Video footage shows emergency services pay tribute to Luton nurse during Clap for Carers last night

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue led a minute's silence at both Luton and Dunstable Univeristy Hospital and Bedford Hospital last night to pay tribute to a Luton nurse who died with coronavirus.

Pregnant Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, 28, worked as a nurse on a general ward at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital for five years, after falling ill with coronavirus, Ms Agyapong was admitted to the hospital herself on Sunday, April 5.

Her baby, a little girl, was delivered successfully by emergency caesarian on Sunday and is understood to be doing well. But tragically, Ms Agyepong died that day.

For a fourth week in a row, people across the UK clapped at 8pm last night (Thursday) to show appreciation for health professionals and other key workers, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue's Chief Fire Officer and some of the crews, along with Blue Light partners joined a minute's silence at Bedford Hospital to remember Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong.

Bedfordshire Police and the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust joined the fire service at Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

A statement on Bedfordshire Police facebook said: "A fantastic show of support for the NHS tonight by the emergency services in Bedfordshire.

"Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service led a minute’s silence at both Bedford Hospital and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.

"This was in tribute to Mary Agyeiwaa Agyapong, the L&D nurse who this week died after contracting coronavirus, all the NHS staff who have died while on the frontline of fighting the virus, as well as all those people around the world who have lost their lives to Covid-19.

"Police, firefighters and East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust then joined in with the applause for #clapforcarers #clapforourcarers #clapforourkeyworkers.

"Thank you to everyone around the county who also showed their support this evening."

Steven Taylor, who lives near the hospital, went out for his daily exercise last night and captured people clapping for carers at 8pm outside the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

He said: "I wanted to show my appreciation for the NHS. Although it looks like a lot of people, most of them were NHS staff, the fire service and police, and everyone was keeping their distance, I was standing on a wall when I recorded the video.

"It was amazing to hear so many people clapping, it was incredible, I have never seen anything like it before and I will probably never see anything like it again.

"It's good to see the NHS staff getting the recognition they deserve.

"It is so good to seen the country unite and support the NHS, before the pandemic they were not getting the recognition they deserved, but it is good to see them getting it now, I hope other key workers, like the police, fire service and paramedics, also get the same recognition."

To view Bedfordshire Police's video of the Clap for Cares, got to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQoOeEoqWFc.A Go Fund Me page has been set up for nurse Mary's family, click here to read more.