January 7, 2021 10.06 am This story is over 38 months old

Clap for Heroes returns tonight

Applauding key workers again
A panda and a minion out clapping for NHS staff and other key workers in a village near Lincoln.
By Local Democracy Reporter

The weekly Clap for Carers will be reintroduced this week, but will now be called Clap for Heroes instead.

The day and time of the weekly clap will stay the same, Thursdays at 8pm, and the premise is still to honour key workers, but the people being applauded will be called ‘heroes’ rather than ‘carers’.

Clap for Carers began during the first lockdown in March, running for ten weeks as the public applauded the work of frontline NHS staff every Thursday at 8pm.

Lincolnshire in particular went above and beyond during the weekly applause, with Lincoln Cathedral lighting up in the blue colours of the NHS.

NHS solidarity shown as Lincoln Cathedral lights up blue. | Photo: John O’Keeffe

Others decorated their houses in tribute, with one person painting a giant rainbow on their home, and another colouring their bricks with chalk.

The success of the first Clap for Carers, along with the growing coronavirus case figures, has inspired founder of the event, Annemarie Plas, to bring it back.

In a tweet posted on Wednesday, January 6, Annemarie said: “I hope it can lift the spirits of all of us – carers, teachers, homeschooling parents, those who shield and everyone who’s pushing through this difficult time.”

The tweet has since been deleted, amid criticism of the clap, but it is understood that it will still be going ahead.