HEROES KEEPING WALES 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 need. And while we’ll never be able to show our gratitude for the NHS heroes, Wales on Sunday thinks it’s important to recognise some of the other people out working during the pandemic. BRONTE HOWARD reports
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.”
SHOP ASSISTANTS
■ Tracy Hooper, 55, Britton Ferry Like every other shop worker in Wales, Tracy, a shop assistant at Tesco Express in Britton Ferry, is doing all she can to keep the country fed.
“I’ve been working a lot more overtime, which isn’t a bad thing because I love to help out,” she said.
“I did five hours on the door the other day letting people in and I was doing little quizzes and games to keep them happy.
“We all have to do our bit to help out at the moment, I might as well put a smile on people’s faces while I’m doing mine.
“We’ve all been swamped. As soon as new stock comes in we’ve been putting it out on the shelves.
“We’ve implemented all the new restrictions and social distancing measures and fair play to the community, they’ve been great. They’ve all been so understanding.
“Tesco has been excellent too. We have staff off self-isolating or because they’re high risk and we’ve just got five new employees.”
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