Mansfield Town winger CJ Hamilton joins the NHS volunteer army

Hamilton has offered his help with a variety of duties and, with 750,000 already on board, he said: “The amount of people that have signed up for it is crazy.

“My girlfriend has also signed up for it with me. That's two people from one household that can go out and help and that could be vital to stopping some of the older people going out and catching the virus.

“It just shows how everyone can come together and help in bad times.”

Hamilton saw the plea for help by accident.

“I was actually scrolling through Instagram and I saw someone had put it on a story about the scheme,” he said.

“I clicked on the poster straight away and it was very interesting – to go out there and help people.

“I know the last thing the NHS staff in the hospitals need right now is to be running around to sort out people's medicines when people like me can come along and take that duty off them.

“At the moment I am at home and this is a way I can help out.

“Then the staff in the hospitals can actually focus on getting people recovered and trying to free up the equipment in there for other people who need it. That's why I signed up.

“I have grandparents in London who are self-isolating at the minute.

“It hurts that I can't take them stuff as I'd like to be able to do that all the time.

“Luckily I have got family in and around there that can do that.

“But I am thinking about people who don't have family members to help and are stuck in by themselves and can't really get out to the big supermarkets or get to the hospitals or pharmacy to pick up their medicines.

“I just want to be there to help so they don't have to stress about if they are going to be able to get food or medicines in time.”

On his likely tasks, he added: “I will be dropping people's shopping to their house.

“I think they send you a list on the app when it gets uploaded and you just go to the supermarket, pick up what they need and drop it outside their house.

“You ring the doorbell, stand 2-5m away from the house and wait for them to come out so you make sure they pick up their shopping.

“It's the same with medicine from the hospital or pharmacy.

“I have also signed up for transferring medical equipment, taking it to a hospital or moving it somewhere else.”

Hamilton has been moved by the nation's response to the current crisis.

“It's mad. When they said they needed 250,000 volunteers, I wondered if enough people were going to be willing to do that,” he said.

“But with the numbers rolling in you can see how big it is and how everyone wants to help.

“Everyone wants to get past this horrible time and get back to normal.

“Where we live we had loads of people clapping and shouting for the NHS the other night as they appreciate what they are actually doing in these tough times – the long shifts they put in and the risks they are putting themselves under.

“It's good to see the nation together – everyone is with each other.

“It's how we get past this now and hopefully it can be over in a couple of months and we can go back to normality.”

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