A HAMPSHIRE pharmacy has started an essential delivery process after "the most selfless people on the planet" volunteer to help residents get the medicines they need during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wainwrights Pharmacy in Bishopstoke has begun delivering essential medicines and prescriptions to people in the community with the help of "local healthcare heroes", in an attempt to maintain social distancing and cater to those in self isolation.

After realising that the pharmacy wasn't coping with the increase of panic buyers, owner Sultan Dajani (Sid), put out a "desperate cry for help" to the Bishopstoke community, to help him keep the store afloat, and ensure people are getting the medicine that they need.

Sid said: "We were hit by the Coronavirus Tsunami like everyone else. There has been no increase i government funding but the workload has increased massively. We were completely inundated, the existing work processes weren't working, patients were waiting much longer and our staff were not coping because of the panic stockpiling of medicine. We weren't coping and I'm not afraid to say that.

"I realised this and put out a desperate cry for help for local health heroes volunteers to help us provide a service and there was an overwhelmingly positive response. We now have volunteer drivers delivering prescriptions and medicines to those who need it, completely free of charge. There is no funding for this, they are doing it with their own time and mileage and they are the most selfless people on the planet as far as I'm concerned.

There are now more than 30 volunteers providing this service, who are all following health protocols by wearing gloves, regularly sanitising their hands, staying two metres apart, and not delivering to those who are infected with the coronavirus or have a high risk of being infected.

A mobile app is also being developed by one of the volunteers, with the aim of providing an easier way for patients to order repeat prescriptions, and there is a letterbox outside for this purpose as well, all in a bid to support social distancing.

One of the volunteers is former Eastleigh MP, Mike Thornton, who believes if more communities acted like this, "life would get so much better".

He said: "This is a true example of the lovely community the village has. If everybody else did this in other communities, life would get so much better. We see so many stories about the bad things people are doing and people think it's okay because everyone is doing it.

Things like this need more awareness to show and encourage people to do the right thing."