UNISON want to hear about your public service champion - £300 to be won! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at UNISON is putting the call out for your very own champions of public services in the UK – who do you want to show your appreciation to?

They say "Our public services are in crisis. Comment, tweet, campaign, vote, say thanks – but whatever you do, back your public service champions now.

“We can all relate to being under pressure and having to put a brave face on. For public service workers this has become part of daily working life, but now the crisis in our public services is so bad many of them are at breaking point. They are telling us about their struggle to support the schools, health and social care services, libraries, youth services and policing that our families and communities all depend on.

“Every day thousands of people turn to mumsnet for support, so what better place to get behind our public service champions and show them some love? This is your chance to share stories of how a public service champion has made a difference to you. Thank the teaching assistant for giving your DC the confidence to put their hand up in class. Shake hands with the police community support officer who keeps your neighbourhood safe. Show the care worker who helps your nan get up in the morning some appreciation. It doesn’t matter what you do to support them, it just matters that you back your public service champions now.”

So to get involved, you can do two things. One, post on this thread some info about the public service champion you want to thank – you don't have to give their name but just let us know briefly what they do and what this means to you. Or, two, you can get involved at: champions.unison.org.uk/.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get two £150 Love2Shop vouchers (which the winner can either keep or split with their nominee!)

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Mumsnet Insight T and Cs apply

NHS staff, I've seen some brilliant nurses caring for my uncle with cancer, it's nice to think that we have such caring and compassionate people.

NHS, NHS, NHS ! Heroes without proper payment !

It would have to be our family doctor, he always fits us in and has told the reception staff to squeeze us in if necessary. If you need him then he has all the time in the world for you, but he has no time for fakers wanting a sick note. He does not claim to know it all and will refer to specialists if he thinks it needs a more expert opinion

The NHS. In my experience the frontline staff that deal with you are uniformly helpful, dedicated and caring. Quite often working longer and harder than they are obligated too in order to care for the patients in their charge.

A slight variation... Our dentist is fantastic. I have never met someone so friendly and he's absolutely brilliant with the kids. They love going to see him! It's impossible to be scared of someone so lovely.

The nurse who helps my wife with her arthritis needs, she supports here both medically and emotionally thats the difference

If worra doesn't want my nomination, I should probably nominate my DH who is my ft carer. Could easily have ran off with a younger model when my health shot downhill, but he's still here :)

My husband, he works with the Local Authority, he has had a job evaluation, which meant a pay cut, with more work, He is there when there are floods he is out clearing the water away from roads and peoples homes, He is out gritting in the winter, and is also out on call trying his best to fill in the 1000's 0f potholes as there is not enough funding to do the roads properly. Also they have been told under the new Job Evaluation contract that they are expected to take a certain amount of abuse from the members of the public. Can you believe it.
He works really hard sometimes overtime of 30hrs plus and he is my Public Service Champion

My doctors are amazing, they're all really lovely and helpful and I totally appreciate their flexible approach that makes sure everyone gets the help when they need it. It is so different to what I hear from other people about their doctors!

I want to nominate a lady called Eileen Baxendale. Despite being in her 70s, she works tirelessly for the poor and rejected in society, years after she retired as a local councillor and social worker
Through the church we go to, she has set up and run what we call the"Furniture Project". People of any background in their first tenancy can apply for help to furnish their flat. It doesn't matter if you are young parents with a child on the way, an asylum seeker or refugee, or just out of prison, our furniture is for all!
Furniture is all second hand and donated - we do pick-up for free as well as delivery
Eileen's husband, Keith, has trained in electrical testing in his retirement and tests all the goods donated so they conform to PAT testing guidelines.
Eileen deserves to be a public service champion as, even in retirement she has chosen to look after the children and families she spent her life looking after.

Absolutely has to be all of the people who make up the NHS. They really are amazing people working under ever increasing hardship.

Hats off to your husband julieef , what a hero.
I work in the public sector and there are so many people I could nominate at work, or at the hospital that treated my son.
But I am going to nominate my mental health nurse and psychologist who helped me find the strength to leave an abusive relationship. Who never judged me, and who could somehow even make me laugh on the darkest of days. I am a much stronger and happier person thanks to them, and I am not sure I would be alive still had it not been for them.

My GP is phenomenal - when I went to see her worried about a breast lump she was fantastic and reassured me that is was all normal and calming me down. I felt stupid getting so worked up over something that turned out to be nothing, but she was amazing

Our brilliant Unison rep at work who unstintingly keeps us up to speed with what management are planning, and also links us into to cleaners' campaigns, pensions issues, defence of persecuted union members, university policy on refugees and the like. Also she is a great laugh and I love being on the picket line with her.

traffic wardens in Oxford. I went there recently and the two I met were friendly, and helpful - thankyou guys

I would nominate teaching assistants, who do a wonderful job with children, but are woefully underpaid. A teaching assistant on full time hours in our county typically earns around £11,000 a year, and they work so hard with children of differing abilities and needs. Yes, they do get school holidays off, but they have to then use their wage to take their own family on holiday, at vastly inflated prices. They are the ones that sit patiently with a child until they understand the task at hand, or deal with meltdowns and sometimes violence. Hats off to them, because they do a brilliant job!

Mine is Miss Hindle my son's 1 to 1 key worker, she goes above and beyond to make sure he is happy, understands and explains to him, and when he was changing schools, he had 5 days there to see the new school at different times of the day, and she went with him on the bus, and one sunny day walked with him so that his transition to high school went as smoothly as it could. We miss her and her kindness, any child who has her is indeed blessed.

all nhs staff

My local NHS Depression and Anxiety Service are excellent.

Its got to be the NHS and everyone in it, they are the heart of this country.

Everyone who works in the NHS. They work so hard under a ridiculous amount of pressure.

After having an ear infection, I would have to nominate my surgery where I saw two different G.P's. who were excellent. The consultant at the hospital who saw me the very next day (on the NHS) & sucked out my ear & also prescribed ear drops.

I would like to say a massive big thank you to the social workers who supported me in so many ways when I was bringing up my youngest son (who was severely mentally handicapped) as a one parent family.
For example One Xmas my social worker turned up with a bag of small toys crayons, colouring book, corgi cars etc which made my children's Xmas and mine as I did not have much money for luxuries.
They helped me in so many ways and always kept my spirits up, we tend now only to hear of social workers when something goes wrong, and do not see all the work they put in to make sure thinks go right on a daily basis. Thank you social workers everywhere

Babergh Council Disability :) They go above and beyond to help when the DWP/ATOS are are being irresponsible with their actions!

I should win £300 as their BLOODY phone no is one 0 different to my work one
We get a gazillion calls a week and people get so ratty with US as they misdialled
Grrrr