Celebrating the NHS

I would like to help stop the spread of C-19, so that we don’t have another lockdown and so less people get ill. My Grandma is a paediatrician in the NHS and I don’t want her or any of the other doctors and nurses getting sick. If all of them get Covid, then no one will be able to treat them and the number of cases will grow. I want people to care about the NHS because they cared for us before there was Corona virus. I don’t want people to feel alone during Covid.

My goals are to help the NHS by having fewer people going to the hospital because of the effects of Covid, and for people to appreciate the NHS more.

1. One action I have taken is making a video – ‘Covid call to Arms’, where my Grandma is taking the vaccine. In the video, I explained why you should take the vaccine to protect yourself, your relatives, and your friends.

2. I have also been in a children’s choir and we performed the premier of an original song called ‘Clap’, written by Charlotte Harding. The song was dedicated to the NHS and named after the clapping we did for the NHS on Thursday evenings.

3. I painted my interpretation of Van Gogh’s Irises. I chose it because Van Gogh created it when he was mentally ill and he felt that painting was the only way he could stay well. I also did lots of painting during lockdown and this one was chosen to be part of the biggest mural in the UK to celebrate the NHS. The mural was called ‘200 nationalities one NHS’, it was grateful for all the different people that work in the NHS.

4. I wrote a poem called ‘Corona Corona’, which helped me express how I felt that I could never escape Corona. This poem might make other people know that they are not the only ones feeling this way and also help keep them mentally well. This poem won second prize in my borough’s poetry competition.

5. I wrote a story about a hospital super-hero called Sarah Seacole; she was inspired by the famous Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole. She could turn into a fairy and hear the butterflies in children’s tummies and turn them into hearts. This story was part of a booklet, created by Imperial College London, that will be placed in hospitals around the UK to help children cope better with being in hospital. I hope that children will feel they have a friend in hospital and not feel anxious about Covid.

   

6. I also tried to design a facemask with the proceeds going to the NHS.

7. I made a rainbow out of different colour buttons for a local museum, so that in the future, after all this is over, we can remember all that the NHS did for us.

   

I know that some people don’t believe in taking the vaccine, so perhaps we need to show them how many people are sick, as well as show them how hard the doctors and nurses and everyone in the hospital is working. Sometimes, doctors work 19-hour days and only get 5 hours sleep, so they too need our help. However, I think we need to respect each other’s views.

I hope I make a difference and help people feel that they are not alone, make them consider taking the vaccine and make them proud of the NHS workers.