As everything has changed in our routine, we have been focusing on protecting the NHS
Staying connected virtually is one of the few things we can still do – so here’s an update of what we have been up to at Chapelgarth since lockdown descended on the country on 23rd of March. In absence of our Writing Retreaters, and due to the unusual times which have engulfed each member of the family, our adult children are back in the family home: Francesca, normally a busy teacher in London, is back in her old childhood bedroom, now known to everyone as the ‘Suffragettes Room’. Ed has settled back into ‘Major Dixon’s Room’ and Cecilia is – not surprisingly – in ‘Cecilia’s Room’.
The house – built in 1909 – has seen many a time of crisis: it was here when World War One broke out and it waved good-bye to Major Clive Dixon, when he joined the front in 1915, never to return. The house was here during the Second World War, when so much of the surrounding countryside was put to good use in order to feed the nation. At this time of national crisis we also thought we should do our bit. With Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) running short on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19, Teesside’s enterprising spirit gave us the perfect opportunity to volunteer.
In the early days of Labman Automation’s effort to repurpose one its building, workforce and finance to set up a local volunteers’ operation we were recruited to produce visors for the NHS. Francesca, Ed, Ceci and myself volunteered twice a week to contribute towards this common effort to protect the NHS: the ‘labmasks’ are going to James Cook’s Teesside Hospital, Cooper’s Pharmacy in Great Ayton, and increasingly well beyond the region. Last week we had totalled 20,000 masks.. and the numbers are growing every day thanks to the tremendous community effort! To find out more about the initiative see the link
Here are some pictures of the Chapelgarth Team at Labman.