Residents of a street in Bristol have gone one step further than simply expressing support for the NHS in their windows.
People living in one road in Greenbank in Bristol have instead raised the issue of the lack of Protective Personal Equipment - or PPE - for health service staff, carers and others on the frontline in treating people with coronavirus.
The residents of Camelford Road said they all take part in the weekly ‘Clap for Carers’ event every Thursday at 8pm, but said they felt they wanted to do more.
Many of the front windows have brightly-coloured ‘PPE’ messages that the residents say is a protest at the Government’s failure to ensure staff in the NHS are adequately protected.
At least 55 NHS staff have died from coronavirus since the pandemic began, with bodies like the Royal College of Nursing condemning the Government for not ensuring there is enough PPE to protect its nurses.
Residents in Camelford Road said they wanted to do something after being inspired by the campaign group ‘Led By Donkeys’, which projected video messages from NHS staff onto the walls of the Houses of Parliament over the weekend.
“It is great to see and be with neighbours even at a distance at the Clap for Our Carers sessions each week, but I started to feel that it wasn’t enough when so many of our carers are not being protected whilst at work,” said one resident, Marianne, who said everyone in the street turns out to clap every Thursday.
Another resident of 18 years, Lorna, said people in her road in BS5 had been coming together to support each other during lockdown, and they felt they wanted to support NHS workers too.
“We have been coming together as a street to support each other and help where we can with things like shopping,” she said.
“I have got to know neighbours that I hadn’t even spoken to before. It feels important to also work together to protest about the lack of PPE for health and social care staff.
“I feel really strongly that everyone has a right to feel protected at work. They do a tough job and the lack of PPE makes it so much harder,” she added.
“We decided to cover our windows with banners and posters about the issue. This problem needs to be sorted by the Government. It is way beyond urgent,” she added.
Now, the front windows of the homes in the street are filled with messages about PPE, as well as those backing the NHS staff who need it.
Lisa, an artist who has lived in the street for ten years, said it was the Government’s duty to protect NHS staff.
“As well as finding a vaccine to protect the population, the Government has a duty to ensure those on the frontline of the crisis are protected in their jobs.
“The UK Government has explained that the Army and many others have been involved to ensure the supply of PPE. However, confidence in supply is still low, with NHS leaders concerned that stocks are already running out,” she added.
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