It’s been a crazy week.

Daily updates from the government, with advice changing almost by the hour.

I had planned to step down from my Parish Council position at the next elections, which were going to be held in May.

The elections have now been delayed by a year, and due to the current coronavirus crisis I have decided to stay on the Parish Council for the time being.

We held a Parish Council meeting last Monday (our last one until this crisis is over) and since then everything has changed.

We set up a Facebook group, like so many other communities have done, called Covid-19 Mutual Aid. This is a place where people in our community can work together to help those in need, locally in our village.

We also set up a phone line, so anyone can ask for help when they need it.

Within five days we already have a list of 100 volunteers.

Within two days we received our first call for help.

A local resident had run out of toilet paper; within half an hour I had gathered a bag of toilet rolls for them, one roll donated each from a handful of families in the village.

By the end of the week, we set up a food bank where people can donate non-perishable foods for key workers and their families.

The village pub has closed, but it has turned itself into a takeaway and sells groceries.

The village hall has shut it doors and cancelled all events.

The school closed on Friday.

My wife and I are now working from home.

Many families and individuals are already self-isolating.

But we are not alone.

I feel incredibly lucky to live in this village, and am very proud of how quickly so many people are already working together to help each other during this most unsettling of times.

I can feel the community spirit in the air.

Take deep breaths, inhale it in.

We will get through this, and when it is over, we will have one hell of a party.

Please share stories below of how people in your communities are helping each other at this time.