In her latest column, Cllr Sarah Bennet-Wake gives us another glimpse into the life of a mayor during the pandemic.

Half Term

This week I have been visiting churches and foodbanks providing groceries and packed lunches for families during the half term holiday.

I am completely blown away by the generosity and kindness of Macclesfield residents, businesses and volunteers who have worked so hard this week to ensure no child goes hungry during half term. It is the right thing for Cheshire East Council and schools to offer vouchers for those in need of a meal.

Not all people who use foodbanks are on benefits according to volunteers at St. Paul's, Streetwise and CORE. Many are on a low income or furlough, some have been made redundant whilst others are waiting for Universal Credit paperwork to go through.

There but for the grace of God go all of us in these unprecedented times, so please be kind and give as much as you can to help; you never know when you could find yourself in the same position.

Macclesfield has two foodbanks Silklife and Cheshire Streetwise where you can donate food items and toiletries directly or at local supermarkets such as Tesco's and Sainsbury's.

Cr8 and CORE offer reduced price groceries, food from Fare Share and other donators are sold to residents for a reduced cost of £3.50. I hope that in the future foodbanks will not be the norm but rather an example of the kindness in our community.

Virtual Mayor Making

Normally Mayor Making would take place in person at the end of May but this year is different, in order to keep everyone safe we have filmed the event, one household at a time.

I'd like to thank everyone involved for making this happen, especially Neil our filmmaker who has to splice all my outtakes together. A huge thank you to Harriet and Laura for keeping me organised and presentable I'm grateful to the Mayoress for thoughtfully bringing along a family photo and a gavel my late Dad made for me, it made a big difference having them there.

Lockdown II

From Thursday we will be in our second lockdown. For many keyworkers it will be business as usual, please remember this when shopping, dropping the children off at school or visit the GP.

Although the most vulnerable have not being asked to shield this time, some people may need our support so why not volunteer or just help your neighbours with their shopping or prescriptions?

The best way to keep everyone safe and happy is the wear a mask correctly, not below the nose or on the chin, keep your distance, wash or sanitise hands and if you are indoors, make sure there is some ventilation.

Back to school on Monday thermal vests and new waterproof, winter coat ready!