Northampton General Hospital says a big thank you to its army of volunteers

Northampton General Hospital spent last week saying a special thank you to all their inspirational volunteers who are helping in the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 100 fresh volunteers signed up to join its army of regular helpers to facilitate over 300 calls between patients unable to receive visitors and their loved ones, deliver patient property, as well as deliver over 800 letters to patients.

The hospital's head of volunteer services, Emma Wimpress, said: “We are so thankful to our incredible team of volunteers whose help at this current time, but also throughout the year is so appreciated by everyone at NGH.

"We are extremely grateful to anyone choosing to give their time to us.”

During Volunteering Week — which ran fro June 1 — the team has been busy giving out certificates, thank you cards and a hygiene hook keyring to the hospitals volunteers, as well as arranging a socially-distanced afternoon tea to celebrate and thank them.

The NHS launched an appeal for volunteers back in March as the coronavirus bug spread through the country.

But it is not just during times of emergency that Northampton General Hospital has a dedicated team of volunteers to support staff and patients.

More than 300 members of the community regularly give their time to help run services such as the helpdesks on site, the mobile library and buggy services.

A message from the Editor:

Two words have never been more important. Thank you.

It is a small gesture that we must never take for granted - and often it is the hardest phrase to say.

As a nation, we have faced one of the biggest challenges to test our resolve and resilience in the face of a silent killer we have never battled before.

Since March 23 - and even longer for some of our most vulnerable - we have been parted from our loved ones, shielded the defenseless and formed a protective ring around the National Health Service so that it can help those who need it the most.

It has come at a cost and there has been a tragic price to pay as coronavirus sweeps the country. Sadly thousands of loved ones have succumbed to the virus leaving many families struggling to compound their loss as they grieve alone.

It has been incredibly tough - we are living in extraordinary times. Yet it is during times of great crisis that human compassion truly comes to the fore.

And it is that community spirit, that compassion, that we want to celebrate this month with our campaign, The Big Thank You.

We, along with other JPIMedia titles across the country, want to showcase the astonishing lengths key workers and voluntary organisations have gone to over the last ten weeks...and will continue to do so as we find our way through the next phase of this crisis.We want your help to do this. Over the coming weeks, we are asking you, our readers, to share your pictures and messages to those who have made such a difference to your lives during lockdown.

We are surrounded by a nation of unsung heroes.

Quite simply, we want to say a Big Thank You to the army of volunteers, medics and other keyworkers across our towns and cities for their extraordinary selfless service.