The head groundsman at Herne Bay has mowed a giant ‘thank you' to the National Health Service into the pitch at Winch's Field!
Turf-master Anthony Deer sprung into action with his mower this week to help the Isthmian League South East Division club's fans, players and officials pay tribute to NHS staff and key workers in Kent and all over the UK fighting the coronavirus.
New social media managers Josh Allsopp and Kian Ward came up with the idea to capture the community spirit shown by the people of Herne Bay during the public health crisis.
After getting the green light from enthusiastic Herne Bay chairman Stuart Fitchie and Deer, the pair enlisted the aid of drone company CPL Drones to film the operation on Monday night and take spectacular aerial shots of the Kent Vehicles Stadium.
Herne Bay FC would like to thank all of the key workers for all their ongoing work being done during the 2020 pandemic.
–
As a way for us to say thank you, we have marked ‘Thank You' onto our first team's pitch.
–
More can be read over at:https://t.co/U3VAcrEYDG#ThankYou pic.twitter.com/zDMuEh24YW— Herne Bay FC (@HerneBayFC) May 6, 2020
Fitchie told club's website: “Josh and Kian our new recruits approached me on my thoughts about this and I thought it was a fantastic idea. If it can show to the NHS workers we as a club are thinking of them for all their bravery and fantastic commitment to our county that would be job done.
“They are all working to keep us safe whilst putting their lives on the line. My brother's girlfriend Catriona is a nurse in London so I am kept abreast of some of the going's on, it is no joke. This is just a small thanks and is nowhere near what they deserve, just a different way to show our appreciation from all at Herne Bay FC.
“We will be offering all frontline workers a free season ticket next season, whenever that may be, as well as some club memorabilia. Full details of the promotion will be released as soon as we have a better idea when the new season will be.”
Deer said: “I was asked by the football club if I could do something with the pitch before we start work on it for next season to thank the wonderful service of the NHS. So Monday evening after I finished work at my school, I set about cutting the message into the pitch using our ride along lawnmower. it took just over an hour to complete.
“Not only am I thankful for the job that the doctors and nurses are doing right now but the job they have done in the past with helping players with serious injuries. We are lucky to have such a great service in this country, this is our way of just saying thank you.”
For more news like this and on the impact of the coronavirus on football, make sure you get your copy of The Non-League Paper from Sunday and get ready for the next one!
In shops on Sundays and Mondays, The NLP is always available as a page-rustling digital edition and full replica of the printed paper from midnight on Saturdays.
If you missed Sunday's paper, the digital is only a few clicks away right now as a FREE SAMPLE EDITION until midnight on Saturday before the next issue hits newsstands!
Digital readers also save cash on single issues, even more on longer deals and also enjoy full access to The NLP's archive.
Images courtesy of The Non-League Paper, CPL Drones & @HerneBayFC/Twitter
