TV star Ross Kemp has spoken out about the emotional scenes he witnessed in Downley while filming for a new documentary on Britain’s volunteer army.

The investigative journalist was in Downley a few weeks ago to film part of his latest topical documentary series, Ross Kemp: Britain’s Volunteer Army, which starts today.

He chatted to community campaigner Melanie Smith about the Downley and Disraeli food bank and their hard work to deliver food and treats and carry out welfare checks during the coronavirus pandemic.

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While most of the country has been holed up at home, the former soap has been duly documenting the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, first with his divisive film Ross Kemp: On The NHS Frontline, and now via a new five-part series, Ross Kemp: Britain's Volunteer Army.

Spread across a week, the documentary series - on BBC One - will celebrate the heroic everyday efforts of the nation's hundreds of thousands of volunteers.

"I've been fortunate enough to have seen NHS frontline workers working in the ICUs, the isolation wings, and that will stay with me for a very long time," the 55-year-old said.

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"But for me, the biggest thing that comes from what I've seen, in terms of the British public's response to this pandemic, has been the fact that we aren't a very big country, but we do have an awfully big heart.

"When our backs are against the wall, we certainly come together in the most amazing way.”

He recalled an emotional shoot in Downley, whereby he witnessed the heartfelt coming together of the community.

He said: "I said on my last piece to camera, 'If 20 per cent of what's happening on this street is mirrored elsewhere in the cul-de-sacs and the roads of the UK, and we can keep that after the pandemic has gone, then something very positive would have come from this awfully dark time'.

"It's brought people from different ethnicities, different backgrounds, class divide, religions, different beliefs, together.”

But while the series reflects the volunteering efforts happening throughout the UK, Kemp himself has remained close to home (within a 30-mile radius, he points out), as part of government guidelines.

Ross is believed to live in the Cookham area.

Those he encountered on his home turf include a gin distillery making hand sanitiser for local organisations in need of PPE; a rugby club that puts up its match day gazebos to enable medics to safely meet patients; and a woman who organises food donations from local supermarkets and distributes them to underprivileged families with children who rely on a hot meal at school daily.

The series is being shown this week on BBC One.