Sunderland school boy praised for 'heart-warming' poem in admiration of key worker mum

Year 11 student Adam Hughes from St Aidan’s Catholic Academy in Sunderland has been commended for his ‘amazing’ poem which was sent to key workers in the local area in a thank you card after he saw how ‘hard’ his mum was working in Sunderland Royal Hospital during the first coronavirus lockdown.

Pupils at St Aidan’s Catholic Academy were asked to create the cards to thank key workers in the Sunderland area who have worked throughout the pandemic as part of a well-being project.

Teachers were left stunned after reading Adam’s heartfelt poem which was in honour of his mum.

Anna Armstrong, RE teacher at the Academy, said: “As part of our academy initiative to promote the well-being of our staff, students and local community, we have been working on a variety of projects linked to mental health, physical well-being and environmental issues.

"Because of the overwhelming acts of sacrifice and the inspiring perseverance that all our local key workers continue to demonstrate despite their own personal challenges brought by the pandemic, as an academy we want to show our appreciation for their hard work.

"It includes a poem created by one of our Year 11 students, who gave his time to put into words how we all feel.”

The young poet decided he wanted to pay tribute to all key workers through his writing.

He said: “During the first lockdown my mam worked in a hospital as a key worker for the NHS and this experience allowed me to notice and understand just how hard key workers were working to help other people and put others first before themselves.

"I really appreciate the role that they played in keeping us all safe and providing for us in their own ways in such an unusual, uncertain time.”

Here is Adam’s poem in full:

Keep the rules, control the virus, reduce the spread,

It’s all over the news and it’s filling us with dread,

Always in my hoodie, hair too long to quiff,

The fear of having covid every time I sniff,

The world around us almost stood still,

Except for the keyworkers who have a strong will,

Their familiar sounds helping us cope,

Keeping us going and giving us hope,

The bins being collected, deliveries on the street,

The teachers online giving us chances to meet Sirens and flashes of blue and red,

The neighbours cars starting whilst we’re laying in bed,

Men and women working together to find a miracle cure,

Communities combining, giving aid to the poor,

The smell of takeaways on a lockdown run,

Community challenges keeping things fun,

The taste of food from a freshly stocked shelf,

So many helping with our mental health,

Let’s Rise up and thank them and give them support,

To all the unsung heroes proudly together we’ve fought.

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