Headway Suffolk rewarded staff who helped the charity through the pandemic at a celebratory awards event at Kesgrave Community Centre on 22 March.
41 staff members were rewarded with a specially-engraved glass trophy and certificate, which was presented to them by Lady Euston, the Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk; Mr Edward Creasy, the High Sheriff of Suffolk; and Dr Jane Hawking, patron of Headway Suffolk.
Headway Suffolk CEO Helen Fairweather told the Ipswich Star: “I felt staff had worked extremely hard in really difficult circumstances and I didn’t want to just acknowledge that with a pat on the back.
“Quite often homecare gets forgotten about in the keyworker praise, but our staff were working extra hours going into people’s homes to ensure they could come home from hospital, taking risks going into houses when they didn’t know if all or any precautions were being taken.
“And at our hubs we changed the way we worked to keep people safe.
“But staff went the extra mile too – organising foodbanks, cleaning beyond their normal duties, undertaking extra tasks and pressures.
“I just felt they deserved a reward, and their families too, because families feel it when a member is taking on more stress.
“In a few decades time it’ll be something to show the grandkids when they ask what we did in the pandemic.
“There are no specific special awards, everyone helped to keep the charity going through those hard times.”