It’s the third week that we’ve stood on our drives and in our doorways clapping for our carers. For our NHS and key workers. It doesn’t seem to get any less emotional either. Or maybe that’s just me.
Everyone of us is affected by what is going but for my children, seen clapping in the picture (the third and youngest, was asleep in bed!) the Thursday night applause is always a poignant one and something they insist on taking part in.
Their dad, my husband, is a doctor at York Hospital. At the time of writing at 9.55pm he still isn’t home. He left the house before 8am this morning and I have no idea when he’ll be back. This isn’t unusual for many of you reading this; working long unpredictable hours, I know. I grew up the daughter of a police officer and married a doctor. My entire life has evolved around night shifts, random working patterns and on calls and the children understand that. It’s part of our life. But as any of those families like mine, will know, it feels very different right now. We cannot all hole up at home together and stay safe when one of you has to go out onto what feels like the frontline. There is an added sense of danger dealing with the public, which not everybody can fully appreciate.
I wrote the other day how we, at MLA, have received key worker status. What we do may seem very different to what the doctors, nurses, carers and police are doing, but it matters. I want you to know it really matters to us. We are so invested in keeping you safe and protected in this new environment. We are working tirelessly to ensure you get the equipment you need, meeting the highest standards and quality and our design team are working hard on new products including the anti-microbial face shield to give you the best possible protection. For years Michael Lupton, our managing director, worked as a police officer and knows first-hand the importance of the right level of protection. As his daughter, I know the importance to families of getting that protection right.
We will be out next Thursday to clap everyone who is working so hard to get us through this pandemic. In the meantime, we’ll be working hard to ensure everyone of our customers gets what they need to help get us through. #clapforcarers #NHSheroes
Sarah Brewer, Marketing and PR