Celebrating the everyday heroes helping to keep country going
As millions of us stay at home to help fight the Covid-19 outbreak, millions more are having to carry on as usual to make sure Wales keeps going. NHS staff are working around the clock on the frontline to provide vital health care to those in desperate ne
POSTAL WORKERS
Rion Rossiter, 31, Newport WITHOUT them, we wouldn’t have our post. So everyday people like Rion, who’s been a postie for a year, put on their Royal Mail uniforms and deliver thousands of letters and packages.
“It’s a bit like Christmas at the moment,” said Rion.
“We’re delivering a lot more parcels. Because people are off work and the shops have shut, people are just ordering everything online.
“We have thousands of parcels coming through every day – I wouldn’t even be able to put a number on it.
“We’ve just had to take on five more staff members at the depot, but we’re still working overtime. But if it weren’t for us, nobody would be getting their mail.”
MECHANICS
Shaun Apsee, 27, Maesteg
SHAUN has been working around the clock to rescue drivers with a flat tyre – most of whom are essential workers, like NHS staff.
“We’ve been helping out a lot of NHS staff, teachers and shop workers,” said Shaun. “If they get a puncture on the road or come out in the morning to go to work to discover they’ve got a flat tyre, we come out and fix it for them.
“The roads might be quiet, but we’re still working all hours – we’ve even set up a 24-hour service. A lot of people who need their cars now don’t have time to take it to a garage or buy the tools they need.”
Like everybody else, Shaun and his colleagues at Affordable Tyres 2 U have taken steps to ensure the safety of themselves and their customers.
He said: “We’re taking card payments, and customers can pay over the phone. We don’t even have to speak to them in person.
“We can come and fix it while the customer waits in their house or is at work so they finish their shift and can go straight home.”
TRUCK DRIVERS
Robert Trigg, 50, Bridgend
LAST week Robert spent 90 hours driving across the UK, delivering everything from toilet rolls to medication.
“I deliver anything and everything,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot more food and household goods and medication that will end up in the hospitals.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much toilet roll as I did last week – I had a whole lorry full. All the other drivers were coming out and taking pictures.
“The hours are long anyway, it’s never been a nine-to-five job, but we’re doing a lot more miles now.
“If we didn’t do it, supermarkets would be bare within two days.”
One of the hardest things for Robert has been the closure of service stations, which has made basic tasks like washing and eating difficult.
He said: “A lot of service stations have closed and the open ones have closed their toilets and showers.
“It is hard, it’s something the average person doesn’t have to think about.”
DELIVERY DRIVERS
Dannii Thomas, 36, Llantwit Major WHILE millions of us are staying at home, Dannii is out and about delivering parcels for Hermes.
“It’s similar to Christmas. I did one round yesterday and delivered 81 and today I’ve got 50-odd. Normally, I would probably do about 40,” she said.
“We’re seeing more things like toilet roll and medicines being ordered online.”
Like other delivery drivers, Dannii is carrying out social distancing measures. “Rather than me knocking on your door and handing you your parcel, I’m knocking, leaving it at the doorstep and waiting for you to come and collect it. If you don’t, I go back and take it away,” she added.
Tina Hughes, 34, from Newport TINA, a mother-of-two, is one of the millions of carers is in the UK looking after vulnerable people.
She helps care for older adults with learning disabilities living in shared accommodation.
“I love my job and I love what I do,” said Tina, who works for Pobl Group.
“One of the biggest challenges is that we have staff off sick and colleagues who have to self-isolate for 12 weeks. We’ve been working 60 to 70 hours a week to make sure the dependants have constant care.
“We’re doing all we can to social distance. We’re limiting the number of carers we have in the house at one time, and we’ve stopped all family visits – which is hard for them to understand. “We’re putting ourselves and our families at risk, but we have to. It’s a massive responsibility, but at the same time, it’s really rewarding.”
FUNERAL STAFF
Shelly Lewis, 37, Blackwood CORONAVIRUS has seen funerals stripped down to their bare essentials, but people still need to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Shelly has worked for Co-op Funeralcare for 18 years and despite the restrictions and pressures the industry is under, makes sure families get the advice, support and guidance they need.
Shelly said: “Two weeks ago we were arranging traditional funerals like normal, and then last week it changed.
“We went down to only 10 family members being able to attend, and we couldn’t organise things like limousines.
“Now, some crematoriums are only allowing five people attend. Florists have closed, and family members have to stay two metres apart.
“We can’t give people the send-off we would like to do, but we are still there for people who need support.
“We’re making sure we are in a place where we’re able to carry on offering the support we do because we are a support mechanism for a lot of people.”
CLEANERS
Michal Sobocinski, 41, Bridgend THEY’RE rarely seen thanks to the early morning starts, but their role is more important than ever in stopping the spread of coronavirus.
Armed with disinfectant and bleach,