‘We won’t let Jaywick die’: How the residents of England’s poorest town are taking a stand against coronavirus

In a pandemic that disproportionately affects the poor, the odds would appear to have been stacked against Jaywick Sands. But that’s not the whole story, writes Laurie Churchman

The Never Say Die pub’s food bank has been a lifeline for more than 3,000 people during the pandemic (Laurie Churchman)

Landlady Jayne Nash flicks a switch in the back room of the Never Say Die pub. The light falls on a storage unit stocked as if for a military operation. There are stacks of tinned food, bags of pasta and tubes of toothpaste. By an old set of beer taps, there are rails of donated uniforms. But they’re not for an army – they’re for schoolchildren.

Jayne sighs. The makeshift food bank was refilled this morning. It’s already half empty. “People really rely on us,” she says. “The lockdown’s been horrendous for Jaywick, but we’ve got to keep going. Who else is going to help?”

The food bank has been a lifeline for more than 3,000 people – around half Jaywick’s population. In a pandemic that disproportionately affects the poor, the odds would appear to have been stacked against Jaywick Sands. But that’s not the whole story.