A DISASTER response charity based in Chilmark and its dedicated volunteers have been on the frontline helping communities across the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

RE:ACT, which was previously known as Team Rubicon UK, is an emergency and crisis response charity, operating in the UK and overseas. This year its efforts have been focused on helping communities across the UK during the virus crisis.

Thousands of veterans came forward to support the charity through this difficult time and will continue to do so into the new year. Volunteers have been helping with the distribution of personal protective equipment, delivering meals to vulnerable communities, and building hospital beds, as well as providing support at temporary mortuaries.

In Wiltshire, volunteers helped with welfare checks for the most vulnerable residents.

Former army veteran Nick Wills was volunteering during the first lockdown in March and then later became the lead on tasks in Wiltshire for RE:ACT. He was helping carry out checks on vulnerable and shielding residents - and providing a welcome relief from the isolation.

He said: “There were a number of people that had seen no-one for long periods of time. Part of it was very much reassurance and having a good chat with people on the doorstep, socially distanced.”

When the call for help from Wiltshire Council came again, Nick and fellow volunteers were mobilised again. They also joined forces with local charity Serve On to do household checks.

“It is just so nice to get out with a purpose and be helping people,” said Nick, who has been with the charity for around two years and previously served in the army for 32 years.

“For me it was a good opportunity to do something positive in what has been a pretty negative year.”

Richard Sharp, the CEO of RE:ACT said: “At the start of the year we didn’t know we would be doing this, and even when we deployed in March in response to Covid-19, we didn’t think we would still be on operation nine months later.

“We’ve gone from a small international disaster response charity to a major actor in UK resilience and we’ve done it without reputation or large resources.” Richard expects the charity to be busy in January and February, as it supports vaccination and testing efforts.

"I can’t fully express how much of an astonishing accomplishment this is and it’s all down to the extraordinary skill and commitment of our people.

“Every single one of our team, from staff to trained RE:ACT responders to the veteran volunteers we recruited to support our operation, has thrown themselves into an enormously complex situation and overcome the biggest challenges.

“We continue to be operational and expect a very busy January and February as we support large-scale testing and vaccination sites, as well as supporting other charities tackling the growing crisis of food poverty.

“It’s been a long and difficult nine months and we’re extremely tired but we won’t relinquish our commitment to the UK public and we’ll see this through to the end. If anyone can help support us then please donate via our website. Your support really does make a difference.”

Last month, the charity was visited by Major General Ashley Truluck, High Sheriff of Wiltshire.

He said: “The strength in an emergency is communities working together and the only thing that stops them working together often is that spark of expertise and knowledge which is what you’ve got. RE:ACT can work as that catalyst that brings it altogether.”

The charity relies on donations to fund its operations. Go to re-act.org.uk for more information about volunteering or making a donation to support its work.