Gingers M to P

Midwives: This Ginger is to thanks all the Midwives and others working in Maternity Hospitals. Three young ladies in my extended family have had a baby in lockdown - giving birth at any time can be scary but in lockdown it must be so much worse!  Thank you to the awesome midwives who made their experiences as positive as possible (and welcome to the world to baby girls Aoife, Landry and Theia) 

Milkie: Where would we be without our Milkie?  I not only remember one from childhood, but we've had one for the 34 years we have lived here.  Most of the time it's a convenience but for the COVID months it's been an absolute essential for so many people.  The delivery organisations have stepped up to the mark and arranged contactless payments and online ordering, and have added many more groceries and essentials to their lists.  Thank you to all the Milkies

Mrs Mop: This Ginger might be a bit of a caricature, but she is to thank all the cleaners who are working in hospitals, care homes, hospices and other care facilities where their skills are so necessary to protect everyone

Nurses: Along with the other NHS Gingers, Nurses have been amazing - they have worked long hours coping with the usual diseases and injuries as well as the COVID19 patients at risk to themselves and their loved ones.  They have been asking for scrub bags so they can strip off all their uniform to wash it at high temperature without the risk of shaking any virus off in the family home!  We have asked so much of them and the have delivered - thank you all!

Pilots - air crews have in many cases been furloughed, but living under the flight path we know that planes are still flying.  They have gone to bring back residents who needed repatriation, or to return others to their home countries, to bring essential supplies that could come quicker by air: all with the risk that they can be infected.  Thank you to everyone involved in the air travel industry  

Police:  Along with the other members of the emergency services the Police have never stopped working.  From dealing with the increase in domestic violence and aggravated robbery, to the traffic jams caused by day trippers who thought it would be OK to go to the seaside during lockdown as well as the usual incidents that causes us to call 999 - they have been amazing!  Thank you

Posties - Where would we be without them?  I've been sending cards and small gifts to friends who have been having a tough time, and have received stuff back - its so lovely to know that when you drop an envelope through the red post box it will be collected, sorted, transported and delivered through the friends' letter box within just a few days -who knows how much infected stuff has ended up in the post but all the post office staff have done their magic day after day!  Thank you

Prison Officers and other similar employees have had to carry on working irrespective of COVID19: Prisoners have had to be monitored, cared for, fed and have access to the facilities such as laundry and exercise irrespective of what has been happening 'outside'.  Thank you!

Gingers Q to S

Security Officers: From checking to bombs at the airport, to over night rounds in a shopping centre Security Staff have been working through.  As the ones who often have to turn away people who think they have a right to enter, or have to break up fights, Security staff are often on the receiving end of abuse.  When the person you are dealing with could be shouting a virus at you as well as threats this can be a very daunting job to have - Thank you all

Sewers: Hospitals found themselves short of scrubs and theatre hats, and staff wanted scrubs bags so they were able to undress and easily transfer their uniforms to washing machines without shaking infections around their homes.  People wanted masks to reduce their own likelihood of catching COVID19, and to protect others in case they had it but didn't know: an army of volunteer "scrubbers" took to their scissors and sewing machines and between them made tens (if not hundreds) of thousands sets of scrubs, scrub bags and hats and masks.  Sewing machines were dusted off, patterns studied, fabric cut and stitched and hospitals presented with the kits their staff needed!  Thank You Scrubbers!!

Shopping Deliveries:  the supermarkets struggled with people emptying the shelves while they hoarded groceries but very quickly managed to change their online portals to cope with the huge numbers of people who didn't want to risk going to the shops.  Behind the scenes people shopped for us and loaded it onto lorries and others came with a cheerful smile to bring the shopping.  Thank you!

This Ginger was a message to all of us - we should simply Stay Home and Stay Safe!

Swan Radio is our local community Radio station.  They were not allowed to access their  studio, but managed to cobble together broadcasting set ups at various homes so they could continue to broadcast  from 8am to 10pm all week.  They kept us up to date with volunteer groups and their provisions,  and had on-air chats with organisers of on-line and socially distanced activities.  Thank you!

Gingers T

Teachers found themselves in a whole new working pattern: some at school with a group of children of mixed ages and mixed ability who had one thing in common: that their parents were key workers so the children needed minding during the day, and others who were working from home sending out class notes and arranging online lessons and zoom lessons, phoning families to see how they were getting on, and delivering food vouchers where families had previously received free school meals.   This is not what they have studied for and they have to work out the best way to cope given the children in the school, the families involved and their own family circumstances Since then they have taught children in 'bubbles' trying to bring all the children to the same level.  Thank you all for doing such a great job

Town Crier: We don't have an official Town Crier, but we have our lovely Henry who does his best to make sure no one misses what is going on in the villages.  Twice a week he does a round up of all the activities he has seen or has been made aware of and summarises them on Facebook.  Having run the Ginger Auction on FB I know how complicated it can be to keep track of all the threads but he's been doing a great job!  - Thank you Henry

Tractor Drivers - this Ginger represents all the farm workers and other food providers who carried on sowing and tending and harvesting so the nation could carry on eating!  Thank you

Truck Drivers moved food and other essential items from where they were made or manufactured to where they were needed: almost everything we have bought has been delivered to the shop or the warehouse by lorry, and if truck drivers had ceased working  the country would have come to a standstill.  Thank you