Coronavirus: Unsung key workers given the thanks they deserve

  • Video report by ITV News Correspondent Ben Chapman

It's that vital work which is so often under-appreciated; the key workers in plain sight who are now finally being noticed.

Working longer hours at greater risk, Birmingham's bin men have also been collecting thank you notes.

Refuse collector Anthony Walker said: “Since social distancing, bins have become heavier and it's more work.

“But people are showing their appreciation for what we do.”

For Sam the postman, the recognition's been even more generous. When he left a parcel on this doorstep yesterday, the customer gave him twenty quid.

He's been applauded on his round which now involves walking more than twenty miles a day because he's covering for a colleague who's sick.

Sam Pitt said: “It’s just a bridge between people at the minute who can’t see each other but can communicate in other ways.

“I don’t see it as as major thing compared to what the nurses and the doctors are doing.

“But if I can do something that’s providing a little bit of help to whoever may need it, that’s just what I want to do."

For Sam the postman, the recognition's been even more generous. Credit: ITV News

But it's supermarket staff who've been working on what is perhaps the forgotten frontline in recent weeks - continuing to serve customers, when any one of them might be infectious.

Heidi Godwin, Assistant team manager at Waitress, said: “We had a letter from a seven-year-old boy not only to thank us for being here, but also asking how we were and that was really touching.

“I think sometimes customers can underestimate what those thank you means to us.”

They may not be carers, but those others who care about the vital work they do will also got a clap tonight - a thank you for those still doing those often thankless jobs.

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