Thank you...

Tessa Allingham nominated
Maddie Slater

"Maddie is an NHS midwife working on the Maternal Foetal Assessment Unit of an extremely busy, trauma-focused, central-London hospital, so even in her normal working day sees exceptional cases, looking after homeless women, those who have suffered FGM, domestic abuse, among others. She is often the first midwife women see. Covid-19 has exacerbated all these circumstances of course, and with women arriving far later in their labour for fear of going into a ‘dangerous’ hospital environment, Maddie is dealing with far more urgent situations, requiring her to be even more exceptional and quick-thinking than she already is.
She also never – somehow – loses sight of birth being one of the most important experiences of a woman’s life and focuses an enormous amount of her care into ensuring that as many women as possible have a positive experience – often despite everything."

Alycia nominated
Arthur 
 

"Arthur is a social worker, currently working three jobs. He's doing this as so many people in his teams are unable to, and it's essential that there is adequate support for mental health, now more than ever. All his roles are within mental health, some including child and family services. He's working literally round the clock, days and nights. 

While he isn't working directly on COVID-19 wards, he is working in hospitals and A&Es where there are COVID patients and cases, covering shifts and working to ensure that the mental health service is being covered. He's got two young children, one under 1."

Helen Rimmer nominated
Jane Rimmer

"Jane Rimmer, is the manager of a local care home (Bloom Care) – not only does she manage the care home but she also performs the role of carer – covering staff sickness etc. and doing extra-long shifts to help keep all of the residents safe and well cared for. She goes in on her days off to assist and she’s also trying to ensure my nephew/her son is safe and happy at all times whilst off school too! On top of all that she’s also doing all of my shopping and general ‘running about’ as I have to shield and, at the time of winning, has managed to keep all the residents at her care home Covid-free."

Clemancy Gordon-Martin nominated
Genevieve Taylor-Davies and Jack Stuart

"Genevieve studied medicine and, following graduation, is now a junior doctor at Kingston Hospital. She met Jack while studying and he is now a junior doctor at Hillingdon Hospital.

When the outbreak began Genevieve was working on the Ophthalmic Ward but on hearing from colleagues on the Respiratory Ward that they were struggling to manage, she gave up all her time off to volunteer there. She has since been co-opted full time onto that ward. Patients are sent to the Respiratory Ward when they are not going to be given ventilator support. She currently works three days and three nights and then is supposed to get three days off. However, she lives in a block of flats surrounded by families with young children, so sleep is difficult. One of her main responsibilities is patient/relative relations which is a very harrowing responsibility, but one, knowing Genevieve, that she will do with great skill and care. As many of her elderly patients are hard of hearing and need to see the doctor's lips moving to understand the message, Genevieve will remove her mask to make sure that this can happen. This is at personal risk to herself as she suffers from asthma.

Jack, her fiancé, works at Hillingdon hospital. Genevieve and Jack were due to be married at All Saints Church on April 4th. Wedding dress made, invitations sent out, music and service planned, there was to have been a reception in the church garden. All that has now gone of course but they hope to reinstate it after the crisis has passed ..."

Sian Shepherd nominated
Sophie Shepherd

"Sophie is a doctor at North Middlesex University Hospital and has worked throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. As a surgical registrar, she regularly performed emergency surgeries in heavy PPE and worked tirelessly whilst sickness and self-isolation depleted staffing levels. She had no idea we nominated her and I suspect she would have strongly resisted any recognition as she believes the crisis is being addressed as a team effort, which of course it is."
 
 
Sarah Marks nominated
Spencer Harris

"My husband Spencer is a paramedic, frontline in London, working for the NHS. He is pooped and the last few months have taken their toll. In the midst of everything, my father, unfortunately, passed to COVID-19 and my mother was unable to go to the hospital or to the funeral. I attended with Spencer, in her place and actually, he was probably the only one that could properly sit next to dad in hospital to say our goodbyes. But since dad passed, I don’t feel that we have really had any time together as a family. 

I asked Spencer the other night to nip over the road to Sainsburys before his shift started to get a loaf of bread so I could make sandwiches for the children’s packed lunch. Spencer came back empty-handed and said the queue was too long and he would be late for work if he had waited. I didn’t need to say anymore. Spencer would never want to ask someone to help him or ask to go to the front of a queue... he is just doing his job apparently and definitely one of the most wonderful people I know.

Spence has been through so much and still wakes up with nightmares (something he would never have suffered before). He has spent numerous weeks in hotels to avoid being at home with me and the kids so he can get some much-deserved sleep...so anything that will help him have some time out will be gratefully received.

Thank you! 

Honestly – thank you. From the bottom of my heart. It’s been tough."

Ellen Dunne nominated
Catherine Dunne

"Catherine Dunne is one of your regular customers and she was due to go on holiday with you at the end of May. She is joint Head of Physiotherapy at Great Ormond Street, specialising in cardiothoracic intensive care for babies.This would have been her first holiday in about 2 years, her last one was with you in 2018.

Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with breast cancer on Christmas Eve 2018, so had to cancel her holiday booked with you last year. She then underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. After a short period of recovery, she returned to work on 2 January 2019 but when Covid-19 struck she was instructed to quarantine herself as she was regarded as ‘vulnerable’.

She has therefore been isolated, living on her own, and working from home with the use of technology to run the Physiotherapy Department at GOSH, and try to relieve other hospitals of paediatric cases so that they can focus on Covid19 patients. I think she is not only highly skilled but also tremendously professional and dedicated, she has gone through a tremendous personal trauma and returned to work to deal with a pandemic. Not an ideal situation to recover from cancer but she has just got on with it, as she always does, and leads her team with clarity and calmness."

Mike and Penny Berisford nominated
Katie Morris

Katie Morris is a Staff Nurse at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. 

"She's a tenacious hard-working young woman, who has served the community diligently for many years, starting by being a care worker for the elderly in East Lancashire, long days, lots of travelling - she went above and beyond her contracted hours, often doing well over 12-hour shifts to ensure her visits were both of a suitable length of time to give value to her patients and required care given correctly. Having done this work for a number of years, she made a choice to give up earning money and study hard to become a nurse, again she has given this her all and early last year graduated as a nurse. 

We, her parents, her longtime boyfriend and all her friends are immensely proud of her achievements, not only in awe of her hard work and dedication to caring for people but also in awe that she has isolated herself away from her boyfriend Mark (they are saving hard to get on the housing ladder at the moment) and has volunteered her services not only for additional hours on shift but also to place herself in the immediate front line by taking a role on the Covid-19 care wards. 

I will leave it there, we could carry on with singing her praises (as with all nurses), they are indeed angels."

Carly Penderis nominated
Wendy Maclennan 

"Wendy Maclennan is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Western General Hospital, Edinburgh. Wendy and her husband Johnathan, a nurse specialising in mental health and learning disabilities at NHS Tayside, are both wonderful, kind, hard-working people and continue to work through the Covid crisis whilst also looking after their 3 children (15, 13 and 12). They are truly deserving of a holiday and that Simpson experience that is so unique."

Anne Barrett nominated
Karoline Gullin
 

Karoline Gullin is the Manager for Abbeyfield Hertfordshire Residential Care Home, Friars Mead.

"Karoline has worked tirelessly to support her residents and staff meaning that she has had little time off for herself. She is always available to answer queries (even when she is meant to have a day off) and keeps the Board of Trustees up to date regarding the health and wellbeing of the residents and staff. She has been quick to identify risks and taken action early to protect those in the home."