Covid-19 brings out eggstra special acts of kindness by Atherstone unsung heroes

HATS OFF TO PHANTOM CHOCOLATE POSTIES AND SEWERS MAKING SPECIALIST WASH BAGS FOR FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKERS

EASTER may already seem a distant memory but Atherstone people are still giving of their time and talents to show the "milk of human kindness" in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While local authorities are co-ordinating a group-wide effort to sweep the county and Atherstone Town Council is masterminding a town-wide mission to ensure the vulnerable are not missed out during the virus crisis, there are also individual acts of kindness happening daily.

One such episode involved an unsung seasonal bunny 'hero' who posted bags of chocolate eggs through the letterboxes of homes in Barnsley Close, bringing thanks on social media for the unexpected treats.

On a larger scale, four women who had never met one another before coronavirus have come together under the direction of Chalk & Linen shop owner Jacki Ward to make 150 personal wash bags for health workers.

And thanks to the imposition of social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus – they still haven't got closer than six feet to one another.

But it hasn't stopped Jacki, Lynn Cotton , Lynda Butler and Sue Hunter using their sewing skills to make the accessory which enables health workers to take off their uniforms at the end of a shift, place them in the material mini-laundry bags which can then go straight into the wash – limiting the spread of infection from work to home.

The wash bags have already been delivered to residential care homes in Atherstone – Merevale House and Bracebridge Court – as well as a consignment to the phhebotomy department at George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton.

Other recipients include the University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire and Sutton Coldfield's Good Hope Hospital. A second consignment is heading off to the maintenance department at the Eliot.

Mrs Ward, whose husband Russ runs the Long Street shop while she looks after the Middleton Hall outlet, said: "I'd never met the other ladies before I appealed on Facebook.

"When the made-up bags have been delivered, because of social distancing, the nearest we've got is six feet from one another."

The four women are happily carrying on with the challenge.

So if you want to join the band of sisters "doing their bit" in the fight against coronavirus, then you can call Mrs Ward on 07921 843233.

Coronavirus has brought the worst kind of isolation for people who are being treated in hospital with the infection.

And to help families fell closer in the situation, Mrs Ward said she knew of friends who are making knitted hearts – one for the patient and the other for the person in hospital "so they can both focus on the same thing while going through this terrible ordeal".

Footnote: If you know of any someone who has gone "above and beyond" to help in any way in this coronavirus crisis then call editor Nick Hudson on 07852 490666 or email [email protected] or send a message on our Facebook page.