Every Thursday at 8 o’clock during the coronavirus pandemic people across Guernsey have stood on their doorsteps and joined a national “Clap for Carers”.

Staff and volunteers from St John Ambulance Guernsey have also shown their support for fellow healthcare professionals, care workers and other essential workers.

One of the first events took place at the ambulance station when the sound of clapping could be heard up the Rohais and from neighboring estates, then the following week Guernsey’s emergency services came together to applaud staff at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.

Community nurses were saluted in a Clap for Carers event at their base at the old Castel Hospital.

One week the Clap for Carers event was dedicated to teachers and all education staff who had been looking after the children of essential workers during the lockdown, recognising that this had allowed many key workers to continue to serve the island.

Picture By Peter Frankland.

Ambulances also went to a number of care homes to join staff who have been looking after residents, including Le Grand Courtil, Chateau des Tielles and the St John Residential Home.

For the final Clap for Carers event staff from the Emergency Ambulance Service  stood with colleagues from Guernsey Police, Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service, and nurses and support staff at the PEH. Volunteers from the St John Ambulance Guernsey decontamination team also took part in this event.

Clap for Carers was ran for ten weeks with communities acknowledging the work of doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, emergency services, delivery drivers, shop workers, teachers, waste collectors and all those who kept the island going during the challenging times of the coronavirus pandemic.