Caring cafe owner wins award for helping community during coronavirus crisis
A caring cafe and gift shop owner has won a competition for her selfless work during the pandemic.
Claire Thorne, 44, from Enville village, Staffordshire, has won an O2’s Everyday Heroes competition.
Claire, who runs Archie's Attic in Enville, was forced to shut shop when lockdown was enforced, and used her spare time to create a committee of volunteers who worked, and continue to work, to help the vulnerable people in their community.
Worried for the elderly members of the community, Claire worked closely with the parish to establish a hotline – called Kinver Kobra – which grew to a team of 124 volunteers.
The hotline helped those who needed food deliveries, help with a home emergency, or those who simply wanted a phone call for some company.
Claire said: “One elderly lady rang us early one Sunday morning complaining that the burglar alarm was going off all night. In actual fact. it was the smoke alarm that needed its battery replacing.
“She’d had no sleep and was very distressed, so one of our volunteers replaced her battery wearing PPE while they remained socially distanced, on this occasion we had the appropriate equipment needed to safely enter.”
Even now as restrictions ease, Claire and all the volunteers continue their great work with the hotline, and hope to help as many people as they can.
Claire added: “The pandemic brought to the surface the amount of vulnerable people living by themselves who are in need of a little care, and these people continue to need attention even post-lockdown.
"For this reason, the Kinver Kobra hotline will continue to be available to those in need.
“I was surprised and humbled to win O2’s Everyday Heroes award, but I really didn’t work alone, it was such a team effort.
"From all our volunteers to the shop owners who put through countless orders every day, everyone rallied together to support the community."
