Man visits key workers at Bassetlaw Hospital while travelling from Liverpool to Skegness on a mobility scooter

On September 27, Simon Gamewell, from Leeds, set off on his journey from Liverpool on a mobility scooter to meet key workers and share kind messages from the public while raising funds for NHS Charities Together.

The messages of thanks have been collected through a free social website and app called Thank and Praise (TAP) which allows people to send in messages of thanks to unsung heroes in education, health care and social work.

With the help of his team, on Friday (Oct 1), Simon arrived in Worksop on his eight mile per hour mobility scooter to thank the frontline workers at Bassetlaw Hospital.

Simon, an advisor at TAP, said: “I think after the pandemic we have stopped being quite as grateful as we were.

“Last year we had clap for carers and praise to workers and everything, and everyone was sitting by being grateful that our lives were getting better.

“But it’s not getting any better health care workers, they're still on the frontlines saving our lives every day. It’s a nice little reminder to people to be grateful.”

For Simon, being grateful for health workers comes from a more personal place.

Five years ago while working in China as an English teacher, Simon found himself fighting for his life after sustaining life-changing injuries.

Simon said: “I didn’t realise that I suffered from epilepsy, I’d never really been diagnosed.

“I got up one day to go to work and as I got on my balcony I had an epileptic seizure and fell from six stories onto a concrete floor and smashed my back to pieces.

“I realised when I was in hospital, all I was thinking about really was getting out of hospital and often you get out of hospital and think oh, I should really have said thanks to that doctor.

“It is so easy to complain, it’s a lot more difficult to be positive.

“If I say thank you, and then they say thank you then hopefully we can create a whole environment of gratitude and positivity.”

To follow Simon in his journey, visit: https://thankandpraise.com/simon/

To give your own thanks and praise, visit: https://thankandpraise.com/say-thank-you/