🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆 🏆🌟Westport Vet’s Local Hero Awards🏆🌟 🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆🌟🏆
Westport Veterinary Clinic’s Local Hero Awards has been created to recognise and honour acts of kindness in our local community.
🏆This month Westport Vets Local Hero for South Queensferry is Caroline Gallagher.
⭐Caroline has been extremely busy over the past year, dedicating her own time to helping her local community and those in need. Organising collections for essential items and ensuing people who are struggling have things they need to get through what has been an incredibly difficult year.
🏆Caroline set up and has been maintaining the phone box in Station Road, South Queensferry, as well as organising donations and provisions for others in need, particularly in the busy lead up to Christmas. Initially in March the local phoneboxes in South Queensferry were used for donations of food, books, DVD’s, jigsaws and small toys to help support the local community. The ladies looking after them called themselves ‘The Phonebox Fairies’. 
🏆Caroline Gallagher says: “I decided to set up the one in Station Road and look after it. They have all been a great resource for our community during the past difficult year. We now only have two out of four being used as a community resource and they are a great place to pick up a new book while the libraries are closed.”
🏆Caroline continued to maintain Station Road ensuring it was kept tidy and stocked. The local residents have had a massive impact on the sucess of the phoneboxes and helping others in the local community who have rallied round both making and collecting donation items.
⭐In November Caroline thought it would be a nice idea to help out a few families in need of some support who were staying in temporary accommodation – an idea which she soon put into motion. The local community once again rallied round with offers of help and donations.
🏆Caroline found out what the families needed and supplied them with new bath towels, bedding and organised Christmas presents for each child and their Mother’s. Her friend, Dianne Forrest, offered to arrange a collection of food and they were also all given food hampers. Once again the generosity of their local community made this possible to accomplish.
⭐Caroline spent 5 weeks organising what each family needed and gathering donations from the local community.
🏆Caroline told us: “I was truly taken aback by the amount of support and time people wanted to give to help others in need. Without their help and generosity it would not have been possible.”
“My husband and myself delivered all the household items one week. Dianne and myself delivered the food hampers and extra bags of groceries the following week. Finally during the first week of December my husband and myself delivered all the presents for the children and gift bags for the Mum’s.” “The children’s ages and interests were taken into consideration so they all opened presents they really wanted. The Mum’s were very emotional and couldn’t believe that people in Queensferry who didn’t even know them would care so much. These were families who were really struggling in homeless/temporary accommodation and this made a big difference to them at the end of a very difficult year.”
⭐Fiona Bekkout told us: “Caroline has been maintaining, tidying and looking after the phone box on Station Road during lockdown but more recently someone donated a child’s pram and Caroline took the pram to give to a 5 year old girl who’s family were struggling. She then coordinated a collection of items to help a few families. This included toys and. new outfits for the children, new bath towels and bedding plus a gift bag for the mums. The Mums were in tears and can’t believe everyone has been so generous but it’s takes someone to organise. A Christmas food hamper has also been organised by Dianne Forrest with donations for the same families.”
🏆Caroline continues to look after the Station Road phone box and hopes it continues to be a good resource for the local community during this second lockdown we now find ourselves in.
⭐This amazing feat, of so many acts of kindness in the local community shows just what can be accomplished with the kindness of individuals and support of a local community. The phenomenal effect these kind acts have on others is a greater magnitude than you can imagine. In what had been a hard year for everyone, has also been biggest life struggle for others less fortunate, who were not equipped at the time the pandemic and lockdown stuck the nation.
❤Caroline is an incredible individual who quite literally thought outside of the box. She has dedicated her time, strength and determination, to help out others who were in need in her local community, and what incredible results have shone from this. A true local hero, as is Dianne Forrest, the wonderful phonebox fairies and all of the local residents who donated items and time to help make these acts of kindness possible. South Queensferrys community spirit has been shining brightly through out the darkest of times.
🏆Westports Vets aim is to recognise and celebrate acts of kindness in our local community and also help to support local businesses in it. ⭐If you would like to nominate someone for Westport Vet’s Local Hero Awards, please email us with details and their act of kindness to: heroes@westportvets.com
🏆Each month Westport Vet’s Local Hero will receive a certificate of recognition and a treat for themselves at a local business.
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