There is, understandably, a lot of doom and gloom in the news during the coronavirus crisis, but there are always reports of businesses large and small who have donated their time to the community or the NHS.
Companies whose income has dried up during the lockdown have refused to sit on their hands and do nothing; Newsagents are delivering essential goods to the housebound free of charge, restaurants are providing food for the needy, so many firms are producing vital PPE for the NHS, and a locksmith in Sunderland gave his services to a mosque in a spot of trouble.
Locksmith Paul Fletcher was contacted by Sunderland Central Mosque after officials discovered a faulty lock had them shut out. The premises, of course, are closed to the public during the pandemic, but during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, worshippers are praying from home, with the help of a streaming broadcast from the mosque.
When Paul was contacted by the mosque, and having been annoyed at some firms profiteering from the crisis, he was keen to show some community spirit. He attended to the problems, and cut new keys for the mosque officials, and waived the £100 fee.
Paul said: “They rang us and said they were really struggling to get in and out of the mosque. It’s closed because of the coronavirus, but they still needed access, so I helped them out.
“I cut them an extra couple of keys as well. I’ve cut a few free keys for nurses as well. Hopefully, I’ll get something back when things are back to normal. I can’t afford to do everything free. But I’m offering discounts to care homes too. Apparently, there are some blessings coming my way. I’m not religious myself, but blessings sound nice.”
The former secretary of the mosque, Abdur Rouf, expressed his gratitude and Paul’s efforts during such a trying time for businesses big and small: “I’ve known Paul for a while. We had a problem with a lock at the mosque. He came out and didn’t take any money, because it’s a mosque and because it’s Ramadan. He’s a really kind person and a very nice guy.”
If you need a 24-hour locksmith in Surrey, contact the Ideal Locks team as soon as you can.