Community Coronavirus Response
Since the outbreak of the Coronvirus pandemic, the Winchester College community has done everything it can to support those facing hardship in the city and beyond.
Aims
As the country went into lockdown, Winchester College identified a variety of needs in the local community that it could meet, using the school's resources and volunteers from the staff and pupils.
Resources
Many of the school's resources and staff have been deployed in the effort to tackle the Coronavirus crisis. Details as follows:
- Winchester College is the main responder for Winchester City Council's Response Team, with school volunteers supporting vulnerable residents with a variety of tasks including delivering prescriptions and shopping.
- School volunteers are supporting the NHS Telehealth Service at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, which is a new service that provides NHS 111-style support for care homes, paramedics and GPs. Volunteers deliver prescriptions to residential and nursing homes.
- Working in partnership with Trinity Winchester, the school's catering manager and one of our school chefs are using a school kitchen and ingredients bought by the school to produce microwaveable meals for vulnerable people in the city, which are then delivered by a school minbus driver.
- Four staff members who are former nurses have returned to work for the NHS during the pandemic.
- The school is providing free accommodation for carers working for the Together for Mental Wellbeing charity, based in Winchester.
- Winchester College has provided financial support to the Salvation Army and First Bite, who are working with local catering company, Red Radish, to provide free meals to those who need them.
- The school's Design Technology team worked in the DT centre to create a prototype face shield and, following consultation with an NHS colleague, went into production.
- School volunteers have distributed PPE supplies to Southampton General Hospital, Hampshire Ambulance Service and the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester.
- A volunteer sewing group has been established in one of the boarding house to make face masks for the Autism Hampshire.
Impact
- The volunteers for Winchester City Council's Response Team have so far helped over 45 families.
- The kitchen team have been creating 75 meals per day, two days a week, for vulnerable city residents.
- For the PPE effort, over 2,500 gloves, 100 pairs of safety spectacles and 100 disposable aprons have been delivered to local NHS hospitals.
- The DT team made and delivered 120 protective face shields to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.
Pupil Involvement
While all learning at home through lockdown, the boys have made their own efforts to support their communities and to raise money for Coronavirus-related causes. Here are some examples.
- Freddie raised over £2,000 for St Giles Hospice, Lichfield, by swimming the equivalent length of the English Channel over just 2 days in memory of his grandfather
- Winchester College JCA Football Team raised over £4,500 for Age UK by running 500km in 6 days
- The Winchester College Scholars of 2019 raised over £1,500 for Médecins Sans Frontières by running and cycling
- Winchester College band Arcane wrote and performed a cover song called Fighting the Virus (Thank You NHS) to recognise the role of the health service in fighting Coronavirus
- Alfred has been volunteering in his community to support older people through their isolation and doing shopping for those who are unable to
