Kerry Mitchell is a home carer on the Isle of Mull who has been working long hours while looking after her two children and heading up various volunteer groups throughout the island.
Kerry coordinates the volunteer groups in carrying out shopping and prescription runs for those most at risk on the island.
Due to limited hospital beds on Mull, Kerry was also asked to be part of the emergency Covid team if cases increased. Although she had a lot to consider with a full time job, volunteering commitments and two sons depending on her, she put herself forward to work on the frontline if needed.
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Kerry said: “The week before lockdown, myself and a small group of friends in the village decided something had to be done. We headed up the Salen volunteer group to do shopping, collect post and offer support to people any we could.
“I don’t think any of us envisaged how long this would go on for but nobody’s wavering. I couldn’t just be sat here doing nothing, it would go against everything I believe in and everything I am.
“The cost of living on the island is high and it’s hard not getting to the mainland for shopping but I’m very grateful to still be working through this and keeping busy.”
Kerry has been juggling her community work with home-schooling 15-year-old Bailey and arranging 18th birthday lockdown celebrations for her eldest son, Owen.
Kerry said: “My eldest was just about to take his Highers so he’d have left school and be saving for university by now which, as a single parent, was all part of the plan. That’s out the window now but the kids have been great by helping me around the house.”
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Helen, Kerry’s best friend, said: “Kerry’s a warrior. She’s been absolutely flat out from the minute this kicked off and always puts everyone else before herself.
“She’s been putting in extra hours at work because she feels bad for patients’ families who can’t be with them.
“Last weekend, there was an elderly lady in the village who was really ill and Kerry had been working for seven days straight but worked through the weekend so she could stay with her right until the end.
“She truly is an amazing person.”
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