This cheerful 91-year-old man from Harrogate is guaranteed to make you smile

John faces a long stretch of social distancing and isolation at home during the coronavirus lockdown, and yet these phrases only bear a practical meaning - the reality is very different.

While John is having to physically distance himself, he has never felt more connected to the community he is part of - in Oatlands where he lives, the extraordinary levels of care, kindness and compassion shown by his neighbours has completely overwhelmed him, and moved him beyond words.

John's whole street turned out to sing happy birthday to him as he turned 91 last week, all stood in their gardens at a safe distance from one another, but in many ways closer together than ever.

John said: "Quite honestly, it was one of those rare moments that only happens occasionally in a lifetime, I felt completely surrounded by a presence of love and care. I must say I have always felt a great deal of love from my family and friends, but somehow because of the difficult times we are in, this was a very different experience.

"I think we've all got the same fear - it's like the wartime, but it's worse than wartime in a way because we don't know what we're fighting. During the war we all had an enemy and we were all in it together, and I think that this coronavirus outbreak is bringing our society back together."

Coordinated by Oatlands Community Group, a network of more than 100 kind-hearted volunteers has been out delivering care packages containing both essential items and ones which simply spread much-needed joy and hope.

Residents are matched to a volunteer who lives nearby and then stays in touch to offer support - whether that is a friendly chat, or helping to pick up anything they might need. Volunteers who are vulnerable to the virus themselves and have been more physically restricted in how they can help, have still been eager to do their bit by offering to ring residents on a weekly basis to see how they are.

John is among the recipients of the care packages, and has benefited tremendously from the kindness of volunteers in the Oatlands area. He contacted the Harrogate Advertiser to ask if he could personally thank Oatlands Community Group and Vic Smith-Dunn in particular, the chair and a founding member of the group, who has been a continuous source of friendship and kindness to him.

John said: "The group has made a tremendous difference to me after losing my wife who I love dearly. Without the kindness of these volunteers, I wouldn't be as happy, it would take away a lot of my happiness.

"I would survive because I keep busy on the computer and do poetry and keep in touch, and I've got a nice garden which I like, so I'm lucky that way, but my life wouldn't be as full. It would have been a poorer life. I wouldn't be the person I am now without them. Kindness is a tonic."

Thoughtful children who are facing their own isolation at home, unable to play with their friends or go to school, have been painting and drawing pictures to give to residents in care packages - including John, who also received a note which simply said, 'don't forget, you are not on your own.'

He said: "I have a wonderful large family who always keep in touch, but at times like this when I can't physically see them, it's such a comfort to know that the community is also my family."

John's wife Betty would be proud to witness the amazing acts of kindness being carried out in Oatlands, as she herself was a pillar of the community as a member of Oatlands Methodist Church, which is now the community centre.

Oatlands Community Group chair Vic Smith-Dunn, said: "Although John is physically disconnected from the community around him at the moment, he's been overwhelmed by the sense of not being alone, by being surrounded by all these friendships that have been extended to him.

"I consider John to be one of my best and closest friends, so it shows that even though we are generations apart, age is just a number. He's such a beautiful person, and I really value him in my life as a friend, not just a neighbour that I help out occasionally.

"He is such a resilient, positive, gentle and kind-hearted soul - he also provides a lot of support and friendship to other people, and is such an amazing person."

Vic's daughter Scarlett decorated their window with acrylic paints to give John something nice to look at during lockdown, and neighbours all along the street and beyond in the Oatlands community have been drawing and painting rainbows to display in their windows to bring smiles to people's faces during their daily exercise.

Vic said: "Through these challenging times, as parents, when we've got children at home with not enough stuff to entertain them, we can use this as an opportunity to teach our children about community and the power that they have, even at a young age, to make a real difference to somebody's life.

"By using their time to make a positive difference to somebody, it teaches them a really good lesson about community, and hopefully gives them a passion for supporting their community further down the line, after all this is over.

"We all need purpose, everybody needs purpose, especially more so at a time like this, so to be given an opportunity to have a purpose and make a difference is something we all need right now.

"It's a really big thing for lots of vulnerable people to have to go from having independence to having no independence, and especially if you're living alone, that huge reduction in social contact for some people is going to be really hard, so we aim to provide different points of contact and help make people feel connected."

John said he is aware of how daunting and difficult it can be for people to reach out and access support, to take that first step, but he emphasised we are all in the same boat - young and old, that this is a difficult time for us all, and no one should ever feel embarrassed or ashamed of asking for help, both during the coronavirus outbreak and all year round.

He said: "Just pick up the telephone, the community is there to help you. Sometimes people are frightened of other people thinking they can't manage, thinking, 'I've done it all my life, I've managed all my life, I don't need any help,' but underneath when you get to know them, you see that they would like some support. Everyone needs support at some time.

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about, we all need each other, and reaching out is better than the alternative of being on your own. People need contact."

How you can access support and offer support in the Oatlands community and beyond

Donations to support Oatlands Community Group's work during the Covid-19 outbreak can be made online - click here.

Once the coronavirus lockdown is over, and life has returned to normal, Oatlands Community Group will be using any surplus funds to go towards the regeneration of Oatlands Community Centre, and a party will be thrown at the centre to enable volunteers to meet those they have helped face-to-face.

As well as chairing Oatlands Community Group, Vic Smith-Dunn is the founder of myLifePool parenting community in Harrogate. Vic has pooled the resources of myLifePool and Oatlands Community Group to set up a network of volunteers to help people who have had to self-isolate with everyday tasks in their area.

Click here to find out more about how to access support or ask for help during the coronavirus lockdown, and to find out more about volunteering to help within the Oatlands community.

Residents who do not have access to the internet or social media can call 01423 873838.

myLifePool is now helping to make the system they have devised become available to other neighbourhoods nationally. It offers somewhere that people can register online to help or get help, manage automated responses and create spread sheets to manage matching requests for support with volunteers. It manages the admin and takes care of GDPR requirements so people can focus on practically helping their community.

There is no charge, the site is straightforward to use, and Vic and the myLifePool team help you to understand how to use the neighbourhood site and provide support.

Each site would be monitored and managed by someone from each community.

Click here to visit the myLifePool website and find out more about setting up a similar model in your community.