Celebration Of Surrey Social Care Sees Celebrities Line Up To Praise Care Workers
A virtual event celebrating social care in Surrey saw celebrities line-up to praise the hard work of care sector workers during the pandemic, applauding them for going above and beyond to help those in need.
The likes of Piers Morgan, David Walliams, Charlotte Hawkins, Andi Peters, Katherine Kelly and Nadia Sawalha produced personal videos for the event where they thanked staff across the county for their continued endeavours throughout the coronavirus crisis.
Taking place online via Zoom on Friday evening, 20th November, the event, which was hosted by the Surrey Care Association, paid tribute to the incredible efforts undertaken by the sector’s workforce – and was held in place of the association’s traditional awards night, which normally pays tribute to those carers who go over and above. This year though, it was deemed that that applies to everyone in care – so a celebration of all was held instead.
The night featured speeches from the board of directors of the Surrey Care Association who were all dressed in celebratory black tie in honour of the occasion. These were interspersed with clips that served to showcase the best of the sector, using videos sent in from Surrey care providers to create a positive, vibrant array, while the celebrity endorsements added another layer of glamour to the affair.
Piers Morgan’s contribution saw him bring up his Surrey roots, before saying: “I want to thank all the carers in Surrey. What an amazing job you’ve been doing this year, helping so many hundreds, thousands of people in one of their darkest times. Thank you, keep up the great work. It’s going to be another tough few months coming up but I’m sure you’ll be up to the challenge – so on behalf of everyone like me, born in Surrey, thank you to the carers.”
Charlotte Hawkins echoed these sentiments, saying: “I wanted to give a message to all the care workers of Surrey and everyone at the Surrey Care Association to say a big thank you for everything that you’re doing. I live in Surrey and I wanted you to know how appreciated you are locally. Thank you for all the hard work and dedication that you’ve shown, particularly throughout the last few months with the pandemic, because I’m sure that must have been working in incredibly difficult and challenging circumstances, so a big round of applause from me.”
The event lasted for almost an hour and a half, with several hundred care workers registering to watch the occasion from the comfort of their own homes. Making the most of Zoom’s chat function, the event even allowed attendees to network remotely with other care workers from across the county. In keeping with the spirit of the evening, participants took the opportunity to show support for and celebrate each other’s successes, whilst sharing ideas for future collaboration.
Speaking of the event, participant Eloise Appleby CEO of The Grange Centre at Bookham said: “I knew that the care sector was a creative and fun-loving one. This side of our work is rarely seen by the outside world. Well done, Surrey Care Association, for bringing out the joy in our work through this celebration event.”
Erica Lockhart, CEO of the Surrey Care Association, said: “Care workers in Surrey have faced tremendous challenges throughout 2020, but they’ve risen to the task magnificently and are continuing to do so. We wanted to host an occasion that would help to convey the enormous gratitude that people have for their efforts, while also giving them a chance to reflect on what they do, recognising that they’re a much-valued workforce, doing incredible things for the most vulnerable. A huge well done to all social care workers, not just in Surrey but beyond, and a big thank you to all who contributed to the event.”
