THE Bishop of Durham has thanked those helping the nation through the coronavirus pandemic, paying tribute to NHS staff and carers including his own daughter who works at a London hospital.
The Rt Revd Paul Butler issued a video message from his home as he observes the Government’s guidance to 'Stay at Home, Protect The NHS and Save Lives'.
He offers his personal reflection on the Covid-19 situation and offers thanks and prayers for those on the frontline.
Speaking on Thursday as people around the country joined a Clap for Carers, he said: “The NHS is an amazing institution and the people who work in it are absolutely fantastic they deserve our praise and our thanks.
"So it's great that we can get out and clap and hit tin lids and saucepan lids and ring bells and blow whistles to say thank you, thank you NHS.
“Thank you too for all those who work in social care, you're amazing as well –working in nursing homes visiting people in their homes ensuring that they are looked after still, in the midst of this crisis.
“Thank you to all the shop workers who keep serving us, to those who keep collecting our rubbish, to the amazing emergency services – for all that you do for the way in which you put your life and your health on the line to keep us all safe.”
Bishop Paul gave his address in front of a print of St Thomas’s Hospital in London, where his wife, her mother and his youngest daughter trained as nurses and which has cared for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“My youngest daughter works in A&E in one of the London hospitals so you can imagine at the moment she's extremely busy. Every day she puts her own health and well-being at risk when she goes into work and cares for people with Covid-19 she's one of thousands and thousands and thousands who do that day in and day out,” he said.
“We should thank and praise our NHS, our social care and all the others who are keeping our nation going through this crisis they need our support we need to stay at home they need our prayers so let me pray for them.”
In a prayer for the NHS, social carers and emergency workers, he said: "We pray that you would lift our nation out of this crisis, help us to be patient to care for one another by staying at home and keeping our distance.
"But help us to keep supporting the most vulnerable and bring us out into a new life together as a nation one caring for each other and a Nation that cares for the wider world."
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