Portsmouth Co-Op staff get into fancy dress for 'fun' day gathering donations for Covid-19 heroes
STORE colleagues in Portsmouth have collected hundreds of gifts for emergency workers on the front line of the coronavirus fight.
On Friday, May 22 at the Co-Op store in Copnor Road, staff members dressed up as Batwoman, Supergirl, the Joker as part of their Heroes 4 Heroes day.
But rather than taking donations, workers instead asked shoppers to buy something that could be donated to either ambulance crews, the maternity ward at Queen Alexandra Hospital and crews at Cosham Fire Station.
Hayley Barnett said the day was a tremendous success for the store, with gifts piling up in the warehouse.
She said: ‘We ended up doing really well, with a total three hampers full thanks to donations from customers.
‘Everyone who came in was saying how nice it was to see us in costumes and how it’s made them smile, which was very good to hear.
‘It’s great to know that we can do something like this while also lifting the spirits of people who come into the shop.’
Hayley's daughter had a traumatic experience less than a fortnight ago giving birth at QA Hospital, but the support she received meant she now has a healthy two week old son.
For Hayley’s colleague Diana Hill, the paramedics from South Central Ambulance are also close to hear heart.
Her four-year-old daughter has uncontrolled asthma and has been rushed to hospital by paramedics on two occasions when she has stopped breathing.
Diana said: ‘One of my friends is a paramedic so I have seen the strain she has been under during the pandemic.
‘I owe paramedics everything.’
The hampers of gifts – ranging from snacks to hand creams – will be donated by the Co-Op staff on Tuesday.
Hayley added: ‘These people on the front line are doing an amazing job, so we wanted to do something to say thank you.
‘This is the first time we’ve done anything like this, but we’ll almost certainly be doing it again soon.’
Customers were asked to be mindful of social distancing but everyone joined in and helped staff celebrate our local heroes.