Strictly Come Dancing star Craig Revel Horwood praises NHS at Wansford Surgery tree planting
A Strictly Come Dancing star swapped glitz and glamour for a muddy field as he helped to celebrate the NHS.
Craig Revel Horwood visited Wansford Surgery yesterday (Thursday, March 30) to mark the Royal College of General Practitioners' 70th anniversary.
Joined by nurses, doctors and pharmacists the Strictly star broke ground to plant a cherry tree in a field on the site.
It is part of The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare's plans for growing the 'NHS Forest' which supports healthcare sites to improve their natural environment and encourage staff and patients to engage with green space.
Dr Rhiannon Nally, a partner at the surgery, said: "People working in the NHS are really challenged.
"What I realised is that if you don't care for staff they can't care for others.
"I think a lot of support is needed."
She added: "I think there is public support but I don't know whether we have government support."
It is hoped that staff will be able to sit by the tree on their breaks and patients can get comfort from nature if they need to relax or digest tough news.
At the tree planting event Craig, who is a patient at the surgery, spent time speaking and taking photos with staff as well as 'thanking them from the bottom of [his] heart' for being the 'most important people'.
Craig, who lives in King's Cliffe, believes it is 'essential to support the NHS' and has made it his mission to raise awareness for healthcare staff.
"I am helping hospitals around the area and charities that support staff," he said. "They have sort of all been left behind.
"One thing that can help is making the environment so much nicer.
"It is important to be here not only for the 70th anniversary of the Royal College of General Practitioners but for the people of Wansford and King's Cliffe to make their lives a bit nicer. Especially when patients are ill it gives them somewhere to go to digest information help."
The showbiz star first became passionate about supporting healthcare staff during the pandemic.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge is partnering with IKEA to help ensure staff rooms used for breaks are a pleasant space admitting that some of those he has seen are 'awful'.
He believes GPs and nurses should have somewhere to take a break which is 'a nice environment where they can have happy and fabulous vibes'.
Having recently discovered a passion for Instagram, Craig is also using his social media to speak out about pressing issues and raise awareness.
"I definitely think NHS staff deserve a pay rise," he said.
"They work so hard for minimum wages - it's grotesque.
"To support the NHS we need to support workers in a way that's more than just clapping."
