We provided 640 fruit hampers to healthcare staff from Barnsley ICU, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service and The Ambulance Staff Charity across Yorkshire.

This fantastic initiative has been made possible by Northern College in South Yorkshire, with their generous donation and the opening of their catering facilities to produce the food hampers. Barnsley ICU will receive 60 fresh fruit hampers, 61 of Yorkshire’s Ambulance stations, from Batemoor up to Richmond and from Ingleton across to Withernsea will receive fruit parcels. While the staff at The Ambulance Staff Charity will receive 80 fresh fruit, vegetable and salad hampers across their locations in Yorkshire.

Northern College is an adult residential college helping people to change their lives, to seek employment or change their career. This national college, based in Barnsley, is currently illuminated in blue every evening to show their appreciation for all NHS staff, social care and front-line workers.

Yultan Mellor, Principal and Chief Executive of Northern College, commented, ‘We are conscious that NHS staff in the Intensive Care Units and Ambulance staff are working long, relentless shifts throughout this crisis. They are then faced with food outlet closures, long outdoor supermarket queues, and a lack of some essential items required in stores. This is why we wanted to help.

We hope this small act of appreciation can help to ease the pressures they face at the moment by ensuring they have a good meal to help them stay healthy, during one of the most challenging times the NHS has ever faced.’

Thomas Franks would like to take this opportunity to thank Northern College, as this initiative would not have been possible without them. We would also like to thank members of the NHS who are working on the front line for everything they are doing.