HeroSupportTeam – Supporting our NHS Heroes since March 2020
I have friends working within the NHS who have spoken to me before about stocking staff rooms and having to buy their own stationery. It isn’t uncommon for NHS staff to work through a whole 12+ hour shift without much of a break. Skipping meals is not uncommon. The pandemic however is uncommon – it came with force and landed right on their doorstep.
In March 2020, I decided to try and organise a small collection for a pizza delivery to the hospital. I recognised that small businesses would need support too and looked at options for partnering up.
I made contact with Barnet Hospital to discuss ways to support them and was told of staff isolating in hotels to prevent spreading the virus to their family. We were asked if we would send cupboard foods as staff were struggling to fit in battling empty supermarket shelves around gruelling shifts. Our volunteers would add items to their shop, we would collect them, clean them then deliver them direct to the hospitals.
I discussed ideas within our group of volunteers and our aim quickly became to do what was needed and when it was needed. I sent the group details for donations and what happened next simply blew me away. We had raised £1,000 in under 7 hours!
We began to collaborate with many of our wonderful local businesses delivering snacks, lunches and dinners. There were Christmas dinners on Christmas Day, we stock staff rooms and send in large E45 hand creams to help soothe sore hands. Our wonderful volunteer community cook meals that we deliver as lunches or dinners. We have delivered thousands of care packages containing hand creams and lip balms etc. We were blessed to be sent Olivia Rubin & Elemis Limited Edition Gift Sets to give to staff via the incredibly generous Dr. Geraldine Tan who wanted to share these, amongst many other things, with her colleagues around the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
Having now raised almost £14,000, we are really hoping we can at least hit our £15k target to see us through Summer. We are well aware that we must continue to show our appreciation and to support things like mental health going forward.
I would like to take this chance to thank every single business who has been kind enough to join us as a collaborator and every single person who has volunteered their time and money to ensure we keep the momentum going. The biggest of thanks to our NHS Heroes, to those who work those long shifts and then coordinate with us to ensure their colleagues are looked after. You are simply incredible!
If you are a business or individual who would like to play a part, please do get in contact.
Kaye Batten
Founder – HeroSupportTeam
www.instagram.com/HeroSupportTeam
