IT HAS been a busy time for Chilmark-based charity Serve On who after returning from a mission in the Caribbean is now focusing efforts on helping communities at home during the Covid-19 crisis.

The charity has been working closely with councils, local resilience forums, the NHS, military and emergency services as well as other charities.

Dan Cooke, the operations manager for Serve On, said: “The Serve On team is in action. It has members in Gloucester, Wiltshire, Hampshire, West Sussex, London and a few others getting involved. A lot of our people are already involved because their day job is on the frontline.”

Volunteers have been assisting with the delivery of food and medicine, distributing personal protective equipment to frontline workers, care homes and GPs, in addition to infection mapping.

“We are approaching it operationally as we would with any disaster,” added Dan. “We recognise this is a long job.”

Last month, Dan and a team of volunteers flew out to Virgin Gorda, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017, to install emergency radio equipment. He says the equipment will “speed up recovery” and “save lives” during an emergency.

The team also ended up helping the community prepare to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. They were due to be out there for two weeks but due to the pandemic had a limited timeline to install the equipment and train people to use it.

Dan said: “We had half a team, less time and extra jobs because of the real situation that they face. As ever I am really proud of my team.

“You can throw a bunch of challenges at people and they seem to thrive and find a way. We did achieve more than we thought we would have been able to.”

A local emergency response team first set up with the help of Serve On in 2017 was re-initiated with help from the Serve On team in light of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The Virgin Gorda Recovery Operation Centre, which Serve On helped to set up after Hurricane Irma, was also reopened. The charity’s team also helped with identifying high-risk individuals, local education and awareness about the virus, sourcing safe locations for isolation and looking for potential morgue facilities.

The coronavirus crisis has hit Serve On’s finances with income lost from fundraising work and events that have had to be cancelled.

The charity said: “Our electronic communications cost money. Our vehicles, which are so vital for the delivery of goods and equipment, need maintenance and fuel. Our insurances still need to be paid. And if our charity is to survive beyond the current crisis, we will need money to replace income from all of the fundraising work and events that have had to be cancelled.

“At the moment, our volunteers – many of whom are already suffering financially themselves because of the lockdown – are funding their efforts from their own pockets. Perhaps you have the PPE we need; or the funding; or vans; or skills you would like to volunteer. Please help us to help others.”

To find out more about how to support Serve On or to get involved go to serveon.org.uk