Care workers have spoken of the emotional work on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic as a moving ceremony was staged in North Yorkshire to mark the fifth anniversary of the health crisis.
Representatives from North Yorkshire Council’s care services were joined by colleagues from the NHS for the ceremony which saw a tree planted in the grounds of County Hall in Northallerton.
During the event, teenager Dan Byron gave a moving rendition of Bring Him Home from Les Misérables and the council’s chaplain, The Venerable Simon Golding, gave prayers for those affected by Covid-19.
A plaque was unveiled at the tree-planting which includes a tribute to the people of North Yorkshire for the care and support they showed to protect their family, friends and communities. A video of the ceremony, which was hosted by North Yorkshire Council, can be viewed on the following link at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/tree
North Yorkshire Council’s chair, Cllr Roberta Swiers, who attended the ceremony, said: “The care workers and NHS staff were at the forefront of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in raw and human terms. We wish to honour their commitment during those years, and through to today, in caring for many of our most vulnerable residents.”
Among those who were at the ceremony were Lucy Kay, a senior care and support worker based at Benkhill Lodge in Bedale throughout the pandemic, and Julie Samways, a reablement care and support worker in the team covering the Yorkshire Dales during Covid-19.
A staff nurse at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, Helen Sharpe, also attended the ceremony at County Hall. She was the first person in North Yorkshire to be placed on a ventilator after contracting Covid-19 on March 20, 2020, and was treated at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough for four weeks.
Mrs Sharpe, who lives in East Harsley, near Northallerton, and has worked at the Friarage Hospital for 15 years, said: “It was such a reality check to find myself in isolation in hospital. Everyone was aware of Covid-19 from the news headlines, but at that point not that many people had been affected by the pandemic firsthand.
“I felt so vulnerable, with no human contact other than the medical staff who all had to wear protective clothing. They were absolute angels and I feel so lucky to still be here.
“It took a year before I was able to return to work as I was suffering from fatigue and had to learn to walk again, and I do still suffer from nerve pain and sometimes my memory isn’t as good as it was.
“It has been wonderful to be part of the ceremony at County Hall, as it has given us all the chance to reflect on what was such a challenging time for everyone.”
Mrs Samways, who lives in Richmond and has worked in the care sector for 21 years, spent three days in hospital herself in March 2020 after contracting Covid-19 due in part to complications caused by the asthma she suffers from.
She said: “It was the most challenging time I have ever experienced in my career as a carer as life literally changed overnight. The isolation and loneliness were the biggest things for our clients as they were at home and only saw us when we went around, but even then we were in full PPE (personal protective equipment).
“But the team I work with was brilliant and we had such a great deal of support from our manager and team leaders. It was a very sad and distressing time, but we came through together and are now an even stronger team.
“I was in hospital myself in isolation and in many ways, I experienced firsthand what our clients were faced with themselves while on their own, and it is something I would never want to go through again.
“The ceremony at County Hall has been a really important way of marking what happened throughout Covid-19, and I feel honoured to have been involved.”
Mrs Kay has worked at Benkhill Lodge, which is a residential home that can accommodate up to 29 residents, for the past 15 years.
She said: “The Covid-19 pandemic was a time like no other we had ever experienced, and it had a big impact on all our residents. Social distancing was a really difficult aspect, and both the staff and residents had to be tested for Covid-19 on a weekly basis.
“I actually caught Covid-19 myself in September 2022 just a month before my wedding, but thankfully we were able to still go ahead with the service.
“The event in Northallerton has given us time to reflect on what happened five years ago, and it has been both an honour and really quite emotional to be involved.”
The pandemic’s devastating impact saw about 2,000 deaths registered in North Yorkshire which were linked to Covid-19.
North Yorkshire Council is backing a national day of reflection which will be staged on Sunday, March 9, when residents will be asked take part in a series of activities including a simple act of kindness for a friend, relative or neighbour.
Ripon Cathedral choral scholar Dan, 18, from Boroughbridge, is due to begin a music degree course at the prestigious Birmingham Conservatoire in September.
His mother, Joanna Claire, is a teacher with North Yorkshire Council’s music service who also plays viola in the orchestra for Opera North.
The teenager, whose love of singing developed through music lessons with a family friend, Darcy Bleiker, said: “It has been a real honour to be asked to sing at the ceremony with an opportunity to remember everyone who was affected by Covid-19.
“The pandemic was an extremely difficult time for so many people, and my love of music really helped me.
“I practised the viola during Covid-19 and I was able to meet up online with friends in a string group in Ripon, called Fiddle Fingers. It brought a little piece of normality during what was a really tough time.”
Other suggestions for activities as part of the national day of reflection include making a mini-memorial to place in a window at home, lighting a candle in memory of someone who died due to Covid-19 and donating to a charity that helped communities during the pandemic.
Residents are also being urged to spend a moment of reflection at locations on a tree trail which was planted by the council in 2023 across North Yorkshire to act as a lasting memorial to all those who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic. The locations of the tree trail are being featured on a website produced by the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration which was set up to find appropriate ways to remember those who lost their lives since the pandemic began.
The commission held an in-depth consultation with those most impacted by the pandemic, including representatives from bereaved family organisations. In September 2023, it published its final report, recommending an annual UK-wide day of reflection.
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