A Hoylake man has been branded a “fairy godfather” by Wirral residents after helping to support dozens of vulnerable people across the region.
Andy Poynton, 51, from Hoylake, set up the Wirral Support during Coronavirus group on social media in March 2020, with the intention of providing practical support to members of the community who were struggling during the pandemic. Much to Andy’s delight, the group has continued to go from strength to strength, with a network of thousands of residents now working together to help those most in need.
He told the ECHO: “There’s 11,500 of us now. Since the first lockdown we’ve been helping vulnerable people and people in isolation. We’ve provided PPE for nursing homes, we’ve done funerals for veterans, basically anything that people needed, we’ve been able to provide with community spirit."
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He added: “Whenever anyone is struggling, they get in touch with me, I do a group shout out and everyone seems to come to their aid. It’s quite amazing.”
Whilst the group, which is completely reliant on public donations, is a testament to the spirit of a number of Wirral residents, it’s Andy who has been at the forefront of most of their brilliant endeavours. Cathy McKay, 37, who works at Lighthouse Lodge Care Home in Wallasey, has praised the “amazing” support provided by Andy and the rest of the group over the past two years.
She said: “In lockdown, it was a really tough time for nursing homes and staff were under enormous pressure. That was when I saw the Wirral Support group and noticed that they were offering PPE to people who didn’t have it. They seemed to be getting things to people quicker than our government.”
In addition to providing practical support, Andy also co-ordinated a poignant birthday tribute to an elderly war-veteran at Lighthouse Lodge.
Cathy said: “The gentleman had been in the RAF and was coming up to 100. We wanted to make it fantastic for him as he’s served our country and needed to be recognised. Obviously in care homes, budgets are quite tight so we needed some help. I reached out to the group and the response was extreme.
“We had members of the military come and do a parade for him around the garden. We had loads of food donated for our party and it made it a really special day for him. A week later, the gentleman passed, but we were able to make it a good day for him because of that group.”
The work of the support group has led one Wirral resident to brand Andy as a “fairy godfather”. Kate Pike, 53, from Hoylake, told the ECHO that Andy has been the donor of a number of gifts to her 86-year-old mother-in-law.
She said: “It was very late at night and suddenly my mother-in-law was just delivered a bunch of flowers anonymously, but I managed to work out who they were from. I was just so touched because it’s not the first time he’s helped the family and he’s just wonderful. I was just a bit blown away.
“I knew it must be him. There aren’t many fairy godfathers and godmothers out there but that’s exactly what he is.”
And Andy plans to continue sprinkling his magic, with the next item on his agenda involving making this Father’s Day a memorable one for a pensioner with Alzheimer’s. Vikki Ogilvie, from Ellesmere Port, reached out to the Wirral Support Group to see if they could make what she fears could be dad Derek’s last Father’s Day special.
And Andy is encouraging as many members of the group as possible to send Derek some love this June 19.
Vikki said: “My dad has got Alzheimer’s, he’s 84. As every little girl says, he’s the best father in the world. He’s really one in a million. I couldn’t give him grandchildren and so it’s only me he’s got to get him Father’s Day stuff and I just thought it would be so nice if he could see how wonderful he actually is. That’s why I contacted Andy to see if some of the members could send him a card.
“Andy is such a nice man. He doesn’t have to do anything that he does but he’s got so much time for people. He really is a brilliant person. Ask him something, and he doesn’t only do what you asked but he goes above and beyond to do a bit extra.
Andy’s work has even earned the group a place on the Health and Wellbeing Board, and the 51-year-old has been blown away by the response to his work.
He said: “It’s quite overwhelming because I started this on my own but, to be honest, I couldn’t have done this without the support of lots of members of the community.”
To keep up to date with the work of the Wirral Support during Coronavirus group, click here.
