Britons have taken to the streets for the 10th weekly NHS Clap for Carers this evening, after the event’s founder said it should be the last one.
People all over the country have been taking to their doorsteps, balconies and windows to cheer and applaud NHS staff and key workers over the past ten weeks, amid the fight against coronavirus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his cabinet, celebrities and even royals have been getting involved as the nation pays tribute to key staff helping to keep the country going during the pandemic.
And the PM led the applause this evening, standing outside Number 10 and clapping enthusiastically on the day he announced the easing of Britain’s coronavirus lockdown.
Annemarie Plas, the founder of the initiative, was also pictured enthusiastically marking the occasion, after saying that tonight’s event should be the last.
She called on Britons to concentrate on other ways to support the NHS and told Good Morning Britain that it’s time to move on.
The mother believes it’s now time to concentrate on concrete steps to improve conditions for key workers.
Meanwhile, medics stood in silent protest outside the Downing Street gates tonight, falling to their knees holding a funeral wreath and a placard reading ‘Doctors, not martyrs’ as they called on the Government to protect healthcare workers.
Annemarie Plas, the founder of the Clap for Carers event, joins members of the public enthusiastically taking part in tonight’s applause, which is the tenth weekly and may be the last one
Prime Minister Boris Johnson led the Clap for Carers applause this evening, on the day that he announced the easing of Britain’s lockdown
Annemarie Plas, 36, a Dutch national living in south London who created the weekly 8pm Clap For Our Carers, stands with other residents in south London, as she joins the applause. She has called on this week to be the last one
A girl in a nurses outfit holds a thank you sign during the Clap For Our Carers campaign in support of the National Health Service (NHS) staff outside the Chelsea and Westminster hospital in London
For 10 weeks, the public have applauded NHS staff and other key workers from their homes at 8pm every Thursday
Members of the public applaud during the 10th and final Clap For Our Carers campaign in support of the National Health Service (NHS) staff outside the Chelsea and Westminster hospital in London
Doctors and nurses kneel in front of Downing Street ahead of the clap to remember colleagues who have died fighting the coronavirus pandemic
Emotional NHS workers applaud during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic outside Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool
Two children hold a banner outside Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool to join in the applause to salute local heroes during Thursday’s nationwide Clap for Carers
The Prime Minister put on another animated display during tonight’s clap, giving a thumbs-up to the camera after applauding
Residents in Tonbridge, Kent, take part in the tenth Clap for Carers, on what the organiser says should be the last week that the national event takes place
NHS staff and members of the public take part in the weekly “Clap for Our Carers” event at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
In a protest outside Downing Street, one NHS worker carries a sign saying ‘Doctors, not martyrs’ while another carries a wreath of blue and white flowers
Police officers stand guard as medical staff protest at the gates of Downing Street on what is expected to be the final Clap For Our Carers campaign
Medical staff in uniform and black face masks protest outside Downing Street. One worker is holding a wreath of blue and white flowers while another holds a sign saying ‘Doctors, not martyrs’
Annemarie Plas’s neighbours stand in the middle of the road to join in the Clap For Our Carers, after she called for it to be the last one
Members of the public stand outside the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in support of the NHS and key workers during the coronavirus pandemic
Neighbours of Annemarie Plas, 36, who created the weekly 8pm Clap For Our Carers, joined the applause dressed in flags
People applaud on their balconies for the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS in Hemel Hempstead this evening
Residents of Diglis Basin in Worcester come out from their boats to join in the weekly Clap for Carers this evening
A man on a motorbike with a thank you NHS sign and cuddly toys claps outside Royal Liverpool University Hospital
Nuns react at the St Anthony’s convent of Mercy Tunstall during the potentially final day of the Clap for our Carers campaign
Emotions were high as the nuns at the St Anthony’s convent of Mercy Tunstall in Sunderland took part in today’s event
Staff at St Mary’s Chippy in Milton Keynes stand outside and join in with what is expected to be the final Clap For Our Carers
A man wearing a face mask holds a sign saying ‘thanks and solidarity to all our frontliners’ outside King’s College Hospital in London
Ms Plas told Good Morning Britain that it’s time to move on but praised people who’d taken part.
Although she hopes neighbours will still come out onto their doorsteps to socialise at 8pm on Thursday, the mother believes it’s now time to concentrate on concrete steps to improve conditions for key workers.
Ms Plas, a Dutch national living in South London, said she was ‘overwhelmed’ by the support for the cacophonous ritual, but said it was better to stop when it was at ‘its peak’.
An NHS doctor has also backed calls to end Clap for Carers because the weekly ritual has become a ‘stunt’ hijacked by politicians, she said.
London hospital doctor Meenal Viz, who has worked on the front line during the coronavirus pandemic, said she supports ending the event after tonight amid concerns it has become too political.
Dr Viz, 27, said the weekly applause had started from everybody showing gratitude for the NHS, showing their love for ‘this amazing healthcare system’.
‘But it went from that to being a stunt that the politicians chose to do,’ she added.
Residents of Diglis Basin in Worcester come out from their boats to join in the weekly Clap for Carers this evening
A family in Stourbridge, West Midlands, clap for the NHS on their driveway in front of a thank you NHS sign in the window
A family in Stourbridge, West Midlands, clap in support of the NHS and Carers this evening after Annemarie Plas, who started the weekly 8pm clap, said this should be the last one
Tina Jane from Shoreham sings songs out the back of her car to entertain people on her street after the Clap for Carers
Two women from the same household wear fancy dress as they join residents of homes and flats in Saltburn By The Sea in applauding NHS staff and key workers
Members of the public applaud during the 10th and final Clap For Our Carers campaign in support of the National Health Service (NHS) staff outside the Chelsea and Westminster hospital in London
Members of the public applaud during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic outside Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool
A man wearing an NHS t-shirt and holding a rainbow joins in the weekly salute to frontline workers outside Royal Liverpool University Hospital
People gather outside the Royal Gwent Hospital to take part in the weekly clap for carers event on May 28, 2020 in Newport
Members of the public come together in Bromley to applaud the NHS this evening, for the 10th weekly Clap for Carers event
An NHS worker smiles as she claps outside the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on what could be the final Clap For Our Carers campaign
Staff in face masks, gloves and aprons take part in the weekly 8pm clap for carers at Southend University Hospital
Staff at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead come together during the Clap For Our Carers campaign to support their colleagues
A police officer outside Boris Johnson’s top aide Dominic Cummings’s home in north London takes part in the Clap for Carers
NHS workers and the public stand outside the entrance to A&E at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, and join the applause
Doctors and nurses walk to the front of Downing Street ahead of the clap to remember colleagues who have died fighting the coronavirus pandemic
NHS workers line the street outside the Royal Liverpool University Hospital during the 10th week of the Clap For Our Carers campaign
Workers stand outside the Jubilee Wing of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead to come together for the weekly event
Residents in Penarth, Wales, clap and clang pans during the weekly clap to show support for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic
NHS workers and police stand outside Watford General Hospital to show support for colleagues and key workers during the 10th week of Clap For Our Carers campaign
NHS staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow participate in what could be the final Clap for Carers and key workers
‘They used it and abused it, so they could show the public they were supporting it and then go straight into Number 10 Downing Street and make decisions which negatively impacted on the NHS and care workers.
‘I’m not saying they should not support it – by all means applaud. But don’t let your actions betray that. The Government has failed to protect the NHS.’
Dr Viz, who is seven months pregnant with her first child, is backing a crowdfunding campaign to challenge the Government over personal protective equipment (PPE) for NHS staff.
Dr Viz said: ‘It’s not just a shortage of PPE.
‘From a mental health perspective we have been put in a warzone and only been given a butter knife.
‘I think ending the clap is a very powerful statement by the public to say we’re not happy with this.
NHS staff and members of the public gather outside the Royal London Hospital, during the potential final clap for our carers
NHS staff and members of the public take part in the weekly Clap for Our Carers event at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
Supporters and NHS staff from Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool join in the applause to salute local heroes during Thursday’s nationwide Clap for Carers
Staff members at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool wear PPE as they join the applause to salute local heroes
One NHS worker wipes her eyes outside Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool during the 10th weekly clap for our carers campaign
Two members of NHS staff embrace as they prepare to join the applause at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool
An NHS worker takes a photo outside the Royal Stoke University Hospital before the 10th Clap for Carers
Supporters and NHS staff from Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool prepare for the applause during Thursday’s Clap for Carers
The crew of a European Aviation Group flight, about to depart for China to collect PPE, stand in front of their plane at Bournemouth International Airport, alongside staff and fire fighters, as they join in the Clap for Carers event
The flight was about to depart for China to collect PPE as staff and fire fighters from Bournemouth Airport join in the applause
The National Trust’s Bodnant Garden near Colwyn Bay, Conw, bathed in rainbow light ahead of the weekly Clap for Carers
Annemarie Plas, the founder of the event, called on Britons to concentrate on other ways to support the NHS and make tonight the last one. London hospital doctor Meenal Viz, who has worked on the front line during the coronavirus pandemic, said she supports ending the event after this week amid concerns it has become too political
‘It’s a very brave move by Annemarie Plas. In fact I think by not clapping it is showing more support for the NHS.
‘It has been a morale boost. But I hope the gratitude was not just through the clap. I hope support continues in other forms.’
Dr Martin Porter also appeared on GMB today and said there was a risk the weekly clap would lose its importance.
‘With all of these things if you carry them on for too long fatigue sets in,’ he said, but added: ‘It’s been a beautiful thing.’
Former glamour model Linda Lusardi – who herself battled coronaviurs – disagreed and worries that people will forget about the dangers of coronavirus.
‘If we lose that completely people are just going to think this virus has gone away, which it hasn’t,’ she said. ‘We’re not out of the woods yet.’
‘It’s coming to an end before Derek’s ordeal!’: Kate Garraway wipes away tears as she claps for carers in ‘final’ weekly salute and admits she’s finding it hard to ‘stay strong’ amid her husband’s COVID-19 battle
Kate Garraway wiped away a tear as she took part in a nationwide applause in honour of the NHS key workers on Thursday night while her critically-ill husband Derek Draper continues to fight coronavirus in hospital.
The Good Morning Britain presenter, 53, joined millions across the nation at 8pm for the 10th week in a row after the event’s founder said it should be the last one.
Kate, who recently shared that Derek’s COVID-19 battle is ‘far from over’, put on a brave face as she joined her children – Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10, outside their London home.
Battle: Kate Garraway wiped away a tear as she took part in a nationwide applause in honour of the NHS key workers on Thursday night while her critically-ill husband Derek Draper continues to fight coronavirus in hospital
Kate’s supportive husband and former lobbyist, Derek, was taken into hospital on March 30 and is understood to be in an unresponsive condition as he remains in a critical care unit.
The star made sure she went all out for the said final clap for carers as she was seen cheering in the street with a toy tambourine.
Kate’s two children sat on their home’s brick wall as they made noise and played on two black drums each.
The presenter put on a brave face as she cheered and filmed her neighbours’ support during the nationwide applause on Thursday night.
Emotional: The Good Morning Britain presenter, 53, joined millions across the nation at 8pm for the 10th week in a row after the event’s founder said it should be the last one
Brave face: Kate, who recently shared that Derek’s COVID-19 battle is ‘far from over’, put on a brave face as she joined her children – Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10, outside their London home
Understandably so, Kate was overcome with emotion over the clapping as she was seen wiping away a tear over the emotional scenes.
While the presenter went on to hug and kiss her two children, Darcey, 14, and Billy, 10, as the family supported each other through the challenging time.
Kate joined a slew of celebrities who took part with Katie Price, 42, also seen outside her new £4,250-a-month rented Surrey home on Thursday night as she took to her Instagram to share a video of herself clapping for carers.
The mother-of-five, who had been joined by her eldest child, Harvey, 18, each week, revealed that her son, who has autism, Prader-Willi Syndrome, is partially sighted and struggles with septo-optic dysplasia, was ‘knackered’ in bed after celebrating his birthday on Wednesday.
The former glamour model, who wore a pink tracksuit and matching sunglasses, went on to perform some tricks with her beloved protection dog Blade as she commanded him to sit and bark for the carers.
Rochelle Humes, who is pregnant with her third child – a baby boy, shared a sweet video of her eldest child, daughter Alaia-Mai, seven, clapping in their sitting room.
Critically-ill: Former lobbyist Derek, 52, remains in a coma as he continues his battle against the deadly virus (pictured together in December)
However, tonight’s salute could be the last one, after the founder of the event called on Britons to concentrate on other ways to support the NHS.
Annemarie Plas told Good Morning Britain that it’s time to move on but praised people who’d taken part.
Although she hopes neighbours will still come out onto their doorsteps to socialise at 8pm tonight, the mother believes it’s now time to concentrate on concrete steps to improve conditions for key workers.
Clap for our Carers founder Annemarie Plas has also said that tonight should be the last clap for the NHS after ten weeks.
Clap: Kate joined a slew of celebrities who took part with Katie Price, 42, also seen outside her new £4,250-a-month rented Surrey home on Thursday night as she took to her Instagram to share a video of herself clapping for carers
The last clap? Rochelle Humes, who is pregnant with her third child – a baby boy, shared a sweet video of her eldest child, daughter Alaia-Mai, seven, clapping in their sitting room
She told Good Morning Britain that it’s time to move on but praised people who’d taken part.
Although she hopes neighbours will still come out onto their doorsteps to socialise at 8pm on Thursday, the mother believes it’s now time to concentrate on concrete steps to improve conditions for key workers.
Ms Plas, a Dutch national living in South London, said she was ‘overwhelmed’ by the support for the cacophonous ritual, but said it was better to stop when it was at ‘its peak’.
As of Thursday there have been 269K confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 37,837 deaths in the UK alone.
Woof!: The former glamour model, who wore a pink tracksuit and matching sunglasses, went on to perform some tricks with her beloved protection dog Blade as she commanded him to sit and bark for the carers