Yorkshire players and families rally around the NHS cause
YORKSHIRE first-team coach Andrew Gale and his wife Kate have volunteered as National Health Service responders to help deal with the battle against Coronavirus.
The Gales have signed up to support people most at risk of Covid-19 because of underlying health issues.
“Myself and my wife have volunteered,” said coach Gale.
“I’m at a bit of a loose end at the moment, so if I can help out in any way, I will.
“Until we start training again, all I can do is planning stuff, so I have some free time. It could also be that my wife goes to help and I’ll stay with the kids. We’ll see what happens.”
The former County Championship title-winning captain is not alone, with Chris Liversidge, part of the White Rose county’s physiotherapy team, offering more direct help to his former employers at Bradford Hospital as well as the
Calderdale and Huddersfield Trust.
Young spinner James Logan’s mother Vicki has also volunteered as an NHS responder around her day job for Yorkshire Ambulance, while Gale’s sister Laura, director of cricket Martyn Moxon’s daughter Charlotte and Jordan Thompson’s mother Julie are also NHS employees.
Gale’s sister Laura works in paediatrics just outside Bradford, while Moxon’s daughter Charlotte is an orthopaedic nurse.
“She’s doing her normal job at the moment, but things could get taken over by Covid-19,” said Moxon.
“When you’ve got someone in the family on the frontline if you like, you get a real idea of what it’s like and how committed the staff are.
“It’s a bit scary what’s going on, but my daughter’s never said: ‘I don’t want to go into work.’ It’s almost their duty in a sense. I think that’s why they get such admiration.”
Left-arm spinner Logan’s mother, Vicki, has been redirected to help deal with the increased demand of the virus.
“She usually organises where the ambulances go when patients need to be transported from hospital to home or things like that,” he explained.
“But quite a lot of the appointments have been cancelled, so she’s been drafted over to the 111 centre to help with the demand given that’s the go to place to call for anybody experiencing symptoms.
“She’s also volunteered to be an NHS responder in her spare time. It’s all go at the moment.”
Thompson’s mother Julie works in an administrative role at their local doctor’s surgery in Yeadon and is having to take extra precautions given the 23-year-old all-rounder has Type One diabetes.
“She’s had to shut herself away in another room away from everyone else to make sure nothing’s being passed around,” said Thompson.
“Being Type One diabetic, my immune system is a bit weaker and I can catch things that little bit easier.
“I’ve been pretty much on total lockdown. I’ve been out for a couple of runs and bike sessions, but not much else. My mum’s been doing the right things, shutting herself away at work and getting the job done.”
Huddersfield-based Liversidge combines his duties in Yorkshire’s physio team with running his own practice, North Light Physiotherapy Associates.
Given a drop off in custom at present, he and his three colleagues have offered their help to the NHS.
“Given we are quiet with new patient enquiries, the morally correct thing to do is to offer help where we can,” he explained.
“I worked at Bradford Hospital for 17 years, ending in 2017. It’s been a case of contacting them again, and they’ve been very receptive to that. I’ve also done the same with Calderdale and Huddersfield Trust.”
Last Thursday night saw the UK come together to salute the NHS workers by standing outside homes and taking part in a ‘Clap for Carers’ tribute. Yorkshire star and England Test captain Joe Root joined in.
He added: “That was really special. It just shows how powerful it is when so many people do something together. It’s going to take a lot of that over the next few weeks.
“It’s amazing what the NHS do, and it was overdue thanks from everyone.”