A FULLARTON woman has been praised for spearheading community efforts during the COVID-19 crisis.

Community champion Donna Fitzpartick has co-ordinated efforts in the Fullarton Community Hub since the start of the pandemic.

The Ayrshire Weekly Press have teamed up with Cunninghame Housing Association to recognise those key workers in Ayrshire who have gone above and beyond

And Donna Fitzpatrick and the Fullarton Hub have been nominated for the dedication and commitment shown for their bit of Irvine.

Locality Co-ordinator Elaine Baxter said: “Donna Fitzpatrick is co-ordinating volunteers delivering 149 hot meals per day lunch and dinner to elderly and vulnerable.

“Donna I think is working seven days a week to keep it going, and that is all down to volunteers. The response from the centres is just phenomenal. Any time there’s a crisis it’s always the community coordinating the response from all the volunteers.

“It’s been very diverse. It’s not even just delivering food parcels or prescriptions, it’s very unique to their individual needs.

“Fullarton are also doing lots in regard to mental health, offering packs and people can request help on the phone or when folk are out at the door.

“It’s great the work they have been doing I know we as a council could not do what’s been done without the community groups who have came forward.”

Donna has been a mainstay of the Fullarton Community Association for over 30 years, supported by many fantastic volunteers.

“What started in the late 1970s with just a wooden hut as a temporary facility grew into a thriving focal point for the community, before the new, £1.8 million Fullarton Community Hub was opened in 2017.