AN “unprecedented” showing of neighbourly support has seen a street unite to combat the social restrictions brought about by the coronavirus lockdown.

People living in Thistledown, Highwoods, Colchester, set up a WhatsApp group for their road in March.

Almost the entire street joined the group and before long it was serving as a vital tool to support those in need.

Weekly shopping trips have been organised, while checks on the elderly, information on rubbish collections and the odd spot of morale-boosting humour have been shared.

Maarten Westera, 55, said: “We recognised a lot of people would be lonely in our close, so we started holding weekly socially distanced meet-ups.

“Every Sunday we have a street tea at three.

“Many people have said what a lifeline this has been and for some of us it has been the only thing to looked forward to all week alongside our weekly clap on Thursday nights for essential workers.

“What has been happening in our street during the three months of lockdown is unprecedented.”

When one of Maarten’s beloved neighbours, Peter Ashby, died at the age of 88, few people were able to attend his funeral due to the restrictions. Instead, people lined the street to form a guard of honour for their friend and neighbour.

Gazette:

Missed - Peter and wife Daphne are well-known faces in the road

“It was a deeply moving day and much appreciated by the family,” said Maarten.

On VE Day, Able Seaman Seymour ‘Bill’ Taylor, 94, was honoured in the street with a Cocktails in the Street party and an outdoor two minute silence at 11am.

Maarten added: “During Ramadan we wanted to also support the wider community of Colchester so we held a collection for Colchester foodbank and two carloads of shopping were donated and taken to our local foodbank.

“We all agreed we needed to mark these unusual times and our tremendous community spirit in some permanent way and so Thistledown Garden 2020 was born.

“Many of the residents took part in growing sunflowers, while others set about digging over the hard ground along the street in readiness for planting. We all take turns to water the two garden.”

“It’s truly a wonderful celebration of our community and a memorial to our beloved Peter, who also loved sunflowers.”