A community warden has shared her "amazement" at how "everyone has pulled together at a time of crisis".

Sandra Edmunds has been a community warden in East Peckham and Hadlow for two years, but her job has brought new challenges since the pandemic hit.

Sandra Edmunds speaks about her current role

The 56-year-old is one of around 70 Kent County Council employees responsible for making sure the community is looked after.

Having previously worked in safe guarding and nursing, Mrs Edmunds joined the team two years ago.

Being responsible for one specific area has meant Mrs Edmunds already knew residents really well before the lockdown.

She said: "Being able to really get to know the residents is one of the amazing things about the job.

"We have 75 homes in the area we were already working quite closely with before anything with coronavirus even happened, which was really helpful in identifying the most vulnerable families."

During the lockdown, Mrs Edmunds has been spending her days coordinating help for residents, while getting stuck in herself too - delivering food supplies, dealing with anti-social behaviour and checking up on people.

She said: "I'm out working on the ground most of the time. No two days are the same and we very rarely manage to stick to the diary.

"We also always try to involve other organisations when we can as this means people are more likely to get the best support."

But Mrs Edmunds, who lives in Rochester, added it has been difficult to adapt to a new way of working during the pandemic.

She said: "We would ordinarily be going into homes but now we have to do door step consultations. One of the hardest things has been when we find people in difficult situations and we can't make it as personal as normal."

However, Mrs Edmunds has said the village has been "amazing" during the lockdown "pulling together at a time of crisis."

Many residents are volunteering their time to help others, including Jo and Chris Pierce.

We bumped into the couple on their way to the shops to buy supplies for their disabled neighbour who is self-isolating.

Mrs Pierce said: "All the shops know me now. We will never move from the village because of times like this when everyone comes together and supports one another."

East Peckham villagers have also been getting stuck into fun projects organised by the wardens and parish council, to help alleviate families' boredom.

So far, there has been rainbow window displays, happy scarecrows cropping up around streets and a tree which children have decorated with positive messages.

And tomorrow, there's a virtual bake off and skipping challenge to raise money for the Hospice in the Weald.

Maidstone Borough Council's community support hub has also proven very successful - with hundreds of food parcels delivered to residents in need.

Council employees who normally work in everything from parking to the mayor's office have been redeployed to help with the sorting and packing pasta, biscuits, toiletries and more, ready for it to be delivered by volunteers.

Some of the delivery drivers have been drafted from the local rotary clubs, including Nigel Harvey of Maidstone Riverside Rotary Club. The 67-year-old found he had quite a lot of spare time on his hands due to the lockdown, so decided to help. He said: "When a job comes in they give a few of us a call and whoever's best placed or free to do it will go out. Of course, it's a nice thing to do and it's definitely better than watching day time TV!"

Council leader Martin Cox said: "It's amazing what has been achieved in just a few weeks - we've created a whole system.

"This could have been a lot worse if the community hadn't stepped up - we have had lots of help from various people and groups."

The council has been getting lots of its supplies from Maidstone's Iceland and Home Bargains, which have been helpful in letting them buy large amounts of stock. Sainsbury's and Morrisons have been giving them food which is near the end of its expiry date, and B&Q donated trolleys and even some free plants and flowers.

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