The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spoke with frontline workers and members of the Harrogate based Just ‘B’ team about the mental health impact of the coronavirus crisis on medical staff.

Just ‘B’ is part of charity North Yorkshire Hospice Care and provides emotional wellbeing and bereavement support, both locally and nationally, through a support line.

Frontline health staff often cite exhaustion and the relentless nature of the crisis as their reasons for calling the helpline.

Read More:

• Harrogate Hospital among 10 trusts at full critical care capacity
• Harrogate support helpline Just B is here to listen 

Tony Collins, a volunteer for the Hospice UK Just ‘B’ helpline and Chief Executive of North Yorkshire Hospice Care and St Michael’s Hospice in Harrogate, urged frontline workers to access the helpline.

When speaking to the Duke and Duchess, Tony said:

“I think there’s something about reticence to call at the moment, and also around calling when they feel they have space to start processing and reflecting on the experiences they’ve been through.

“The phrases and the words we hear time and time again are ‘exhaustion,’ ‘relentless,’ ‘there’s so much death, when is it going to finish.

“We know that anxiety is high among frontline workers as they continue to work through the Covid-19 pandemic. This is why the helpline is so important in providing a safe space for frontline workers to reflect and process what they have been through, talking to someone else without the fear that they’ll be burdening loved ones.

“People often think: ‘I’ve got my friends, family and colleagues, you’ve just got to knuckle down and get on with it’. Frontline staff are used to putting others first, forgetting that they also need to look after themselves.

During the call, NHS staff and emergency responders spoke about their personal experiences with mental health, and how services such as Just ‘B’ have allowed them to cope better and begin to come to terms with their grief.

The Just ‘B’ emotional wellbeing, bereavement and trauma helpline can be accessed daily between 8am and 8pm at 0300 303 4434.

A Knaresborough woman will attempt to break a world record tomorrow for the most netball goals scored in one hour. 

To set the record, Sue Hobson, who plays goal shooter for the Hawks netball club in Harrogate, needs to shoot more than 756 goals – more than 12 goals a minute.

Sue is aiming to reach more than 900 goals in total and has already raised more than £1,100 for Saint Michael’s Hospice in the process. To support Sue, click here. 

Speaking about why she has chosen to fundraise for the charity, Sue said: 

“It just felt too unusual or quirky an activity to not try and use it for something positive, especially when there’s not a lot of positivity in the world at the moment.

“Living in the Harrogate and Knaresborough area I know people that have been helped by Saint Michael’s Hospice, and it seems like a great local charity.”

Sue has been training for this challenge since the beginning of lockdown, when her regular netball training sessions and matches stopped.

After setting herself challenges in her back garden, such as scoring 100 goals in a row, she began researching world records for netball. 

Sue said the support from other local organisations, such as King James’s School and Harrogate Netball League, have spurred her on to complete the challenge.

Read more: 

• Nidderdale vicar sets new world record
• St Michael’s has doubled its November Superdraw to over £2000 to thanks its supporters.

Two women from the Harrogate district are to swim the English Channel this weekend for charity.

Andrea Stark, from Harrogate, and Jacqui Hargrave, from Knaresborough, have been open water swimming together for seven years. But this will be the duo’s biggest challenge yet.

They are part of a four-person relay team in which each person will raise money for a different cause. Andrea is raising money for the mental health charity Samaritans. Jacqui is swimming for Harrogate-based Saint Michael’s Hospice, which supported her best friend in her final days.

The swim normally takes 15 hours and the rules state each person can only swim one hour before another member of the team takes over. The team has to tackle currents and find their way around shipping lanes – so the swim could be up to 30 miles long.

The team of four are set to embark on the English Channel Challenge on Friday.

Andrea, a nurse at Harrogate Hospital, said:

“We’re beginning to let ourselves get excited but it’s still all very dependent on the weather. We are definitely ready, we’ve done lots of training and swam at Whitby to get used to the current and the temperature.

“It’s taken us 7 years to build up to this. We love it so much and we prefer the open water and the feeling it gives – you’d be amazed at the positive impact it has on your mental health. Our families have been amazing too. There will be times when our bodies hurt but that’s when we’ll think of those charities and it’ll keep us going.”

To support Andrea, click here.

Jacqui, who writes an open water swimming blog, said:

“I am feeling more confident now, I really want to get it done – we all do! It’ll be invigorating and a challenge for us but we’ve done all the preparation and we’ve planned it all out.

“Under a quarter of people succeed but we are all very determined to accomplish this. Our driver is very experienced and understands the water so we’re in safe hands. It’s just about pushing ourselves against the harsh currents and of course the cold. The charities need their work promoting especially with all the uncertainty.”

To support Jacqui, click here.

Read more:

• An ice cream shop in Knaresborough has raised money for the local charity, Frank’s Fund.
• Former Ashville pupil will attempt to swim the channel this month.

The women are due to enter the water on Friday morning but the weather could postpone it by a few days. Their swim has already been postponed once following lockdown.

Richard Powell, a deputy health centre manager from Chesterfield, and Leanne Davis, a paramedic from Rotherham, make up the rest of the relay team.