As the lockdown days wear on, it can be hard to find hope amid the gloom. But people across the country are finding reasons to keep the spirits high – from fancy dress and miraculous recoveries, to hitting the jackpot and determined little girls.
The UK government has said that these five tests have to be met before they will consider easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions:
- The NHS has sufficient capacity to provide critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK
- A sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths from Coronavirus
- Reliable data to show that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board
- Operational challenges including testing and personal protective equipement (PPE) are in hand with supply able to meet future demand
- Confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelms the NHS
‘Forever grateful’
A mother whose baby was born two months early after she went into intensive care with coronavirus has left hospital. Kathrine Dawson became ill with Covid-19 when she was 32-weeks pregnant and had an emergency caesarean at Blackpool’s Victoria hospital on 1 April. Her baby, Ruth, also had the virus, but, after eight days on a ventilator, Dawson began to recover.
Dawson, 36, told the BBC that she was “forever grateful” to the hospital staff that helped her. Her husband, Stuart, who was not able to visit his wife or their new baby, said: “I thought I was going to be a widower looking after young children on my own.”
Consultant Jason Cupitt said: “We were very concerned that [Kathrine] might not make it. She was deeply sedated and we weren’t seeing much change, but then, five days later, there was a spark of light at the end of the tunnel as her oxygen levels started to improve.”
Who wants to be a millionaire?
A key worker has been awarded what is claimed to be the largest cash prize ever given away on UK radio. Tommy Norton was announced the winner of Heart radio’s Make Me a Millionaire contest on Thursday morning, receiving the news that he was being given £1m live on air while he sat in his van parked at the side of the road.
Norton, whose girlfriend is a hospital worker, said the prizemoney was going to make a huge difference to his life and asked presenters Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston: “Is this real?”
The contest has been running for 11 weeks, with listeners taking part in a daily competition to get them a place in Thursday’s final prize draw. Participants were given the opportunity to walk away with sums ranging between £1,000 and £30,000 or going into the final draw for £1m. In Thursday’s programme, the 10 contestants had to pick a number between one and 10, with nine of the numbers corresponding to a £1,000 prize and one to the £1m jackpot.
A determined 10-year-old
Capt Tom Moore’s fundraising efforts continue to inspire others to challenge themselves to physical feats to raise money for charity. A 10-year-old who had both legs amputated has walked the equivalent distance of a marathon, raising almost £10,000.
Maisie Catt from Kirklees in West Yorkshire lost her legs as a baby from meningitis and septicaemia. She now walks on blades and participates in sports like Taekwondo and swimming. She raised the money for the charity LimbPower, which has provided her with support, by walking 2.6 miles a day over 10 days on a treadmill and in her garden.
“I suggested she walk 2.6 miles but Maisie didn’t think that was far enough,” her mum, Sharon, told the Yorkshire Post.
“She asked how long the marathon was and said she wanted to walk 26 miles over 10 days – 2.6 miles a day. I was a bit concerned that was a lot for her but she is very determined … From being very small she has always been determined that nothing would stand in her way and she hasn’t let it.”
Costume party
A historian whose wedding has been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis will don second world war costumes for her daily exercise to mark the VE Day weekend and cheer up local care home residents. Kindra Jones, 31, was due to marry her 42-year-old fiance, Martin Faulks, who works as a publishing manager, on Saturday, but they have had to reschedule for next year.
She now plans to spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday walking around Ely in Cambridgeshire in costume, passing as many care homes as she can. Jones, whose day job is giving costumed historical talks and workshops, said she has selected her three outfits in tribute to the role of women in the war – an army ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) woman, a land girl and a navy Wren.
Jones said she hoped that seeing the second world war uniforms would “help older people to reminisce about their past” and help engage children who are being homeschooled about this period of history.
