Clap for Carers: Watch as war veterans salute frontline workers at St Richard's Hospital

Dave Tilley, chairman of Chichester Branch Royal Sussex & Queens Regiment Association, along with two other volunteers — Bill Dixon and John Walters — took part in the weekly clap for carers outside St Richard's Hospital last night (Thursday, May 15).

Suited in regimental veterans' blazers and badges, the trio carried a regiment to salute the NHS staff at 8pm, one week after the veterans' plans to parade around the Witterings for VE Day were cancelled.

Mr Tilley said: "The 200-year-old Florence Nightingale has been looking after troops through Turkey so we thought why don't we go down and give a salute to frontline workers at St Richard's Hospital.

"Because of social distancing, we couldn't have too many down there so we had three volunteers.

"As the nurses were coming off shift and moving out the car park, they were beeping their horns at us. It was quite moving."

Barbara Patel, who works at St Richard's, shared a video of the moving moment with the Observer.

She said: "It makes us emotional for sure and all the love from children, seeing their rainbows painted and hanging outside the houses.

"There is so much love around no doubt about it."

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