Nourish our Nurses

Jenny in the Upper Sixth has recently been supporting Surrey based initiative ‘Nourish our Nurses’ and was delighted to learn that they were to be sharing some positive press with Leighton Park. The Nourish our Nurses initiative, set up by two parents from Jenny’s primary school, today featured as the very first piece in the BBC Documentary ‘Ross Kemp and Britain’s Volunteer Army’. Leighton Park’s PPE partnership which has created over 30,000 face shields for the NHS and keyworkers in the health care sector will also be featured in the series shortly.

Jenny shared her realisation that both her school and her family were involved in the series with the School a few weeks ago, “I watched The One Show when Ross Kemp mentioned visiting our Design Technology department! I have been helping at my old primary school, packing bags for the NHS workers in my local area and my dad has supplied them with tons of bags from Metro. Nourish our Nurses were also asked to be interviewed shortly after catching the news; I was just so excited to talk to him [Ross Kemp] about how I attend Leighton Park!”

Nourish our Nurses are a small group of volunteers set up to support the coronavirus pandemic, providing NHS workers with fresh fruit and vegetables that they can take home after a tiring shift. These packages are not only supporting nurses’ physical health, but their mental wellbeing, as they take away the need to fit in a trip to the supermarket. The community led project has so far raised over £31,000 with the 400 bags of nutritious food delivered twice a week, after they have been sourced and packaged up by volunteers such as Jenny and her dad, Matthew.

Sharing the efforts of the team Matthew remarked, “Jenny and I came across Nourish our Nurses whilst looking for ways to get involved. The two wonderful ladies who started the initiative are mums of pupils at Bishopsgate School – Jenny’s primary school. So, we went along to help load bags one Friday afternoon and discovered what they do. They get up at 3.00am and drive to Western International Market and bulk buy potatoes, carrots, cauliflowers, apples, onions, oranges and cabbages. Local businesses have donated sweets, pasta and olive oil. The volunteers then pack the bags which are afterwards distributed to St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey, Ashford Hospital and the paramedics based at Ottershaw.”

An employee at Metro Bank, Jenny’s dad has further supported the cause by facilitating a donation of 200 reusable bags brimming with food goods from the company. “It’s great that we clap for our carers, but it feels fantastic demonstrating we care in a tangible and healthy way. Ross Kemp came to see the operation in practice on Friday.” Matthew commented.

He continued by commending the face shields partnership initiative launched by the School, “I’m absolutely thrilled that Leighton Park are leading from the front. It fills me with so much hope. Jenny was so excited to share the news and mention the connection.” Jenny added “It has been great to get involved and offer what we can. Ross Kemp interviewed people whilst we were all working, and we were able to chat to him after filming had wrapped up. He has been thoroughly impressed by the work Leighton Park are doing!”

Upon hearing the news that a fellow Leighton Park Samaritan would be by his side on screen, Mark Smith, Head of Design Technology, and one of the many faces behinds the face shields initiative said, “Well done Jenny. Excellent work. How amazing is it that two completely separate groups helping out in this pandemic, united only by their connection to Leighton Park, are being interviewed? The ethos is strong!”

In a recent update Nourish our Nurses wrote “The NHS staff are absolutely loving our bags of nourishment and the feedback and thank yous have been overwhelming and emotional which makes it all the more worthwhile.” You can read more and support the cause on their fundraising page.