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three months' sanitiser ingredients..see the story below.

Palmerston North.

Today, we focus on what has been happening recently at the Palmerston North Bridge Club and in particular, a huge effort from one of its members. Palmerston North President, Denise Servante, brings us up to date with news from her club:

"We have obviously been shut since advice was received from NZB and will remain so until the alternate advice is received. We own our building and raise quite a bit of revenue through venue hire and have two employees. So, you can imagine that financially we will be chomping through our reserves in the coming months, despite the employment subsidy from the government.

We have been sending out regular updates to our members through pianola with offers of support and help. Most of our Committee put their hand up to be part of a telephone support network. We have circulated information about online options for playing bridge.

We had just started lessons and so our teacher is continuing to engage and coach with his group of learners via You Tube, we believe. We have an independent group from our Novice Plus playing session that are meeting regularly online for social bridge and we will likely extend that to our regular Novice Plus members soon.

We are looking at starting up competitive Club Sessions to coincide with people’s regular playing sessions at the Club. Meantime many of us are playing via the Auckland Bridge Club but the Committee is concerned to ensure that our elderly social players get the opportunity to play in a more informal Club atmosphere during the lockdown/Club closure.

Here’s a good news story for you!

“Covid-19 – the PNBC member protection story” and beyond

In the week or so before the Club Rooms were shut, one of our members, Tony Fayerman,  secured the last local stocks of hand sanitiser and then secured some quantities of the raw ingredients and has since set up a small factory in his garage.

He has provided supplies to the Club (which we will use when we eventually re-open) but has also seen to the immediate needs of our most vulnerable members and then extended this to all our members. I think he is covering his costs of ingredients but certainly supplying at a very reasonable rate to those who need it. i.e. no price hiking!
   RIGHT then LEFT then....

         
It's "right" to wash your hands and then           Tony's improvised sanitiser manufacturing
      "left" to sanitise them ..and then...?            facility
Well, it was and it will be when you are
able once again to enter the Palmerston
North Bridge Club

 This has had a much greater impact than simply supplying hand sanitiser in a time of high demand and short supply. It has made our most vulnerable members feel looked after and cared for which I think has been really appreciated beyond what the instigator originally intended. This unsung hero is also supplying local Women’s Refuge centres and other social welfare groups working with the most vulnerable in society.

Well done, Tony."

Thanks, Denise. The following are the more recent extracts from Tony’s diary of events. He has been working on this project since way back on March 6^th:

          Wednesday 25^th March  

• DIY sanitiser deliveries made to half of the “most at risk members” of both local clubs (Palmerston North and Hokowhitu Bridge Clubs) 
  Thursday 26 March.

• DIY sanitiser deliveries to “most at risk members” completed.
  Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 April.

• Newsletters sent by both local clubs extending the sanitiser availability to any members with “at risk” relatives within reach of Palmerston North, and seeking out any “at-risk” members who missed the March 25/6 deliveries.
  Thursday 2 April.

• Received a terrific offer of alternative sanitiser materials from a South Island member of Palmerston North Bridge Club in response to the newsletter!
  Friday 3 April

• Sent formulations, methodology and “how to find substitutes” for various ingredients and packaging to members of several nearby clubs
  Sunday 5 April and Thursday 9 April.

• Advisory bulletin to members of both clubs extending sanitiser supply to all members
  Wednesday 15 April.

• Began donation approaches to local branches of a “front-line” charity, with first local delivery arranged for April 16
  
   
  Tony Fayerman has been ultra-busy and    improvisation when packaging and large labels run out
  focussed on providing hand sanitiser
  Thursday 16 April 
  

• First “backorder” of methylated spirits arrived.
  Friday 17 April.

• The charitable donation programme extended to other branches within the region.
  Sunday 19 April (scheduled).

• Sanitiser delivery is to be made to the second Palmerston North branch of the charity, including extra product for the Levin and Wanganui branches.”

As Denise said above, what a great effort, Tony.

Richard Solomon

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