are coming together to help those who need it in self-isolation.

Dozens of Facebook and Whatsapp groups offering 'mutual aid' have been set up for neighbourhoods across our county with volunteers offering supplies and support for vulnerable people.

Alhanna says it's really important to help others at such a difficult time:

"The world seems like a really scary world to live in sometimes. I have a four year old son and the most important thing I need to teach him is: in a world when you can be anything, always be kind.

"And I didn't want people suffering and people not being able to have essential things."

For the latest on the coronavirus situation across South Yorkshire, listen to Hallam FM here.