Cheddar retirement home raising money for charity for as long as staff stay locked in

Staff at a retirement home in Cheddar have decided to take their coronavirus lock-in a step further and raise money for charity at the same time.

A dozen staff at Court House Retirement Home recently took the decision to lock themselves in and live with the residents, to reduce the risk of coronavirus.

Now staff who are offering support on the outside and those locked in have decided to raise money for Weston Hospicecare for the duration of their lock-in.

The JustGiving fundraising campaign is hoping to reach a £1,000 target by the time the 12 staff come out of the home, once the worst of the coronavirus crisis has passed.

It was set up by Corrina Goodship, who is one of the Court House members of staff not locked in, but she explained why they decided to raise money for charity.

"My daughter Kaycie is one of the 12 staff locked inside," she said.

"I have started a JustGiving fundraiser for as long as the team stay inside, away from home. We have all decided to donate funds to Weston Hospicecare, which is a great charity providing help and support for end of life patients and their families.

"If we can get anywhere near our goal it will really boost morale for all those locked inside. They are doing such amazing work.

"I personally am so proud of all the staff and my daughter who is only 17. I miss them all greatly too, I am trying to do what I can outside until I can get back to work."

The staff moved into the home on April 14, when the owner Christopher Dando, his management and his staff all said goodbye to their homes, families and loved ones, and moved in to the retirement home and locked all the doors to the outside world behind them.

They have no idea how long they will be living at work, where they will be sleeping or what hours they will need to be working between them.

Corrina said: "They have all jumped in like heroes with bravery and sacrifice purely because they love each and every elderly resident at the home and want to reduce the chances of Covid-19 entering the premises."

To donate to the fundraising, you can go to the Justgiving website here.