MHAW - Day 4 | Day 1- #19 (21/05/20)

Today is Day 4 of Mental Health Awareness week.

There was a bit of hooha all over breakfast news and daytime telly today surrounding the fact that immigrants who work in our NHS are expected to pay a contribution (Immigration Health Surcharge) in order to live in our country and use the NHS despite the fact that they are providing the service (!) particularly during this current crisis. It wasn't until much later in the day at the Daily Briefing that it was announced the Government would lift this and enable migrant workers who are employed within the NHS or the care sector to be exempt from the tax.

It was quite a heated debate both on TV and radio, with arguments from both sides, some defending the fact that this tax brings in a huge amount of revenue to the NHS which is very much needed but then also from the more human side, the argument that it is morally wrong to charge these people to access the very service that they are providing! I am glad that this matter was resolved and with the right outcome in my opinion. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer agreed, saying it was "a victory for common decency". It would have been quite ridiculous and indeed hypocritical for Boris Johnson to stand outside and Clap our Carers this evening with this tension and anger still bubbling away across the country.

On a lighter note I wanted to bring you some stories of Kindness that have been hitting the headlines both locally and nationally. So here are a few...

A local boy on the Island grew sunflowers from seed and delivered them to Firefighters in Freshwater. I believe he also set up a little stall inviting people to help themselves to a plant...such a sweet idea. He also drew lovely pictures of 'Thanks'. Great work!

In local news I also read about an Indian Takeaway in Shanklin that was cooking up meals for Care and NHS staff to come in and collect for free before or after shifts. Such a lovely idea and one that I know has been replicated in many different establishments across the country and probably most of the world! A local pub in Brading has also been providing and delivering meals to those shielding or in self-isolation on the Island. They also delivered homemade scones across the Island for the VE Day celebrations earlier in May. Well done The Yarbridge Inn. On this occasion The Brunswick Hotel in Shanklin also joined in with spreading the kindness (and scones!)

On 7th May it was reported that Chefonline CEO Mohammed Munim launched #NationalCurryWeek and #CurryforHeroes with 50+ curry houses involved, preparing more than 25,000 Indian dishes for the 'real-life heroes' the health workers on the front lines, risking their lives day in and day out to save others. Fantastic initiative, good work Munim!

Deliveroo set up a fundraising page in March to provide 500,000 meals for frontline workers (Support the NHS). Companies including Pizza Hut and Neat Burger donated meals and when placing orders, customers were also invited to donate funds (towards a meal) for NHS staff. Deliveroo also continued to provide free food for vulnerable people during the pandemic. A similar initiative started by a group of friends, including Andrew Muir Wood, raised more than £250,000 for meals for frontline workers (Meals for the NHS)

There have also been stories about hotels offering their rooms to the homeless, parking spaces being offered to NHS staff so that they do not have to use public transport and also rooms/accommodation being offered for free to NHS/care staff who need to stay somewhere other than at home in order to keep their families safe. The sacrifices they continue to make are truly amazing, such a wonderful breed of people they are! Children have also donated pocket money to the NHS and the wonderful Captain (Colonel) Tom Moore who is to be knighted and so has now become Sir Captain Tom Moore. His fundraising efforts reached almost £33 million! What an incredible achievement and an inspirational human being!!

So as you can see, there is so much kindness around in the world and it is so very important that this continues as we all try to move forward through MHAW and out the other side of this pandemic. We all need kindness and it will always do wonders for our communities, in good times and in bad.

I started #19 today and also did a load of Yoga! It's all about making sure I do enough of the things that protect my mental health so that I can make my own way through these strange, worrying times in the most positive frame of mind possible.

The art piece is very different for me; a nature/botanical inspired mixed-media type collage. It is quite small and almost finished already after just a few hours. I am really enjoying it.

Yoga consisted of a 'Stress Melt', 'Hips and Lower Back', 'Yoga for Sensitive Knees' and 'Neck, Shoulders and Upper Back'.

Almost a complete body workout and I feel great for it! Yay!!