NHS THANKS TO HOTEL STAFF IS POETRY IN MOTION
Emotional rhyme dedicated to group who offered free rooms
Nurses who stayed at a hotel while treating people with coronavirus have penned a heartfelt poem thanking staff for their support.
Engraved on a plaque displayed at the Bowfield Hotel, in Howwood, the poem thanks staff for giving them a home after being forced to leave their loved ones.
Hundreds of medical staff from Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital took the decision at the height of the pandemic to stay at the Bowfield Hotel in a bid to protect vulnerable members of their family from the deadly disease.
They were instead offered free accommodation at the Bowfield and Lynnhurst Hotel in Johnstone.
The hotels, which are owned by the Manorview Group, let out 1,308 and 437 rooms to NHS staff respectfully between March 23 and July 10.
Hotel chiefs made the decision to offer their rooms to carers after they were forced to cease trading due to lockdown restrictions.
While the majority of staff were furloughed, the remaining team did their utmost to look after hundreds of NHS staff fighting coronavirus on the frontline.
The poem written by those grateful carers says: “As we arrived one by one, filled with dread, how would we cope with the battle ahead.
“You gave us hope and support when we needed it the most, with your amazing, friendly staff and beautiful hotel to boast.”
Signed off by Team NHS Pandemic 2020, it adds: “You all eased our worries with a welcoming smile and chat, as we came and went night and day.
“Through this storm we became a family.
“This debt we will never be able to repay.”
The poem will sit proudly in the hotel for years to come as a reminder of their life-saving work and that of the hotel workers who went out of their way to ensure they were okay at the end of very long shifts.
The Express reported earlier this year how the Manorview Group instantly offered their hotel rooms to frontline workers in early March.
It became a lifeline for NHS workers who, for a number of reasons, were unable to go home to their children, partners and parents at the end of hospital shifts.
In some instances mothers had not seen their children face-to-face in weeks.
David Tracey, managing director of Manorview Hotels and Leisure Group said: “We’re grateful we were able to help our essential workers.
“We got a small insight into the work they do to keep us all safe, and we’re all incredibly humbled and thankful to them.
“Our industry is going through its toughest period ever but we’re coming out of this feeling positive knowing we have the support of a great team.
“During a crisis they demonstrated how we all live our Manorview values as one team.
“Everyone worked together to help in any way they could.”
Collectively, the Manorview Group’s five hotels, including the Busby, Torrance, Commercial hotels, let 3,488 rooms to NHS workers.
While the majority of staff were furloughed, many continued to volunteer to ensure guests had as comfortable and easy a stay as possible at the venues.
We’re grateful we were able to help our essential workers... we’re all incredibly humbled