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I want to say thank you. 

Thank you, firstly, to our healthcare professionals and colleagues in social care, our emergency service workers and to all those working on the frontline delivering services under pressure during the coronavirus pandemic.

Your selflessness, dedication and the outstanding care you give sends hope and reassurance to all of us in these challenging times.

To the helpers

Thank you to the hundreds, if not thousands, of unsung heroes. Those who are also working tirelessly, many of them under the radar, to ensure vital supplies of food, medicines, baby products and much more get to those who need it most.

Whether you volunteer with an established charity or group, or simply offer a helping hand to a neighbour, you provide a lifeline to our elderly and vulnerable and those who are sick or in self-isolation. Thank you.

We simply do not know how long this fight against coronavirus will take. I understand the anxiety and worry this uncertainty brings and I feel it too.

It is hard to be separated from family and friends. But I take great comfort in knowing armies of local volunteers are generously giving their time to help ease fears and counter the loneliness felt by so many.

Community bonds

Now, more than ever, it is clear to me that the bonds that bind our communities have never been stronger – and they will not be broken by this pandemic.

There are many challenges ahead of us. The impact of coronavirus will get worse before it gets better. But by supporting each other and working together across the public, private and voluntary sector we will ease the pressure on our NHS and help our communities get through this.

I want to thank you all for putting the needs of others ahead of your own. You have shown that kindness and generosity bring a ray of light in the darkest of times.

Stay home and stay safe. Follow government guidance. Continue the good fight.

Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn

Leader of Falkirk Council