Scores of residents opened their doors and windows to make as much noise as possible to say a heartfelt thank you. Kathryn Johnstone dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt and played the bagpipes as her tribute, while the East of England Arena was lit up blue - as were several houses across the city. The arena was lit up blue thanks to Pearce Hire, with a young volunteer technician helping rig the lights. Shaun Pearce, MD of Pearce Hire said: “It seemed fittingthat with our employees on furlough and no live events, that we should use our AV equipment to support the NHS in some way, given how many of our employees have joined the 750,000 volunteers helping the health service out. “When one of our employees discovered that discussions were underway to join the campaign, he immediately volunteered to install the lighting for East of England Arena by himself. Moved by last week’s #clapforourcarers and the scores of landmarks and venues lit by blue lights, he was as keen as we all are to show our solidarity and support for the Health Service, and he will switch on the lighting display every Thursday until the pandemic has passed. It is so important for this display to be seen by the drivers tirelessly moving essential supplies around the country, and by those delivering medicines and equipment to hospitals. In spite of the social distancing, we all want to show our gratitude and support in the most visible way possible, in solidarity with every other venue and landmark taking part in the campaign.” Jason Lunn, East of England venue director, was delighted the arena was joining the long list of venues that will be taking part tonight, “We’ve been fortunate enough to host several clinical and medical events over the years, including the Royal College of Nursing’s annual conference. Now that the NHS is facing its biggest test in a generation, and the nation is coming together to support it, we very much wanted to be a part of that movement. To have a young technician volunteer to do the work solo really demonstrates the kind of spirit we all need. His attitude has enabled us to join the many other venues and landmarks in standing foursquare behind the NHS, and the arena is standing by in case it is needed by the Health Service during the next few months, where we will do everything we can to assist.” Residents of all ages also joined in the #clapforcarers night, with children banging pots and pans together and families applauding from balconies. Firefighters also lined up to pay their tribute to their blue light colleagues.
