Councillor receives special award for Coronavirus volunteering

A local councillor has received a special award from the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester for his voluntary work during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Rochdale councillor Faisal Rana has been given a Special Recognition Award for his 'outstanding activity and contribution to the community'.

In his citation, High Sheriff Dr Eamonn O'Neal said: "The award recognises the appreciation of the people of Greater Manchester for the altruistic acts of thoughtfulness and kindness during the C-19 pandemic."

Since the start of the outbreak, Councillor Rana has provided hot meals to emergency workers, donated face visors and supported vulnerable residents in his Spotland and Falinge ward with shopping, collecting prescriptions and helping with transport to medical appointments.

He also appealed for people to donate their unused bikes to be refurbished and donated to local nurses by local charity Positive Steps, which has handed over more than 100 so far.

 

 

A successful local businessman, he teamed up with Shell to offer NHS staff free sandwiches at his petrol station and retail outlets, and also gave away Easter eggs to front-line emergency workers.

Councillor Rana said: "The award was completely unexpected and a wonderful surprise. I'm just happy to do my bit  - like thousands of others - and help people in need and support our wonderful NHS and carers. To be able to give something back to the community and to Rochdale is really ample reward in itself. The award came completely out of the blue, but was a very nice way to end National Volunteer Week."

Councillor Rana also initiated a scheme to help some of the poorest children hit hardest by the Covid-19 crisis. He pressed Rochdale Council to allocate £500,000 from its emergency fund and issue supermarket vouchers each worth up to £130 to 5,000 families.

Councillor Rana has donated hundreds of face shields to a wide range of local businesses, including Spotland Road barber Talib Hussain, when he re-opened his shop at the start of July, care homes, schools, including Falinge Park High School, Spotland and Hamer primary schools, and voluntary organisations.

He said: "As the lockdown eases, lots of small businesses are now reopening and they are anxious to operate as safely as possible. I have visited a number of shops in my ward and provided them with free face visors. They've had a really hard time of it lately and I wanted to do anything I could to help."

 

 

Addressing schools, Councillor Rana added: "With more and more children returning to school, teachers and school staff  are now on the front line in the battle against Coronavirus. It's important that they are given essential personal protection equipment when dealing with possible dangerous situations in our schools.

"This small donation is just my way of saying a big thank you to the dedication and hard work of our teachers. They do a fantastic job and I wanted to express my gratitude to the schools that serve my local area so well."

Councillor Rana has also written a report highlighting the disproportionate impact the virus is having on the local BAME community. Minority ethnic communities are two to three times more likely to die from Coronavirus compared to the white population.

He has presented his findings to the Secretary of State for Health and provided evidence to the special Inquiry into the issue set up by Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the Opposition.

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Do you know of anyone who has made a big difference to the community during the Coronavirus outbreak? They could qualify for a Special Recognition Award from the High Shefiff of Greater Manchester. Email HighSheriffGM@gmail.com for a nomination form.