We've seen many changes over the last ten months and some of these may well remain for a long time to come.

One of the positive reactions to the pandemic has been the scale of community support to emerge. Many people have found an increase of time to pursue volunteering in their community, or on a more informal basis of supporting those around them in their neighbourhoods. Cooking an extra portion of a family meal for a neighbour, collecting a prescription or simply checking in with an isolated person has become the norm. Along with the pandemic, loneliness has emerged as an epidemic so we are fully behind anyone who gives a little piece of their time to make someone else's life a little bit better.

Although all of us have entered a period of further restrictions, charitable and volunteering work is exempt so all of us can still play a part in supporting those around us in a safe way. Although nobody can enter another person's home, it's still possible to connect in meaningful ways, such as a socially distanced chat on the doorstep, chatting over the phone or through social media and, of course, let's not forget the power of a written note dropping through the letterbox.

Strathcarron Hospice continues to support local communities and people who are active in their own neighbourhood.