THERE were tears and laughter all day long at Whittle Hall Nursing Home as two members of the housekeeping team were recognised for their 60-hour weeks during the heigh of the pandemic.

Dynamic duo Faith Hughes and Joanne Trueman won the inaugural Hero of the Month award for May.

When asked how it felt to win, the ladies said they were ‘chuffed, choked and overwhelmed.’

Home manager Deborah Payne, said: "These special ladies have been working at Whittle Hall since just after it opened three years ago and have always been committed members of the team.

"At the height of the pandemic, when lots of staff were having to stay at home and self-isolate, Whittle’s housekeeping team went from a team of five to a team of two overnight and that is when Faith and Joanne really stepped up to the mark."

For five weeks Faith and Joanne were both doing 60 hours a week, working from 6.30am until 6.30pm, then the same again for a further three weeks, but this time with a part time helper.

When the laundry supervisor also had to self-isolate, the pair stepped in again, going into the laundry after their shift had finished and making sure that staff had enough clean towels and linen to change beds and wash with on the night shift.

Jeanne Davies, managing director of L&M Healthcare, added: "These two ladies are like the Ever Ready Bunnies; they are full of energy, full of enthusiasm and not only did they do an excellent job under immense pressure, they did it with good grace, a sense of humour and a smile of their face throughout.

"They are undoubtedly our Heroes of the Month at Whittle Hall."

Faith, a grandma-of-six and Joanne, a grandma-of-two, are very humble about their hard work.

Faith said: "We just mustered through it.

"We didn't think we were heroes we just rolled our sleeves up and got on with it. Cleaning, caring, laundry anything that needed to be done, just got done.

"But I couldn't have done it with anyone else other than Joanne, she is my rock."

Joanne said: "We didn't bat an eyelid, we just got on with it."

Outside of work both ladies are great friends and enjoy walking and spending time with their grandchildren.

As well as their certificates, Faith and Joanne have been given £100 worth of vouchers of their choice.