Picture by Ted Bryant, age 12 

As an organisation we get to work with so many inspirational charities and non-profits who are, like all of us, feeling the seismic impact of the current pandemic. Whether it’s large well-known organisations like Oxfam or Barnardo’s who have had to make the difficult decision to furlough high numbers of staff, or smaller local hospital charities where fundraisers are being called to put aside their day jobs in order to help with front line logistics in hospitals, we salute you.

As communities pull together and the kindness and generosity of strangers helps us to feel more human during these isolated times, gratitude can be a big boost to framing how you feel and staying positive. It can help to remember how lucky we are to live in a country where we have such a good healthcare system, available free of charge to all of us.

It’s heart-warming to seethe 20,000 retired NHS staff who have come back to work and hundreds of thousands of people who have volunteered to help the NHS. The compassion, commitment and kindness of all those who continue to work selflessly to keep all of us safe and well is remarkable. And taking part in a nation-wide clap to cheer on the NHS helps us to feel part of something good.

In the interests of shining a spotlight on some of the other incredible things our medical charity colleagues are doing to keep people safe,I wanted to highlight the fantastic work of Doctors of the World UK. During a chat with Ellen Waters, Development Director, this morning, I learnt more about the difficulties faced by refugees, migrant and asylum-seeking communities, many of whom fall between the cracks of community and state support. On top of their mobile healthcare provision for marginalised communities in London, Doctors of the World is leading on the translation of the NHS Covid-19 guidelines and resources into 35+ different languages so that, whatever your status or language, understanding how to best protect yourself and others is accessible. If you know of any organisations who may need this kind of resource, please share: https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/coronavirus-information/.

With so many people out there doing amazing things to support others during difficult times I’d like to finish off with a massive thank you to you all. Thank you to my incredible colleagues who keep my spirits up on a daily basis, thank you to my friends and family, and thank you to all those, NHS and beyond, who are working so hard to keep us safe.

You are all awesome.  

Philippa and the Charity People team