Sandwell air hostess goes to ground and helps out at hospital

When coronavirus struck last year, 32-year-old Emma White, who works for TUI, found herself grounded.

So instead, Emma decided to make a clean sweep and joined Sandwell Hospital's ward services team in her home town of West Bromwich.

Emma, who has worked for the airline for seven years, said: "I have many friends and family members who work for the NHS, so I knew how much pressure they were under and wanted to do what I could to help.

"At the start of lockdown, I was struggling mentally being stuck at home. I am used to travelling as an air hostess and across the country as a cabin crew trainer.

"I was based at Gatwick at the time we went into lockdown, so to go from that to nothing was a real shock to the system."

In April, Emma started at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs Sandwell Hospital, as a ward services officer – cleaning the wards and serving meals.

When the restrictions eased last summer, Emma went back to work for the airline for a brief period. But when the second lockdown hit again in the autumn, she joined the trust's laundry service – helping to make sure there were enough scrubs for medics and keeping the wards stocked up.

Though she hopes to return to her role as a flight attendant in the near future, Emma has enjoyed her time working at the hospital trust. She added: "Working at Sandwell Hospital was the perfect solution for me as I could support my local hospital whilst keeping busy and doing something useful.

"It made perfect sense in my mind as I live just over the road from the hospital.

“I have found that many staff share a similar mentality to that of cabin crew. They are flexible, adaptable and hard-working so it was easy enough for me to fit in.

"It does feel a bit strange having a routine as I am normally used to a changing roster and not knowing if I am coming or going.”