By Richard Morris – CEO TheGivingMachine

It’s a surreal time to be living through when so many people are having such polar opposite experiences. For some, tragedy and sorrow is their recent experience, for others, it’s isolation with anxiety. I know from chats with friends with younger children, they have become full-time teachers dealing with children who don’t enjoy being in isolation and staying inside. However, one thing we all have gained is a far greater sense of gratitude to those who are really important to keep our society actually running while the rest of us isolate ourselves.

So I think this article should just be some thank you’s to many people and if I’ve missed out some (which I will by accident), please add them in your comments!

Thank you:

• To the health staff and the many others that support them who are on the front line dealing with the sick and elderly people.  Many of them are working long hours while dealing with the emotional impact of isolation from their families.

• To local businesses who have been able to stay working and deliver essential food, goods and services to people’s doorsteps.

• To friends and neighbours who have looked after the vulnerable near them and just stay in touch.

• To the technology companies who have built platforms that enable us to have regular human contact with each other.

• To fellow business colleagues for the outpouring of support because we all know this thing needs people to work together and we all have skills to offer and help we should accept.

• To the people to pick up our rubbish, deliver our post, deliver milk, deliver food, deliver packages – always appreciated you but never more so now we can’t do much ourselves.

• To the supermarket workers on the till, delivery drivers, truck drivers, shelf stackers, pickers, logistics people and suppliers – thanks for keeping the food and other key supply chains flowing even though we were a bit rubbish in our shopping habits to begin with.

• To the builders, plumbers, electricians, carpenters and multi-trade engineers for not only renovating buildings in super quick time for the NHS overflow but keeping the essential buildings and business ticking over.

• To our nation’s teachers – parents everywhere are now understanding the huge amounts of energy and motivation needed to teach their kids every day!

• To volunteers who are making PPE.

• To the lovely people publishing online videos to share tips and ideas for fitness, cookery and even haircutting.

• To people running online quizzes and events to keep us entertained and connected.

• To our emergency services and police that we can hear still doing their thing despite some ridiculous responses from people.

We are all in your debt, couldn’t live our lives without you and are deeply grateful that you chose to do what you do.

If I or my team can be of help, please get in touch.  We’re in this together and we will get through this together!