Vulnerable people on Hayling Island to receive e-bike delivered turkeys for Christmas

A brand new scheme that has been running on Hayling island since October is seeing people deliver food and key essentials to vulnerable people who are not able to get out.

The scheme, called Goto, was set up by the Good Neighbours Network, and has welcomed volunteers using electric bikes to carry goods.

The team have joined up with local businesses and will be delivering the Christmas turkeys to locals during this festive season as well as working alongside Ruby’s diner and local Good Neighbour volunteers to launch a night time delivery of hot soup and blankets to those on the island that are without a home.

Goto pioneer Louis Coward said: ‘Loneliness is something people very rarely own up to, but by making this about delivering essential items it also gives us a chance to keep a friendly eye on people, just to make sure they are ok and have someone to talk to.’

All of the volunteers are being urged to spend time on their deliveries to talk to the people using the service in order to offer them as much help as possible, particularly those that are alone and vulnerable during the winter months.

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Funded by the Department of Transport under a government scheme to tackle isolation, the initiative is a collaboration between a number of organisations across Hampshire, and as well as intercepting loneliness, they are also trying to undertake the scheme in a low carbon manner to equally help the environment.

Even though the project has been going for just over a few weeks, it is already proved positive and has been drawing praise from participants and wider afield, as well as the help from the Hayling Voluntary Service.

One of the pioneers of the scheme, said: ‘Most of the time people are just glad to have someone to have a chat with and they love the idea of a tri-shaw ride.’

The Good Neighbours Network is Hampshire’s leading volunteer organisation and operates across the Diocese of Portsmouth.