Actress and Stars Appeal patron Olivia Colman supports NHS Big Tea
"It's our turn to care for our NHS staff and show them all the love and respect."
Oscar winning xctress Olivia Colman and actor, comedian and writer Stephen have joined a host of familiar faces to support the NHS Big Tea as part of the UK wide celebration of our NHS.
The list of famous supporters of the campaign also features the England men’s football team, including NHS Charities Together Charity Champion Jordan Henderson MBE, and Tyrone Mings, as well as Line of Duty actress Vicky McClure, TV presenter and journalist Lorraine Kelly, Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, TV presenter Dr Ranj and author Adam Kay.
The NHS Big Tea takes place today, 5th July, to mark the NHS’s 73rd birthday and showcase the public’s outpouring of gratitude for NHS staff for everything they have done over the pandemic and continue to do.
Thousands of NHS Big Tea parties are being held nationwide to raise funds for the incredible staff and volunteers that make up the NHS and have been there for the nation over the last year.
Actress Olivia Colman said:
"As ever, I am tremendously grateful for our heroic NHS, but even more so following this very peculiar year. We are so lucky to have our NHS, and today we will celebrate its 73rdbirthday. There is much to celebrate, but also much to be aware of as we try to recover from the past year. It’s our turn to care for our NHS staff and show them all the love and respect we can, by raising money for the support NHS Charities Together provides."
Olivia visited Salisbury District Hospital in January 2020 just months before the pandemic struck.
A few weeks later she sent a message of support to staff praising their 'incredible' work.
Actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry said:
"One of the positives of the last year, is that expressing gratitude for our NHS has never been so widespread across the nation. But just our gratitude won’t be enough to support NHS staff, who are dealing with the aftermath of the untold trauma that they heroically confronted. It’s so important for the public to unite today, have a cup of tea together, and raise funds for them so that they can continue their hugely important work."
The immense show of support for the NHS Big Tea comes as NHS Charities Together releases new research on the level of public gratitude to NHS staff. Three quarters (75%) of the public feel grateful to the NHS for what it has done during the pandemic and 67% are proud of how frontline workers have coped with the pandemic so far.
The same research also shows that support for NHS staff is more important than ever, with more than half reporting a mental health toll as a result of the pandemic, and all staff now facing busy clinics while continuing to care for sick patients.
SUPPORTING THE NHS
NHS Charities Together has so far allocated ÂŁ125 million in a range of projects supporting staff, patients and volunteers.
In September the Stars Appeal received a grant of ÂŁ50,000.
The money was used to train staff to become accredited Mental Health First Aiders to help with well-being during Covid-19 as well as providing a dedicated staff counsellor.
It was also used to provide free Wi-Fi to help staff and patients stay connected with loved ones as well as for specialist simulation training to ensure staff were well prepared for the challenges.
You can take part in the NHS Big Tea here..