Meet the Bury Times Lockdown Heroes

We asked you for nominations of people who are going the extra mile, often under the radar, to help others and raise a smile in these uncertain times.

And today we recognise those #lockdownheroes and call on you to send in more nominations so we can continue to celebrate the ordinary folk doing extraordinary things to keep spirits up.

We will be showcasing everyone on a weekly basis during lockdown so keep your nominations coming.

We want to hear about all those wonderful people out there that are helping you during this crisis.

So how can you get in touch to tell us about your #lockdownheroes?

Simply e-mail your stories and nominations, including a picture of the person you are nominating, to our community manager. Simone O’Kane at simone.okane@newsquest.co.uk

Nominated by Becky Byrne:

MY #lockdownhero is my mum, Kay Byrne.

She is a nurse on the in-patient unit at Bury Hospice and is passionate about her role and does a fantastic job.

Kay was supposed to run the London Marathon this year but because of lockdown unfortunately, it was postponed.

That didn’t stop her and she still ran a total of 37.09 miles over

three days raising money for the hospice.

Over the years she has ran several marathons each time for the hospice.

This shows she is completely dedicated to her job and that she is passionate about Bury Hospice - a place that provides the best end of life care for Bury and surrounding areas.

Bury Hospice provides vital specialist services to people within our locality.

It costs £7,533 a day and £2.76 million a year to run the Hospice and we have a huge challenge each year to raise sufficient funds to keep its doors open.

In return for donations she added names of peoples’ loved ones that have passed away on to her vest so they can run with her when she eventually does the marathon.

So far has raised £2,150 and I couldn’t be more proud.

Nominated by Gareth Foster:

I WOULD like to nominate my mum as a #lockdownhero

Margaret Foster from Tottington, has been making scrubs’ bags for doctors and nurses to store their personal protective equipment in.

My mum has also been making elasticated straps for their face masks which makes them more comfortable to wear,

Her eldest granddaughter, Chloe Banks, works as a nurse at the Royal Oldham Hospital and said they would really benefit from the scrubs bags and elasticated straps.

Margaret is very caring, selfless and always puts others before herself, she recently turned 78 and obviously she couldn’t celebrate as she would do normally with all of her children and grandchildren.

We can not wait until lockdown is over to celebrate with her in style.

All the family love her so very much.

She most definitely deserves a mention.

Nominated by Beverley Williams:

I WOULD like to nominate the residents at Abbeyfield House in Radcliffe.

We did a sponsored walk round the outside of our home to make a difference for two local charities.

We raised £615, which is to be shared between Bury Hospice and the Rotary Club of Radcliffe.

Whilst we are on lockdown, we are all missing our families and friends but keeping our spirits high with daily activities.

Residents and staff always enjoy planning activities together, which includes armchair aerobics, coffee mornings for friends and family to join in with and weekly luncheon cabaret outings.

It’s lovely to keep our residents safe and busy whilst raising money for charity.

Nominated by Laura Challis:

MY name is Laura Challis and I am the Ward Manager of an Older People’s Mental Health Ward in Bury.

I would like to nominate my neighbour, Joanne Trueman for the #lockdownhero award.

Joanne has been working tirelessly to collect donations for the local food bank charity and for the staff and patients on the mental health wards.

Joanne does all of this alongside her role as a keyworker at a local primary school, as well as supporting vulnerable individuals in the community.

Thanks for being hard working, Joanne.