Posted on: 23 June 2021
CNWL’s Samuel Opoku-Mensah, has helped create the new NHS Thank You Pin for NHS Charities Together which will raise money for NHS services across the country.
The pin commemorates the bravery of NHS staff during the pandemic and people across the UK can purchase the pin from Ernest Jones to wear as a symbol of gratitude and thanks. Samuel is the Ward Manager at Kershaw Ward and the badge features Samuel’s knuckle and back of hand texture. The hands of five other NHS staff from across the country were also used and fused together to create the pin.
The pin is made from a recycled spitfire used during the Battle of Britain, a fitting connection as for the past 18 months NHS staff have shown bravery and courage throughout the pandemic.
£10 from every sale will be donated to NHS Charities Together and it is hoped the pins will raise £150,000. The Thank You Pin will be available from 28 June, to order yours click here.
Read more about the pin below.
A symbol of our time: The NHS Thank you Pin
For eighteen months, we've pinned our hopes on the NHS. Now we can pin a symbol of gratitude on our favourite jacket, jumper or shirt as a tribute to our heroes. Read on for the incredible story behind the making of this special badge.
Ernest Jones is delighted to be the official retailer of The “Thank You” Pin in aid of NHS Charities Together. The “Thank You” Pin commemorates the incredible bravery and sacrifice of NHS front-line workers during the pandemic. And for a brand, that prides itself on craftsmanship, quality and jewellery that turns moments into memories, this is a cause close to our heart – a true symbol of bravery and spirit that will stand the test of time for those who want to show their gratitude and support for years to come.
Created by TMB Art Metal and released just in time to celebrate NHS Day on the 5th July, £10 from every sale will be donated to NHS Charities Together, to support the incredible work the charity does improving NHS services and ensuring the wellness of NHS staff. It’s hoped the pin will raise a minimum of £150,000 for the charity, so say “Thank you” today and sign up to purchase your pin available exclusively at Ernest Jones online from 28th June.
A pioneering service
On July 5th, 1948 the National Health Service was born, bringing free healthcare to the nation. We have treasured it ever since, but never more so than throughout the corona virus pandemic.
As a nation, there can’t be anyone who’s not felt empathy and pride in the NHS and the incredible work the service’s personnel have performed on our behalf, over the past year and half, in the fight against Covid-19. During that time many of these selfless and brave, but otherwise just ordinary people have performed extraordinarily, putting their lives and health in harm’s way, whilst fighting to protect us from a mysterious virus in an unprecedented situation.
Like many of us, founder of London-based provenance brand TMB Art Metal, Christopher Bennett felt a need to do something to say “Thank You” to these heroic people. Such an initiative should be a collectible pin badge, but in what form?
A round of applause
From the early days of the pandemic clapping hands became a national symbol of gratitude to the NHS – and what could be a more fitting and appropriate design for a “Thank You” fund raising pin? A national symbol of our time that could be worn to show our thanks to the NHS staff, and to later become a keepsake of the pandemic to be cherished and handed down, whilst also raising funds for NHS Charities Together. In a collaboration with the charity, TMB Art Metal expertly used CAD technology to create a three-dimensional composite of the clapping hand’s symbol which was created using different elements of the hands from six NHS representatives, who played pivotal roles on the Covid-19 front-line.
The hands behind The “Thank You” Pin
Representing every member of the NHS who has cared for families, friends, communities and patients around the UK, the hands behind the pin design are modelled on the following six heroes:
- May Parsons, who administered the world’s first Covid-19 vaccination, is a Matron for Education and Escalation, Interim Matron for Respiratory Medicine at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The badge features May’s nail and thumb.
- Dr Amie Burbridge FRCP, MMedEd, MBChB, who documented her life during the BBC Documentary “Pandemic”, is a consultant Acute/General Internal Medicine, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The badge features Dr Burbridge’s finger textures and back of hand.
- Fathma Shabbir, a young newly qualified nurse at Ealing Hospital Intensive Care Unit, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust. The badge features Fathma’s hand and finger shape.
- Faisal Yousaf, a porter at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust. The badge features Faisal’s fingers middle creases and back of hand shape.
- Kathryn Gill, was a band five nurse who worked in the cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (ITU) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, which during the height of the pandemic became a Covid ITU. The badge features Kathryn’s finger textures.
- Samuel Opoku-Mensah, a Ward Manager at Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust. The badge features Samuel’s knuckle and back of hand texture.
Each of the ambassadors supplied photographs of the back of the right hand and palm of the left, which were then melded into a 3D clapping hands design. The symbol was then cast from a very special material.
A material with meaning
The metal used in the creation of The “Thank You” Pin is Duralumin – a type of aluminium alloy – recycled from an actual WW2 Spitfire aircraft owned and operated by the Royal Air Force’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. This Spitfire, serial number P7350, first flew in August 1940 during the Battle of Britain, survived WW2 and is today the oldest most original and historically significant airworthy Spitfire in existence.
After safeguarding the country from enemy invasion, the legendary Spitfire has become an iconic national symbol of bravery, resilience, and hope. Described at the time by Prime Minister Winston Churchill as their ‘Finest Hour’, there’s an undoubted synergy to the distinguished and admirable work of the NHS in safeguarding the nation against Covid-19, and crafting the pins using metal from one of these machines is as profound and inspiring as all those who worked tirelessly on the NHS front line.
The tree of hands
Interested to discover more about how these pins are created? Read on to reveal the five main steps of the process.
- The pins are cast using the 'lost wax' casting process, providing the best results and a full 3D shape. All the little hands together form a 'tree'.
- The wax designs are then put into metal casting flasks and then added to the hopper with water.
- A section of 1939 vintage Spitfire main spar is heated until it's around 700 degrees centigrade and poured into the casting flask.
- The tree of around 130 clapping hands is then dunked in water to soften the casting compound.
- Finally, the hands are cut off the tree and sent to the finishers to be made into a pin.
More about the charity
NHS Charities Together is the national charity caring for the NHS. They are the independent national charity partner of the NHS and an umbrella organisation made up of 240 NHS member charities based within hospitals, mental health trusts, ambulance trusts, community health trusts and health boards across the UK.
The funds raised by NHS Charities Together enable the health service to go above and beyond what would otherwise be possible. Through its member charities, it funds projects that improve services for patients and help NHS staff and volunteers both practically and emotionally so that they can continue with their vital life-saving work.
For your chance to say “Thank you” you can sign up to register your interest for the pin from the 23rd with pins officially available to purchase online from 28th June.