Kindness Spotlight: People Powered UK

Our latest blog as part of this year’s #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek focuses on People Powered UK – a team of industry freelancers who have come together to use their skills and knowledge to aid NHS services across the country.

People Powered UK is the brainchild of Katharine Williams (a lighting designer who previously worked on Crew for Calais) and Jono Kenyon (a lighting designer whose partner works in ITU). The organisation now has over 1000 members from across the entertainment and live event industries. They’re using their skills and experience developed from working in theatre, festivals and events to help build structures quickly and effectively, as well as source equipment from outside the NHS’s usual supply chain in order to provide solutions to the various challenges which hospitals are currently experiencing.

The organisation is one close to WL’s heart. Not only as it involves several freelancers who we’ve worked with on many occasions but also our own staff members are heavily involved in its day-to-day running. This includes WL’s Stuart Porter who is part of the national team along with Sam Knight who is the Log Manager. Stuart comments: “What’s so incredible about People Powered UK is that, in a time when many of those within our industry aren’t sure where their next job may come from, these individuals have decided to ensure their skills don’t go to waste and that they actually use them to benefit those who need it the most. As part of the national team, it’s been unbelievably humbling to watch so many step forward and want to make a difference”.

Some recent support and work provided by People Powered UK includes:

• Built structures which were used as triage and isolation units at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in order to help increase overall capacity.
• Set up a free shop for staff at the Royal Free Hospital in London, which NHS workers can access after shifts. This allows them to pick up essentials such as toiletries and fresh food and veg without facing the supermarkets and potentially empty shelves.
• Secured the use of walkie-talkie radios and placed them with Homerton, Lewisham, Barts, NW University Hospital, and the Royal London, Taunton and Somerset hospitals, along with the Lister Hospital in Stevenage. These radios reduce the amount of personal protective equipment needed, by allowing hospital staff to more easily communicate between COVID and non-COVID spaces about treatment plans. 
• Supplied currently unused tour buses and converted theses into staff rest areas at hospitals including Lewisham.
• Supplied radios to 10 midwifery units across the West Midlands, including the Royal Wolverhampton, University Hospitals Birmingham, Sandwell and West Birmingham and Walsall Manor. Great Ormond Street were supplied with 12 radios.
• Arranged for 30 iPads to be gifted to the Chelsea and Queen Mary maternity units to allow patients there to stay in contact with loved ones.
• Delivered PPE across the East of England, including 600 visors and 500 shoe covers. 
• Worked with Roundhouse London to supply a pallet truck for Hackney Foodbank in anticipation of a large donation from Morrisons. Similarly, connected Event Catering Company, who are now working as a local foodbank for Basingstoke and Winchester Hospitals and local homeless charities, to Event Crew Solutions/GAP as they needed additional fencing and cable ramps to help manage their growing warehouse of donations.

The impact of all of these projects has been felt immediately.  Nicky Anslow, Head of Capacity and Flow and her A&E Team at ESHT, comments: “People Powered UK has been absolutely great. We’re totally amazed at how they have put together furnishing donations from the community – it is heart-warming and has made our A&E staff feel so supported. It actually makes a huge difference to how we cope by knowing that the community is there. This wouldn’t have happened without People Powered – we can’t thank them enough!”

So today, as part of #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek where this year’s focus is on kindness, we wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone involved with People Powered UK for your selfless acts and ensuring that you’re able to support those who need it the most during these surreal times. 

For more information about People Powered, please visit: https://peoplepowereduk.org/

For more information about Mind please visit: https://www.mind.org.uk/

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