Woolly Bombers Celebrating Key Workers and Covid-19 Heroes

Day 1 - Care Worker

Day 2 - The Armed Forces built Nightingale Hospital & providing support to NHS

Day 3 - Cruse Volunteer

Day 4 - Mechanic helping key workers stay on the road

Day 5 - Electricity Power Cable Worker

Day 6 - Veterinary Nurse

Day 7 - Scientist working on treatments & a vaccine

Day 8 - Cleaner in NHS hospitals, care homes and supermarkets, performing an invaluable role

Day 9 - Road Worker fixing roads so emergency vehicles and delivery vans can get through

Day 10 -Teacher continuing to work because vulnerable children and children of key workers are still going to school

Day 11 - Nurse working hard for long hours to nurse people back to health

Day 12 - Community Pharmicist dispensing prescrptions and health advice in difficult circumstances

Day 13 - Delivery Driver delivering essential items

Day 14 - Firefighter, keeping people sae and driving ambulances, delivering PPE to frontline staff and taking food and medicine to vulnerable people

Day 15 - Waste Collector still working and handling potentially hazardous waste every day. Please be careful what and how you put waste in your bin.

Day 16 - chef providing meals for NHS staff as unable to run his restaurant

Day 17 - Farmer still producing food for us all

Day 18 - Funeral Director working under stress

Day 19 - retired doctor returning to NHS to help care for Covid-19 patients

Day 20 -Veterinary Surgeon looking after our animals when they are poorly

Day 21 - Reigious Worker including everyone in their thoughts and actions

Day 22 - Volunteer shopper shopping for food for the elderly and vulnerable

Day 23 - NHS Doctor treating Covid-19 Patients

Day 24 - Postal Worker delivering your post and parcels throughout the lockdown

Day 25 - Warehouse Worker sorting out your essential goods

Day 26 - NHS Paramedic working around the clock to help coronavirus patients

Day -27 Animal Shelter Volunteer looking after abandoned animals due to coronavirus

Day 28 - Isabel Hospice Nurse continuing to provide palliative and end of life care

Day 29 - Department of Work & Pensions Worker helping people although deluged with claims

Day 30 - NHS Midwife still delivering babies

Day 31 - Supermarket Staff Co-op keeping shelves stocked and helping customers

Day 31 - Supermarket Staff M & S keeping shelves stocked and helping customers

Day 31 - Supermarket Staff Sainsbury's keeping shelves stocked and helping customers

Day 31 - Supermarket Staff Tesco keeping shelves stocked and helping customers

Day 32 - Carers in Hertfordshire volunteer supporting unpaid carers throughout the county

Day 33 - East Herts Citizens' Advice volunteer providing support electronically

Day 34 - Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Engineer, one of a team of engineers, along with teams from UCL (University College London) and UCLH (University College London Hospital) who have developed a revolutionary new breathing device known as CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) that can help keep Covid-19 patients from requiring full ventilation and out of intensive care. Our factory facilities were quickly producing these devices for distribution to hospitals.

Day 35 - Heating Engineer in Care Homes very busy during the coronavirus pandemic making sure the heating and hot water is working at all times as the virus is affecting our elderly residents

Day 36 - Food Delvery Worker supplying frozen meals to the elderly and vulnerable

Day 37 - Builder who built Nightingale Hospital

Day 38 - NHS GP Receptionist who always has a smile and a kind word to help make you feel better and is now arranging telephone and on-lie consultations

Day 39 - Police Officer always there to help

Day 40 - RNLI Volunteer keeping people safe on the beaches and at sea

Day 41 - NHS Radiographers crucial patient-facing staff who are playing a key role for example every suspected Covid-19 patient in A & E is having a chest x-ray

Day 42 - Good Neighbour helping with shopping, collecting prescriptions and checking up on the telephone

Day 43 - Retired Nurses who have returned to work to help in the fight against coronavirus. They have gone back to doing shifts after answering the call for former NHS staff to rejoin the workforce during the pandemic.

Day 44 - Milkman delivering milk and some other groceries to my lovely customers, saving them from making unnecessary trips

Day 45 - NHS Physiotherapist In this strange time of Coronavirus we are doing our best to help however needed, particularly with breathing problems. Deep breathing exercise is good for everyone even in good health so help us with our work and keep exercising if you can safely do so

Day 46 - Bank Employee working together to be there for everyone depending on their financial needs. We have organised payment holidays for mortgages, loans and credit cards. We have kept some branches open for those who need to come in

Day 47 - Journalist who knows there is so much conflicting, confusing and sometimes scary information circulating and we try to make sense of it all.

Day 48 - Volunteer Scrubs Maker who has joined a group of other costume seamstresses who normally work on theatre and TV shows and we are all working from home making scrubs

Day 49 - Volunteer in a homeless shelter at the new Food Hub set up by “The Passage”, a charity for the homeless. My job as a kitchen assistant involves making up food parcels which include a sandwich, snacks, drink and a hot meal cooked by the resident chef.

Day 50 - NHS Medical Secretary supplyin administrative support to medical staff. I interact between doctor and patient arranging telephone consultations through this pandemic.

Day 51 - NHS Doctor who was very ill from Covid-19 but has recovered and is returning to work this week

Day 52 - Bus Driver who has kept on driving because if she, and my colleagues, don’t go to work no one else would get to work either

Day 53 - Baker and Greengrocer selling and delivering food

Day 54 - NHS Volunteer Responder for the RVS (Royal Voluntary Service)

Day 55 - Prison Officer having an incredibly difficult and stressful time. Helping prisoners to get through this time with visits temporarily suspended. A number of prisoners with the virus means officers have stayed away from wives and children to keep them safe.

Day 56 - Recovery Truck Driver getting key workers back on the road even if they are not members

Day 57 - Food Bank Volunteer helping people during this coronavirus crisis, e.g. those who have lost their jobs; parents who rely on schools which are shut ; etc.

Day 58 - Electronic Security Engineer keeping the security systems of some key London government buildings and hospitals operational, ensuring these buildings can continue to run

Day 59 - Airline Worker helping to repatriate people even now – there are lots of citizens stuck in the wrong countries. Also, air freight is carrying tons of PPE equipment and essential supplies every day.

Day 60 - NHS Occupational Therapist helping those leaving hospital regain their independence

Day 61 - Air Ambulance Doctor with Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Service whose helicopters and rapid response vehicles completed 190 missions in May, assisting our NHS & Emergency Service partners as need escalated because of the pandemic.

Day 62 - Railway Worker who has been working hard to ensure key workers have been able to get to their workplaces safely. As guidelines change and more people return to work our job will become even harder, as we try to get everyone to work on time whilst observing safety measures, so please be patient.

Day 63 - 999 Call Handler making sure that ambulances get to the sickest patients as quickly as possible

Day 64 - CQC Adult Social Care Inspector who usually inspects care homes, nursing homes and care agencies but during the pandemic we have stopped carrying out inspections so we don’t risk spreading the virus. Instead we have been concentrating on providing advice and guidance to managers and owners who have been trying to cope with huge challenges whilst making sure people still get the care they need. We help services find PPE or and get people tested.

Day 65 - NHS Phlebotomist still providing an out-patient service at Hertford County Hospital, QEII, Welwyn Garden City and the Lister, Stevenage as well as going out into the community to do blood tests

Day 66 - pharmacy worker managing to open every day, even if only for a few hours, throughout the pandemic to fulfil vital prescriptions for our lovely customers in spite of many of our team having to self-isolate due to underlying health conditions

Day 67 - local food providers who managed to set up an ordering system just for the villagers. A time slot would be given for them to collect boxes of fruit, veg & other essential supplies. They have worked so hard to help the community cope with this pandemic despite themselves home schooling their children & helping elderly parents. We applaud them & all the small shopkeepers who have managed to supply their communities

Day 69 - Security Staff with added responsibilities of having to enforce social distancing by limiting how many customers come into the store and ensuring they follow the one- way system. At first, we had to stop panic buying which was quite stressful but this has calmed down now. Most customers are very good at sticking to the new system and are confident now that the shelves are well stocked.

Day 70 - NHS Nursing Assistant part of an incredible team helping to save patients’ lives everyday in intensive care.

Day 71 - Florist taking internet & phone orders and helping families with tributes when so much else about their loved ones’ funerals have not been as they would wish. Also, delivering bouquets for birthdays and just so people know they are being thought of.

Day 72 - Paper Boys & Girls brightened our day by giving a wave and a big smile back in March. They continue to do so now, particularly cheering those who live in isolated places.

Day 73 - Registar registering deaths at home over the telephone so that funerals can take place; this has never been done before. It’s very sad not being able to see people face to face to comfort them. I’m really pleased the number of deaths has been reducing lately. Please keep your distance - Registrars don’t want to be so busy again.

Day 74 - Gardener-Grounds Staff whether those keeping public spaces well-tended and attractive to visit or market gardeners and fruit & vegetable growers whose produce has helped to feed us all; their input has been invaluable and very much appreciated.

Day 76 - Beekeeper following Government advice and continued to look after our bees, who of course have been working as hard as usual collecting pollen and nectar in the sunshine! As a volunteer with my local Beekeeper’s Association, I have been on call to remove honeybee swarms when alerted by the public. Following strict social distancing measures, we can collect the bees and remove them to a new home.

Day 77 - St John Ambulance Volunteer who has been called on to help the front line and support the NHS. Our charity’s vital role in responding to the needs of the communities across the nation has never been more relevant or urgent. St John volunteers are supporting patients right now in hospital emergency departments up and down the country, caring for those in need. Our volunteer ambulance crews are also working 24/7 supporting 999 call outs and transporting recovered patients back home safely.

Day 78 - Justice System Workers handling urgent matters during the COVID-19 pandemic. The judiciary has had to quickly adapt its ways of working to deliver justice; paperwork is being replaced by electronic documents. Appearances are taking place over the phone or through video conferencing as Judges, lawyers and staff are trying to limit their time in court by working remotely. In the coming months there will be a lot of catching up to do.

Day 79 - Pick for Britain Volunteer furloughed from my job as a concierge at a 4* hotel. I knew this was going to be hard work but I think I under-estimated how hard – you need to be very fit. There’s such a mix of people, two weeks ago I was in the field with an investment banker, a fudge maker and a mechanic. Usually around 98 per cent of seasonal pickers in the UK come from abroad so the farmer is very pleased to have our help and we are happy to be able to do our bit.

Day 80 - Volunteer PPE & food packers & distributors volunteering to pack pallets of food and personal protective equipment ready for other volunteers to deliver. Along with gloves and face masks we have been wearing hi vis vests & steel toe capped boots as we are in a warehouse (a bit different to my usual business suit!) Additionally, we have been collecting swab tests and delivering prescriptions for a range of different people, organisations and businesses, including doctors, health centres, dentists, ambulance service, hospitals, undertakers and hospices. We have had some lovely feedback from some of the care homes that they have delivered to and in a few cases have been met with tears of relief as they have delivered the much-needed PPE

Day 81 - Year 1 Teacher who adapted quickly to a whole new way of teaching. During this time all learning went online, with lots of Zoom lessons and email correspondence with parents! Schools reopened on the 1st June to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children. We rearranged our classrooms to accommodate ‘bubbles’ of no more than 15 children. We put lots of things in place to make the transition back to school as safe and relaxed as possible for the children, but there was no need to worry - the children love being back! We have found lots of time to enjoy arts and crafts and have focussed heavily on the wellbeing of the children at such a worrying and confusing time.

Day 83 - Musician: music has helped many of us get through these uncertain, strange times through its power to both sooth and uplift our spirits. With no live music venues open it’s been a hard time for our local performers but many have put on virtual, live, free performances.

Day 84 - Volunteer for a mental health charity for 5 years. I started doing this when I felt well enough after they had supported me. As the pandemic struck, we could no longer hold groups so I have volunteered for whatever needs doing – for example setting up IT solutions to help people remotely. According to research nearly two thirds of people across England say that their mental health has got worse during lockdown and people already living with mental health problems are facing extra challenges so I feel that anything I can do to help is vitally important

Day 85 - Telephone Buddy helping people who are vulnerable and isolated during this time. I was paired with a lonely lady who was very frightened by the situation and it quickly became apparent that I was usually the only person she spoke to each day. It wasn’t easy at first and a big commitment to phone someone every day but over the weeks we have struck up a friendship which I hope will last and I look forward to meeting her in person one day