She explains, “During lockdown I saw the Government advertise for NHS volunteers and I immediately enquired.  I am not a ‘sit down’ type person and I need to be focused and occupied for my own wellbeing.  Although I was working from home, the working day was very different to being in College and always having someone waiting to speak to me about something.  So having another focus and being able to support vulnerable people in my community gave me the pastoral role that I was missing.

As lockdown has eased, the alerts as an NHS Responder have become more frequent and have included calling people for a chat, collecting prescriptions and doing weekly shops.  I am honoured that I have been able to support the NHS and step in for those who have been shielding or are simply unable to go out and about themselves.

The month of August was exceptionally busy as an NHS Responder as many people had returned to work or were enjoying time with family and friends as lockdown restrictions relaxed.  The NHS Responder app sets off an emergency alarm when a new request comes through.  I hadn’t logged in for over a week but the first time I went back on I received eleven calls within the hour and my heart was racing with all the sirens ringing.

Unfortunately, now that I have returned to College, I won’t be able to stay committed to my role.  However I plan to volunteer during holidays and at weekends when my workload enables me to.”  

“Kylie’s selfless contributions as an NHS Responder during this challenging period should be commended and we thank her for what she has given back to our local community at this time. Juggling the pressures of working remotely and the commitment of volunteering must have been difficult, but she has clearly embraced this.  As a College we believe passionately in supporting the wider community and our Character Education programme teaches students about the importance of charitable traits; thank you to Kylie for showing our students a real life example of this in action.” Kelly Olive, Deputy Principal