Lewisham firefighters deliver food parcels across borough

Local London Fire Brigade (LFB) staff have gone "above and beyond" to help their local community, delivering meals to elderly and vulnerable residents and even receiving a helping hand from a celebrity chef.

Station Commander Nathan Hobson said his firefighters "have overcome challenges and worked incredibly hard to continue to support community initiatives and local partners during the global pandemic."

Working with partners Voluntary Services Lewisham (VSL), over 400 food parcels were delivered by Lewisham LFB.

Crews used their knowledge of the local area to assist in delivering deliveries across the borough, and on one occasion managed to turn around a delivery to a 90-year-old woman within just 30 minutes of the Brigade's Control iden

Lewisham firefighters have been busy over lockdown.

Firefighters also had a helping hand from celebrity chef, Levi Roots, who delivered a virtual Caribbean cooking session to crews who then delivered meals to over 30 Lewisham residents.

Not wanting to stop there, Lewisham crews also set up a charity initiative to provide pyjamas for children in hospital.

“Whilst we now look forward to brighter days, we will continue to do all we can to help those in our local community, with crews continuing to deliver food parcels in the coming weeks.”

Melissa Tettey, CEO of Voluntary Services Lewisham, said: “One of the few positives to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the opportunity to forge new and exciting partnerships, whilst strengthening the existing relationships we have.

“The Lewisham crews have been instrumental in their support of VSL. We have partnered with them to deliver food parcels, and in kind, they have supported us with delivering food hampers for vulnerable and isolated families in need.

“Their warmth and generosity of spirit is evident; we look forward to continuing working with the team to reach more people in need of our services during this challenging period.”