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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Dave Stubbings

Clap for Heroes: What time is it and how to take part as national applause returns

One of the most enduring sights of the first national lockdown was the weekly Clap for Carers.

Every Thursday for 10 weeks Brits gathered on doorsteps, balconies and streets to clap, cheer and even set off fireworks to celebrate NHS staff and other key workers on the coronavirus frontline.

Now the clapping is due to return.

Organiser Annemarie Plas tweeted on Wednesday to say the applause would restart and now be called Clap for Heroes.

Ms Plas said she hoped the reincarnation of the clap would "lift the spirit of all of us", including "all who are pushing through this difficult time".

What do you think about Clap for Heroes? Have your say in the comments below

What time is Clap for Heroes?

The national clap will be at 8pm, just as it was during the first lockdown between March and May 2020.

To take part all you need to do is go to your door or window at 8pm and applaud.

What is Clap for Heroes?

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took part in the Clap for Carers last year alongside their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (BBC Children in Need/Comic Relief via Getty Images)

The original clap was a "spontaneous idea" to help show those battling Covid-19 on the frontline that had the public's support.

Ms Plas, a Dutch national living in south London, thought it might be just her and a few friends taking part, but it rapidly grew and become a national tradition.

Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson and members of the royal family - most notably the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children - joined in.

After 10 weeks the event came to an end amid criticism that the clap was becoming too political, something Ms Plas didn't disagree with.

Speaking ahead of the final clap in 2020, she told PA: "Without getting too political, I share some of the opinions that some people have about it becoming politicised.

"I think the narrative is starting to change and I don't want the clap to be negative."

The event's return comes at the "most serious" point of the pandemic so far.

Figures for those testing positive, being admitted to hospital and dying rising at an alarming rate, which have prompted a third national lockdown.

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