Respect for our brave NHS and care workers will live on long after our last clap
WELL, it went out with a bang.
The last “official” clap for carers on Thursday night was an outpouring of love, appreciation and respect for our NHS and all our front-line workers.
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Just because it won’t be a weekly nationwide event any more doesn’t mean we don’t thoroughly appreciate the blood, sweat and tears our incredible heroes put into battling Covid-19 every minute of every day.
I think it was right to stop on a high, rather than let this unique event just fade away with a whimper.
Those we have honoured for the past ten weeks were really uplifted by the weekly salute and it was our chance to say a huge thank you in a positive way that united us all and brought communities together.
Dr Alex George, former Love Islander and now working as a doctor on the front line, told me he was moved to tears by the incredible applause and overwhelming outpouring of thanks, and he and colleagues were so grateful to everyone who joined in.
The applause may have stopped but the work goes on.
The number of coronavirus cases and deaths has decreased, but there are still thousands of families in anguish waiting at home for news of those they love who are fighting for their lives in intensive care, or mourning the loss of someone they held so very dear.
We know all too well that too many workers in hospitals and care homes have made the ultimate sacrifice and laid down their lives while trying to help others.
The Thursday night clap served its purpose in making sure our carers — and everyone working in schools, public transport, security and as cleaners and refuse collectors — know they are no longer being taken for granted.
I sincerely hope this attitude prevails long after this virus is just a distant memory.
I don’t want to see those who clean up after us being treated like dirt, or hard-working bus and train drivers subjected to abuse and violence.
The incredible band of men and women who work in A&E should never have to suffer those drunks and yobbos swearing, spitting and attacking them while they try to help patch up their wounds.
We cannot return to such vile behaviour.
I’m heartened that so many children and young men and women now want to go into the medical profession or become carers because they realise which jobs are the most important.
Let’s face it — the Kardashians have never looked more irrelevant.
Nominate for The Sun's Who Cares Wins Awards
ANOTHER way you can express your thanks and gratitude to those on the front line is by nominating for our very special Sun Who Cares Wins awards someone in the NHS who you think has gone the extra mile to help you or your family.
This year the event will be even more important and emotional than ever as we express our gratitude to those at the coal face.
You can find details on how to nominate at mcb777.site/whocareswins.
Loyal BA workers deserve better
BACK in the days when we could fly, I opted for British Airways whenever I possibly could, whether it was a quick hop up to Glasgow to see my parents or a long-haul trip of a lifetime to the Far East.
It was always so very comforting to see that BA logo and the flawless cabin crew with their crisp uniforms and big smiles.
No one working there is smiling any more though.
We know that airlines and the entire aviation business is in desperate trouble due to the pandemic.
But the news that British Airways is set to make 12,000 staff redundant and then effectively fire and re-hire the rest of the workforce on massively reduced wages is brutal.
People who have given loyal service to BA over the years have been thrown under the bus and they are heartbroken.
One senior cabin crew member, who has worked for BA for 34 years, spoke of his sorrow at being made redundant next month and of his concerns about his colleagues – especially as, he pointed out, the company’s CEO saw his pay soar last year.
Staff realise changes need to be made in a post-Covid world, but feel angry and let down by the drastic measures being used by management, who say they are protecting jobs.
I can only speak from my own experiences of BA cabin crew, whose service has been exemplary.
I remember on one flight to Singapore a few years ago I had a really funny turn and collapsed.
I had just recovered from a bout of shingles and reckon I fainted due to a mixture of exhaustion, dehydration and stress – something that had never happened to me before and was terrifying. The cabin crew could not have been kinder.
They were so calm and professional and stopped me from panicking. I was given oxygen and reassurance and I knew I was in safe hands.
They were just so incredibly caring.
Any time I have experienced flight delays, I’ve watched BA staff deal with irate passengers with patience and tact, and they always endeavour to pass on as much information as they are given.
No one gets everything completely right all the time but in my experience BA staff always try their very best. It’s a really tough job.
As well as having to serve meals and drinks while bouncing around in mid-air, they also have to be medics, midwives, nannies, diplomats and sometimes even referees to those on board.
And they always have to come up smiling.
Sadly, right now, those cheerful grins have been replaced by tears – and I for one am extremely sorry and angry on their behalf.
Arg on the up
YOU do have to wonder if poor Arg from Towie would have been a far happier chap if he’d never found fame on the controversial ITV reality show.
It was brave of him to finally admit he had a cocaine addiction, and to seek help – but it’s clear that he has always had a love/hate relationship with his celebrity status and found it difficult to cope.
He’s lucky to have friends like Mark Wright and his on/off girlfriend Gemma Collins, who gave him tough love and saved his life.
After a stint in rehab, Arg is clean, healthy and sober and ready to make a new life for himself.
I wish him all the very best.
Meghan and Harry get a wake-up call
MEGHAN and Harry have had a wake-up call when it comes to the celebrity-obsessed world of Hollywood, where at least five drones flew over their Beverley Hills mansion to take photos of them and son Archie.
The couple complained to police when the operators flew the drones as low as 20ft above their heads while they were by the pool with their son. Sadly, this is what happens in La La land – and it is only the beginning.
Frankly, I was baffled by their decision to leave the UK after claiming they were being “hounded” by the media – only to end up living in an area where the paparazzi roam the streets in packs, completely unregulated and seemingly above the law.
They’ve had an easy ride so far because of the Covid-19 lockdown, but soon they won’t be able to venture forth and order a fat-free, decaf soy latte without some clown thrusting a camera in their face. It’s no way to live.
Harry has always said that he wants as “normal” an upbringing as possible for his son and any future children.
But by reinventing them- selves as a Hollywood power couple, they either have to live permanently behind barricades or endure being constantly harassed by the paparazzi.
If it all becomes too much, I do know that there’s a wee granny living in Windsor who would love to welcome them back into the royal fold.
It’s something for them to think about.
Time for a pint - at last
YOU don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
And never has a truer word been said when it comes to our pubs.
The local is such an important part of our lives. Just look at our soaps.
The Rover, Woolpack and Queen Vic are places where everyone comes together to laugh, cry and sometimes fight and argue.
But all of these establishments are the beating heart of their communities.
It’s so much more than just a place to have a booze-up.
So many pubs now offer great value meals, quizzes, comedy nights and other kinds of entertainment.
It’s where father and son bond over a pint, and where people meet and fall in love. It’s where you go to celebrate small successes and big occasions.
So the news that some pubs might be able to open their doors again next month will be a giant step towards making us feel a bit more normal.
Of course, there will be big adjustments.
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Social distancing will have to be observed and no one will be allowed to get completely blootered, so as to stop any chance of them hugging everyone and professing undying love for all.
Even with all of the new checks and balances in place, it will be the best possible national morale boost since Captain
Tom completed his mighty fundraising effort.