Every Thursday for the past 10 weeks Nottingham's lockdown silence has been broken by raucous applause from doorsteps up and down the county in a show of gratitude to our NHS Heroes.
Clap For Our Carers has become a date in the diary, with well-wishers joining neighbours (from a social distance) for one to three minutes of cheering, pot banging and even a good old fashioned sing-song at 8pm each week.
But tonight (Thursday, May 28) will mark its last official outing - and city council leader David Mellen has urged residents to join in one final time.
He said: "Thursday night’s weekly clap for our carers will be the last. It has been a joy to see and hear reports of thousands across the city pausing to applaud frontline workers since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
"People have gathered in their gardens and at their front doors to create a visual and audible show of support.
"Tomorrow will mark the tenth weekly event which started back in March and I would urge people to join in for a final time to say thank you to the critical frontline workers across the city providing care to people every day."
Over the past 10 weeks the Thursday night celebration of frontline workers has included firefighters applauding staff outside King's Mill Hospital, the council house being lit up blue and police officers giving a blues and twos guard of honour outside Queen's Medical Hospital.
But with lockdown restrictions now easing, Clap For Our Carers' founder Annemarie Plas announced tonight would be the last event in its current run. It is hoped it will return in other ways with plans including an annual national event – Clap For Our Carers Day – taking place on March, 25, 2021, one year on from the first applause.
