BRITAIN'S PULLING TOGETHER

“My message to the nation right now is, tomorrow will be a good day.

- Kelly Jenkins

AROUND the country, many kind Brits are going above and beyond – turning their own difficult situations into a way to help.

Some are raising huge sums for the NHS, while others are using their lockdown time to serve their communities.

A group of doctors who were distressed at the lack of PPE available to frontline NHS staff in hospitals have teamed up and raised almost £2million – and are supplying the protective gear themselves.

Their fundraising effort, called Masks for NHS Heroes, is backed by actor James McAvoy and has meant more than 200,000 surgical masks, gowns and visors have been delivered to hospitals across the UK.

GP Dr Mona Barzin, who started the group with Dr Salaj Masand, Ravi Visagan and Naveen Anandakumar, said: “It has just exploded. Our initial target was £200,000 and we thought that was unachievable. We never imagined it would get this big, it has been incredible and very overwhelming.

“For all of us, this is quite personal. We are all health workers and are continuously in contact with everybody who works within the NHS. We hear all sorts of stories about the lack of PPE and the fear and anxiety.

“If we can save even a few lives, it is definitely worth it.”

Courier company DHL is chipping in by delivering all the PPE free of charge.

Dr Barzin said: “They pick up the PPE directly from the plane and it goes straight out to the hospitals.”

Meanwhile calls were growing for Captain Tom Moore to be knighted yesterday as he issued a rousing message of hope to the nation, declaring: “Tomorrow will be a good day.”

The 99-year-old war veteran, who has now raised almost £23million for the NHS, admitted he is “thrilled” with his fundraising efforts.