Your stories…

I'd like to dedicate a tree to the Lincolnshire Neuropsychology team, who provide assessment and support to people with an acquired brain injury or neurological illness. I couldn't have asked for better colleagues to navigate a pandemic with and I will be forever grateful for their hard work, flexibility, resilience and compassion. Some positive, innovative ways of working have emerged as a result too (specifically the use of 'tele-neuropsychology' to conduct assessments remotely). Hopefully, it…

I worked throughout the pandemic. My journey to work was very surreal as was the whole of the hospital at the beginning. It was hard to adjust to the whole new soul-less environment. During the pandemic, there were lots of discussions and decision making, which made lots of changes to the staff's normal working days and this caused lots of anxieties and insecurities, but together we managed it. Coming through the other side has made me realise what a fantastic team we have and what the NHS…

I joined the NHS in January of 2021. It was a weird time to join, because we were in the midst of the pandemic and things hadn't yet felt like "the new normal" but I didn't know anything else. Listening to people talk about how bad things were at the height of the outbreak and also talk about what working in the NHS was like pre-pandemic, it felt odd like you weren't sure where you fit in this ever-changing landscape. What I will say is that no matter how bad it was, people still found time to…

Well, it was a strange one, to say the least. In the Spring/Summer of 2020, my cohort and I were trying to qualify as nurses, and complete our degrees. The University was all but closed, and we were wondering what the fallout would be to our last placement. We got through it though and learned some extra skills along the way - who knew what a 'Teams Meeting' was prior to this? Life as a community mental health nurse was challenging. Advice was given, understandably, to cut face to face contact…

We stopped all of our business as usual and set up a helpline for staff during 2020. We had other members of staff join us from our organisation to deliver this. It was a real privilege to be able to offer a listening ear for those finding the pandemic a challenge for them personally and professionally.

This is for my Uncle John, who died during the pandemic alone in a nursing home without his wife by his side. RIP Uncle John. We miss you and love you. Enjoy a pint with Dad now. xx

I was working as a Specialist Practitioner District Nurse during the beginning of the pandemic. My Mum also worked for the NHS at the time and in March 2020 she suffered with symptoms of COVID-19. At the time we did not have lateral flow tests, so we never knew if she had COVID-19, but luckily she recovered well. Unfortunately, my Dad then became ill and was taken to hospital. He was told he had COVID-19 and already had underlying health problems. We were not able to visit him in hospital and he…

The experience of the pandemic as a nurse will live with me for the rest of my life. Some of the heartbreaking things we lived through during that time I will take to my grave. I don't think I am the same person now as I was before this. But, despite some of those terrible times, there was joy, happiness and unity in a time of uncertainty. We pulled together and looked out for each other. I personally appreciate so much more in life and intend to live the rest of my life humbly and recall…

I have decided to plant one of these trees in my garden at home to remember all the family members that our department in general surgery lost during the pandemic (not due to COVID) and also to remember Miss Corrina D, one of our consultant surgeons, who lost her life tragically recently.

Being a student working on the wards throughout COVID made me realise how important patient care is, especially when visitors were restricted. The passion I saw from all professions was amazing, and the teamwork as we struggled through the pandemic too. Even when it became really bad, our colleagues became our support and it truly showed not only how important the NHS is, but also lucky we are to have it.

I have chosen to have a tree planted as part of the NHS Woodland Lincolnshire programme because I think to have them all growing strong together will be a lasting visual in the future of the way the NHS stood proudly and strongly together with everyone helping each other. I really felt for my clinical colleagues as I witnessed the pressures that they were under. I am proud of the L&D Team who adapted and assisted where we could with fast track inductions to get the desperately needed staff in…

It was a scary, anxious and humbling time to be working in the NHS at the time the pandemic hit. It was the best of humanity at the worst of times - despair and determination, love and loss, exhaustion and emotion... I want to share a poem I wrote in May 2021, when I felt the double whammy of the pandemic taking its toll in the UK and then in India where my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins and my school and college friends were living. It had been 18 months by then that I had not…

I was involved with the COVID vaccination programme for 18 months, supporting the recovery from the Pandemic. I saw close up the dedication, commitment and hard work from everyone involved that went into making it a success. I will look on this tree with pride as it will remind me of my role and of the many others I have worked with in the largest and most successful vaccination programme, to date, in NHS history.

A very dear friend in his early 50's, Ron, was taken poorly during the first wave of COVID-19. He assumed he had COVID, so did not visit his GP. He became increasing poorly across the weekend and later died of a pulmonary embolism. He is sadly missed and we will plant the tree in a special place in our garden.

From March 2020 to May 2021, I worked in the Intensive Care Unit, where we cared for many patients who had COVID. It felt like an age, waiting for the patients to become well enough to extubate if they ever did become well enough. I have struggled for the last year with the memories of the patients who couldn't have their families with them in their last few moments. But knowing that I and many of the other nurses were there for the patients we looked after was the most important thing to…

Working on a COVID ward and supporting patients who recovered or sadly lost the fight against COVID.

Myself and my colleagues on Hatton Ward worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic. We treated all our patients as family because they couldn't see theirs.

I lost a loved one to COVID-19 so having a tree will be lovely to watch it grow and remember happier times.

I started working at the hospital just before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. From calm to panic and then everybody working together for a common cause, to get through this and come out of the other side stronger and beating this new enemy! Throughout all of this mayhem, the main thing was we worked together as a team, nobody better than anybody else and everybody doing their best to support patients and their families during this testing time….now after all of this, I think the legacy of the…

I would like to dedicate this tree to all my Pharmacy colleagues at Lincoln County Hospital for their teamwork throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.