James and his colleagues started tracking what was happening with Covid in January 2020, and began responding to the unfolding events and consequences much earlier than the UK and Welsh governments. The NWRC staff team carried out an initial risk assessment and put new measures in place to minimise health problems arising from Covid for the residents of Penrhyn House.
Within 24 hours of lockdown, James and colleagues received several phone calls from friends who worked in the treatment system, asking whether they could provide basic support, such as supplying food, for some of their clients who were struggling due to having to isolate. NWRC started providing food to needy people and soon had the National Assembly for Wales providing funding for this purpose. Supermarkets provided surplus food.
The team cooked one full day and delivered packed lunches the next day for seven days a week. Demand grew, eventually reaching 120 families and individuals, and the process now changed.
Weekly food boxes were supplied containing three microwaveable meals, and various other items so that families could prepare meals. The team was cooking, packing and delivering, generally for six deliveries per day. One of the highlights for the delivery team was being stopped by the police, two or three times a day during the early stages of the service, as there was meant to be nothing other than essential vehicles on the roads at the time. They loved being pulled over and apologised to, as they were an essential service!
The Penrhyn crew developed a new initiative where they called a hospital to let them know that they would be arriving outside with a car boot-full of water bottles, ice creams, chocolates, coffees and other stuff for ICU workers. They soon after starting doing the same for Mental Health units. Unbeknownst to the Penrhyn crew, their visits were being described on the Health Board website. A bunch of ‘addicts and alcoholics’ was doing what a government, local council, health board and other bodies could not do!
Life for Penrhyn House residents during the pandemic period was very special, as they were sealed in at Penrhyn with no distractions, able to enjoy a gorgeous summer in the gardens and get healthy and well. Mutual aid meetings continued for residents.
NWRC then built the ARK (Act of Random Kindness), a large wooden structure in the back garden for which all the sides could drop down, allowing it be completely open and fully aerated during meetings to abide by Covid regulations. Spacings between people were then measured out. Outside members were now able to attend mutual aid meetings and the like in the ARK.
James was thrilled to be able to do the food delivery work without getting bogged down with the usual commissioning process and due diligence which normally occurred within the system. However, when the Covid pandemic ended, normal commissioning and due diligence processes came back in full force, and NWRC stopped receiving such funding. NWRC did not stop their wonderful work in helping people in need.
Kevin Morris, NWRC’s Housing Manager, contracted Covid and became very ill. He was rushed to hospital, moved to an intensive care unit, and placed in an induced coma for seven weeks. His wife was informed that he was unlikely to make it. When he was told, James cried uncontrollably. It took a year for Kevin to be fit and mobile again.