Earlier this year while In the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, Metro.co.uk sought to shine a light on those among us who were going above and beyond to help others.
Through our mini series, Everyday Heroes, we celebrated the stories of inspirational people who gave up their time and energy for free to help others, whether to cook and deliver food, organise care, raise money or even just provide some entertainment during the long days of lockdown.
Now Metro.co.uk is inviting you to vote for your favourite Everyday Hero, which you can do at the bottom of the page – but be quick as polling will close at 9am on 31 August, 2020.
As a token of appreciation, our winner will receive a £200 voucher from BuyAGift, along with a personalised chocolate hamper from Getting Personal and a bouquet of flowers courtesy of Interflora.
Your second and third favourite heroes will also get a little treat and receive a bunch of flowers and the chocolate hamper.
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So, before you get voting here’s a reminder of all the amazing deeds carried out by our Everyday Heroes…
Julia Camilleri
Crowned our first Everyday Hero, as Covid-19 spread, Julia was setting up a food and prescription delivery service for vulnerable members of her community. What started with home-made flyers through front doors soon turned into a full-blown operation, with Julia coordinating 85 local volunteers. She hopes to continue the service long past the pandemic.
Read more of Julia’s story here.
Jon Crowder
An article about food banks spurred marketer Jon into action. Realising his local food banks were likely to be badly hit by the pandemic, he started a crowdfunding page and raised £1,300 to bulk-buy food and deliver it to food banks in his area.
Read more of Jon’s story here.
Sarah Brooks
Modest to the last, it was Sarah’s mum who recommended her for an Everyday Heroes slot. She had started to batch-cook meals and leave portions outside her house for anyone who needed them – and was amazed to find everything always went. Covering all the costs by herself, she refused donations and intended to keep going as long as she could get ingredients.
Read more of Sarah’s story here.
Sacha Coward
When museums began to close in lockdown, freelance tour guide Sacha decided to bring them into our homes. In a series of energetic, 60 second videos – that he filmed, edited and posted for free – he brought artefacts to life and told stories to spark the imagination to lift the boredom of monotonous days.
Read more of Sacha’s story here.
Dr Alexander Finlayson
It took just days for Alexander and his team to spot the crucial role technology was going to play in the pandemic. They worked 24/7 to create Nye, NHS-compliant technology that enabled doctors and patients to communicate safely from wherever they both were, and made it available to every NHS doctor in the UK for free. If that wasn’t enough, Dr Finlayson continued to work as GP throughout.
Read more of Alexander’s story here.
Holly Winter
With the wedding industry in shutdown, dress designer Holly Winter was inspired by Clap For Carers to offer her skills for free to any NHS bride-to-be. She used material she already had, conducting fittings via Zoom and teamed up with photographers and jewellers who were also happy to provide complimentary products. Despite her own business taking a hit, Holly was determined to give couples their special day – whenever that might be.
Read more of Holly’s story here.
Suzanne Noble
With a dual career as a jazz singer and app founder, Suzanne was perfectly placed to set up Corona Concerts, a Facebook group where musicians from around the world could promote and stream their music. What started as a passion project quickly became a full time endeavour, and the group now has almost 3,000 members and is still going strong today.
Read more of Suzanne’s story here.
Jamie Welham
Despite having no experience in a commercial kitchen, TV Director Jamie volunteered as primary school chef – and found the dynamic atmosphere wasn’t all that different from a show’s set. Working as part of the school’s kitchen team, he prepared meals for up to 200 children around London Fields and leant the true value of school cooks, an experience he described as ‘humbling and inspiring’.
Read more of Jamie’s story here.
Lauren Ezekiel
As an ex beauty editor, Lauren knows the power cosmetics have to lift spirits. As the pandemic took hold she founded WE C U in her spare time, calling on professional contacts to provide beauty products and getting family and friends to help package and distribute goodie bags to front-line NHS staff. To date, WE C U has given away hundreds of thousands of items to over 62 hospitals and social care facilities.
Read more of Lauren’s story here.
Eleanor Segall Mandelstram
Having suffered with mental illness herself, Eleanor knew just how isolating and anxiety-provoking lockdown was proving for many. Her answer was Corona Cards: along with a small team of fellow volunteers, she hand-crafted and sent out personalised greeting cards without charge. Their popularity grew, and they were soon taking orders from overseas and proving just how valuable human connection can be.
Read more of Eleanor’s story here.
Vishan Nair
Engineering student Vishan decided to join Malaysia’s national PPE-making effort at the start of the coronavirus crisis using his own 3D printer. It was a family affair: after setting his relatives to work on his production line, he turned the family dining room into an assembly station and by the end of April, he had made over 1,000 pieces of protective equipment that were used in Malaysian hospitals.
Read more of Vishan’s story here.
Dela Idowu
When Dela’s neighbour John died during lockdown, she knew a ‘grief tree’ would make a fitting memorial. Despite never having met some of her street’s residents, Dela encouraged them all to write a short note about John, which she then hung on the ‘tree’ and presented to his widow. ‘As sad as the pandemic is,’ she said, ‘it has brought out humanity, compassion and empathy in people.’ She has since been emboldened to organise a street-wide get-together.
Read more of Dela’s story here.
Clare Mackintosh
Before Covid-19, Clare was perhaps most well known as a best-selling British author, but the pandemic gave her a side-hustle in the form of The Secret Library. With libraries closed, she set up the tiny village outpost as a way for local residents to get books in safe, socially distanced conditions – and stay entertained during lockdown. It even became a drop off point for food parcels, and remained a lifeline for the most vulnerable in her community.
Read more of Clare’s story here.
Keith Bates
Keith had been looking forward to well-deserved retirement when coronavirus hit. When one of his daughters mentioned a charity that was making scrubs, he knew he could help. Using a tax rebate to purchase material, Keith organised over 3,000 volunteers to cut, sew and distribute scrubs and has now produced over 10,000 sets for front-line NHS staff.
Read more of Keith’s story here.
Jake Day
Age wasn’t a barrier to 10-year-old Jake’s fundraising efforts. He decided to run 250km in a month to raise money for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff, where his mum Kayleigh is a nurse. With his dad by his side, he was soon averaging 10km a day, becoming something of a local celebrity. To date he has smashed his original target to raise over £5,000.
Read more of Jake’s story here.
Holly Maslen
As the UK population started to stockpile food, Holly went in the opposite direction, setting up Green Island Veg Economy (GIVE) as a way for Isle of Wight residents to share surplus crops and plants. The initiative not only sought to reduce food waste but bring people together and encourage sustainability. Since launching in April, the original Facebook group now boasts over 7,000 members.
Read more of Holly’s story here.
Chris Higgins
Chris may have been the last Everyday Hero is our series, but he was by no means least. Working as a nurse in London’s Nightingale Hospital, he was part of a team caring for 57 Covid-19 patients, 20 of whom sadly died. After seven weeks of long shifts and a heavy emotional toll, Chris went straight back to his day job as a sexual health adviser at Soho’s 56 Dean Street clinic.
Read more of Chris’ story here.
To vote for your winner, click on their name below:
Poll closes at 9am on 31 August, 2020..
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing platform@metro.co.uk
Share your views in the comments below.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/14/everyday-heroes-vote-favourite-13099164/
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