Coronavirus (COVID-19) community resilience in Scotland's islands: research

Islay's pandemic response

Introduction

Islay lies off the west coast of Scotland. Known for its scenery, wildlife and numerous whisky distilleries, tourism is a significant part of the island's economy. Over 3,000 people live on Islay, which is affectionately known as 'the Queen of the Hebrides'. The island has a network of tight knit communities, each distinct from one another. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the UK into lockdown in March 2020, connecting these communities was a vital step in building the island's resilience.

Who was involved

Prior to COVID-19, an Emergency Planning Group was already established in Islay. Chaired by Police Scotland, and attended by emergency and medical services as well as the local authority, it was considered to be the natural vehicle for planning in the early stages of the pandemic.

Islay's Emergency Planning Group was supported by the Local Resilience Partnership, a group which covers Argyll & Bute and also pre-existed the pandemic. In normal times, the group would meet twice a year, but during the pandemic it met weekly to ensure accurate and up-to-date information was distributed across the council area, including Islay.

As the prospect of a UK-wide lockdown emerged in early 2020, Islay residents began to question what would happen to the island. Calls for volunteers were welcomed but raised issues over safeguarding. In response to this, two residents formed a Resilience Group to help coordinate the volunteer effort.

The Emergency Planning Group and Resilience Group were among the main organisers of Islay's initial pandemic response, with support across the island from key partners including the Community Council, South Islay Development, the Islay Food Bank, Dunlossit Estate, and the Cooperative, as well as local businesses and residents.

Why the project happened

Although the Emergency Planning Group was already established and had been working together before the pandemic, it was felt that by some in the group that closer coordination between the emergency services would benefit the community at a time of such uncertainty. Moreover, it was recognised that infrastructure – such as a food delivery system from the main shop on the island - was needed to help the island adapt to life under lockdown.

"The community was quite nervous about Covid, and the infrastructure wasn't there yet. There was no delivery service, the Coop wasn't set up to do this at the time. You wouldn't normally have the emergency services working so closely together, but it felt like the natural thing to do."

Volunteers were therefore necessary to help with food deliveries and other practical support, as well as befriending residents to help combat social isolation. The Resilience Group was formed by local residents to enable the volunteers to provide support in a sustainable and coordinated way.

"There needed to be a central form of contact, one phone number that you can phone and know that help will be there. People needed someone who they know and trust."

The groups worked together to support the residents of Islay, providing help to 'anybody at all' who needed it.

"Mainly there was a real feeling of community on the island and people wanting to help each other, that was really key. That was the driving force for everybody involved."

What the project involved

The pandemic phase

Early in the pandemic, the Emergency Planning Group was convened to discuss how the emergency services could best support each other. At this point, there was a lot of uncertainty around COVID-19 and much of the conversation in these initial meetings revolved around worst case scenario planning and 'bracing for the worst'. There was also discussion about how to get sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to health and social care settings.

"What are we going to do with people if they become ill? We had one emergency ventilator and no ability to evacuate people off the island at that point."

Around about the same time, two local residents were setting up a Resilience Group to help coordinate the volunteers coming forward to support Islay's pandemic response. Within a week, 150 volunteers had come forward. A decision was made to split the island into seven districts, each with 10-20 volunteers and a coordinator. Regular meetings were held between the coordinators and the Resilience Group to ensure that issues were dealt with quickly. It was felt that this would be the most efficient and effective way of managing and responding to requests for help from communities, tapping into local networks and knowledge.

"The coordinators knew their patch, knew the crofts, knew the people."

About a month into the pandemic, representatives from the Resilience Group and the Community Council were invited to join the weekly Emergency Planning Group meetings, which then increased to twice weekly meetings as events escalated. Given the level of uncertainty in the early stages, it was important that accurate and reliable information was obtained. The Local Resilience Partnership was also meeting weekly with input from a clinical lead. This ensured that accurate information cascaded through the Emergency Planning Group, the Resilience Group and to residents themselves.

"There was lots of noise in the media so we needed information straight from the horse's mouth and filter it down to emergency planning group. This was then passed onto coordinators, and so the community could be more relaxed about things."

The volunteers were doing a range of things to help people in the community, especially during the first few months of the pandemic. Some were befrienders, offering support and social contact to residents who would otherwise have been socially isolated, as the government's lockdown measures prevented household mixing. Others would do the shopping, pick up medication, and deliver hot meals for those isolating or shielding. There was also a fuel drop for residents who had run out of fuel to heat their homes. In the beginning, there were many calls for help from residents around Islay. Over time, as more information was circulated, more became known about the virus, and lockdown measures eased, the volume of calls declined.

Although the island's one shop - the Cooperative - did not initially have an online ordering and delivery system, this was set up in response to the lockdown, and the store became a key partner in the island's handling of the pandemic. Another key partner was the Dunlossit Estate, a family-owned estate, which converted part of the property into storage space so that food could be ordered and stored in bulk. They made up emergency food parcels which volunteers were able to distribute to households based on need.

Recovery phase

By June 2020, the country moved into a new phase of careful and cautious changes to the lockdown regulations, following an announcement by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on 'the move to phase one of a route map out of lockdown'.^[29] Around this time, organisers in Islay sought greater control over the relaxation of measures, in recognition of the unique position of the islands. It was felt that a 'blanket change' across Scotland was not appropriate for the island community. On behalf of Islay, the Community Council approached the Scottish Government and requested that the Argyll islands be given greater autonomy in terms of determining its COVID-19 level status. In the summer of 2020, Scottish Government agreed to this. Allowing the islands greater autonomy over its COVID-19 measures meant that, when other parts of Scotland went into another lockdown later that year, Islay was able to avoid this due to low prevalence of the virus.

"Some of us felt relatively safe in the community because of essential travel rules, which allowed us to have greater levels of freedom within the island. Mental health and isolation was becoming a big problem with people living remotely and not having neighbours nearby. We needed to be able to relax to the extent that these people could be connected again."

On the other hand, once non-essential travel was permitted, and the resumption of tourism to Islay was possible, there were 'polarised' views on how this should be handled. As Islay moved from response to recovery, it was felt that a more widely representative group was needed and that existing groups alone were not the right vehicle for this. Instead, the Community Council set up the Islay Covid Recovery Group. The purpose of the Islay Covid Recovery Group was to hear the range of views and use this to inform wider planning, so that the community could be reassured that the island was recovering and reopening safely. The group was chaired by a community councillor and had representatives from local businesses, the distilleries, sporting estates, ferry and airport services, churches, development groups, youth groups, and medical services, as well as the Community Council and Resilience Group.

Some practical measures that were undertaken to safeguard residents and tourists included road signage in every village to remind people to maintain social distancing and wear masks, with hand sanitising stations placed around the island. The Resilience Group organised the delivery of 'stay safe' packs to homes around Islay.

The Islay Quilters, a local sewing group, who had been making PPE for the hospital and care home, made face masks for these packs. The Bruichladdich distillery and Diageo donated the alcohol to make hand sanitiser, which was produced by an Islay soap maker and distributed to every household on Islay and in the 'stay safe' packs. Other distilleries also provided sanitiser to top up the original supply and to enable businesses on Islay to have sanitiser stations. Approximately 500 'stay safe' packs were delivered to homes in Islay, which included guidance on staying safe as the island reopened (see figure 1.12 below).

A network of safe houses was established in case tourists became unwell with COVID-19 during their stay in Islay. To promote and encourage safe travel to Islay, a promotional video was released on social media (see figure 1.13 below).^[30]

To help residents readjust to life after lockdown, a buddy system was set up. Some people had not visited shops or public spaces for many months and were not used to the COVID-19 measures that had been put in place, such as mask wearing, one-way systems and social distancing. The Resilience Group also started a drop-in session in the spring of 2021, creating a safe space for people to meet and talk.

"The drops in really helpful in getting people out and overcoming their pandemic fears."

Challenges

One of the challenges of responding to the pandemic on the island was maintaining confidentiality. It was important that the difficult circumstances arising for residents reaching out to the volunteer network were handled sensitively and with respect for privacy. For the organisers, trust was a necessary pre-requisite.

"Islay's resilience is built on trust; trusting people to the delivery and with intimate confidential information that wouldn't be spread around. A response that was for the community, by the community."

Throughout the pandemic, communication and consultation were also at the core of Islay's pandemic response to respond to challenges. During the early stages, the groups established open channels of communication so that information could flow in both directions; from the groups to residents in terms of the latest information on COVID-19 cases and guidance; and from residents to the groups in terms of the communities' experiences and challenges. The volunteers and coordinators provided a vital conduit for knowledge sharing across the island.

It was recognised that some residents were not digitally connected and so some information might not be reaching them. In August 2020, the Resilience Group created a newsletter, which included the latest information specific to Islay. Around 400 copies were distributed to households, mostly to the elderly, on a monthly basis. By the end of 2021, around 300 copies were still being distributed and the last newsletter was due for distribution in February 2022. As well as keeping residents informed, it also helped reduce social isolation and loneliness, especially among those living in less well-connected parts of the island.

"People looked forward to it and it meant that coordinators could knock on the door and check in at least once a month."

As the island entered its recovery phase, there were divergent views on how Islay should reopen to tourists, which presented a challenge to organisers. Community consultation was an important way of understanding the range of views on Islay and helped chart a path for reopening to tourists in a safe way that was respectful to residents and supportive of local business. The community was consulted in a range of ways, such as through a survey and through the Islay Covid Recovery Group.

Funding

Islay's immediate response was unfunded, relying largely on the time and efforts of the organising groups and network of volunteers. Over the course of the pandemic, the island received financial support from various funding streams.

Substantial financial support was given by the island's local businesses and estates. The Ardbeg distillery, for example, funded the hot meals initiative organised by the Resilience Group. A 'Go Fund Me' page^[31] was also set up for the many friends of Islay to give financial support.

Funding was obtained by community organisations, including South Islay Development, Islay and Jura Community Enterprises and Islay Development Initiative, who worked together to develop the Islay Covid Fund. South Islay Development's furloughed staff also volunteered their time to manage expenses, so that volunteers could claim mileage.

From the Islay Covid Fund, an application scheme was also set up as part of the recovery effort, whereby small organisations could apply for up to £2,000 in funding to help them re-open safely. The road signage around the island and newsletters were also made possible through the Covid Fund.

What next?

Once the Islay Covid Recovery Group was established, the Emergency Planning Group resumed its normal running. Other than reconvening in early December 2021 to discuss a newly emerging variant (Omicron), the group returned to 'business as usual'. The Local Resilience Partnership is also meeting less frequently but can be convened if the need arises.

The Recovery Group has continued to meet monthly and support the community, although not to the same scale as was seen during 2020 and 2021.

At the time of writing in January 2022, although initiatives such as the newsletter and drop-in sessions have continued and will continue to as long as they are wanted by residents, the Resilience Group plans to disband in March 2022. However, the community spirit that emerged in response to the pandemic is something that the organisers want to build on going forward. The group has applied for funding and is planning a consultation to understand what the community's needs are and to develop a community led initiative that lives beyond the pandemic.

"We want to harness this energy and this community spirit now before it all disappears. We want it to be community led. We will come up with a strategic plan to take this forward and feedback from people in the community is really positive. It feels like this is really needed, but it needs to be bottom up, not top down."

Reflections

When reflecting on Islay's pandemic response, the quick and coordinated mobilisation of the Resilience Group was highlighted as a particular success. The collaboration between the various groups, such as the Emergency Planning Group and the Resilience Group, enabled such effective coordination.

"The resilience group in particular grew from nothing to a large and complicated operation in a very short space of time and the amount of volunteers they were co-ordinating at its busiest was extraordinary."

As there was no major outbreak on Islay, it is difficult for those involved in Islay's pandemic response to know the full extent to which they would be prepared for future emergencies. However, the existence of the Emergency Planning Group was, and will continue to be, an effective vehicle for bringing people together who can prepare and respond.

"Had we had a major outbreak there would have been lessons learned from that but the fact that we didn't, we were as prepared as we could be and will continue to meet and discuss and put additional preparedness in place as needed. We are as prepared as we can be for any future emergency."

What community resilience means to the Emergency Planning Group

When asked what 'community resilience' means to them, one organiser of Islay's pandemic response emphasised planning:

"Having a plan A, having a plan B, and making sure that you've got the resources to put that plan into effect. It means that you've got a community that can look after themselves, that can make decisions, that have ownership over what happens to them, it's not done to them. Once a community is resilient, anything that comes up, no matter how awful it is, they can manage in a community led way."

Advice to others

Based on their experiences, those involved in Islay's pandemic response from the Emergency Planning Group and Resilience Group and shared their advice on how other island or rural communities in Scotland could become more resilient when faced with challenges like the pandemic, or other emergencies, in the future. The key elements were speed, being community-led and coordinated by those in a position of trust:

"Act quickly. We were starting to meet within the first week or two of the pandemic. And try and get as many people around the table as possible. It can be really challenging getting people meeting, but that's not something we experienced because of all the groundwork we were doing pre-pandemic." (Emergency Planning Group)

"Make sure its community led, that you have somebody to drive it. You need a focal point, a person or organisation, to home in on, so that those have trusted responsibility to deliver." (Resilience Group)