Hundreds of north-east nurses will be kitted out in colourful knee-length socks as a clothing firm seeks to help those taking to the frontline during the coronavirus crisis.
Scottish travel retailer Trtl has experienced a 95% drop in sales in the past
two weeks, but has still managed to donate thousands of compression socks to help nurses combat Covid-19.
Worth £125,000, the collection of colourful knee-length socks will help 5,000 acute nurses across Scotland, including 500 at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The average NHS worker walks 3.6 miles a day with some recording up to 11 miles.
And with regular work shifts of 12 hours, it is hoped wearing compression socks can reduce leg soreness, swollen ankles and varicose veins for the nurses.
The company had stockpiled the socks in advance of its peak summer season, but when sales stalled due to Covid-19, chief executive Michael Corrigan decided to use them to support nurses.
He said: “Although the compression socks have been most popular with airline
travellers, at the start of this year we ran a small campaign with nurses around the
world and they were really happy with them.
“Over the past few days, I’ve been thinking about how we can contribute in what is
the biggest crisis many of us will face in our lifetimes.
“When something like this happens it very rapidly puts things into perspective.
“Nurses across the UK will be tested as never before in the coming weeks and if we
can do something to help make the time they spend on their feet more comfortable,
we must.
“I couldn’t just see these socks sitting in a warehouse when they could be helping
people saving lives. That’s what’s important, and nurses need all the help they can
get just now.”
