SOME people have a very loose understanding of what the word 'emergency' means.

At the moment, centres such as the Barrow and District Support Hub run by Age UK and St Mary's Hospice are tantamount to an emergency service - a lifeline to many just like police, fire and ambulance.

The hub is there to offer advice and support to those who are self-isolating within our community.

The team organises food deliveries and collecting prescriptions. Its members risk their own health to visit the most vulnerable in our society and keep them stocked with day-to-day essentials.

They are there to help the elderly, the housebound and the lonely; people who really need their assistance during these desperate times.

They're certainly not there to advise the best place to acquire fake tan, or where you can find a new hot tub.

These, and other ridiculous queries which have come in to the Barrow and District Support Hub, truly boggle the mind.

This situation we all find ourselves in right now, isn't some shallow reality TV show for the image-conscious and the self-absorbed.

This is a time to step up, do your bit, and at the very least, not make life difficult for those who truly understand the seriousness of what's going on out there at the moment.