Praise for communities working together
Posted on Tuesday 16th June 2020
One of the positive aspects of the coronavirus pandemic is the way organisations have worked together to help people in communities.
Councillor Jane Mudd, Leader of Newport City Council, said: "It has been so heartening, and moving, to see people reaching out to help others at a time of crisis.
"Newport has a long tradition of different cultures living and working in harmony and not only has this come to the fore during the pandemic, it also stands in stark contrast to some of the scenes we have recently seen in other countries.
"One outstanding example of this has been the work of the Newport Yemeni Community Association who wanted to make a different to residents who were socially isolated and started delivering food packages several weeks ago.
"I would like to thank them, those who supported them - including council staff, GAVO and Pobl - and all the other local groups who have worked with us to help vulnerable individuals and families in our city. We are so lucky to have such caring people living in Newport."
NYCA chairman Reggie An-Haddi said: "People in the community were forced to isolate due to COVID 19 and the NYCA felt it was so important to support them by providing food packages, even though many of the volunteers are holding down full-time jobs as well as caring for their own families.
"More importantly we gained far more by helping, it created a sense of community spirit and a bond across our neighbourhoods. NYCA delivered to people of all nationalities across the city, including Yemeni, Syrian, Egyptian, Sudanese, African, Jamaican, White Welsh and Iranian, whoever needed our help. Together we are stronger."