Covid-19: Brothers send letters to 999 ambulance stations

Five-year-old Tommy (left) and three-year-old Toby (right) are described as "ambulance mad" by their mother

Two brothers aged five and three have sent letters, drawings and photos to 999 ambulance stations across the UK.

Tommy and Toby Hutchinson began in November with their local station in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk and completed the challenge by the end of 2020.

The boys are now sending letters to other key workers such as NHS staff and teachers.

Their mother Lisa said it "involved and lots of dedication and determination" from her sons.

She said the appreciation for paramedics began in 2018 after Toby had five ambulance journeys due to seizures, which were later diagnosed as epileptic.

The boys initially aimed to send letters to every East of England Ambulance Service station and 90 envelopes were then posted on the way to school and nursery.

'Nice and positive'

The boys also filled eight stockings with treats such as crackers, balloons, biscuits, sweets, crisps and drinks for the Waveney station in Gorleston-on-Sea near Great Yarmouth.

The items were collected in an ambulance which "made Tommy and Toby's day", Mrs Hutchinson said.

She said they did not include a sender's address with the items delivered to the ambulance stations, but people tracked the brothers down via Facebook to say thank you.

"Tommy and Toby received lots of letters and certificates as well as memorabilia such as die-cast ambulances, pin badges and pens," Mrs Hutchinson said.

Tommy and Toby would include a poster saying "Not All Heroes Wear Capes"

She said they were then told the boys' letters were "boosting morale", which spurred her sons on.

Mrs Hutchinson said they decided to send letters to a total of 999 ambulance stations because it "seemed an appropriate number".

She said they were aided by donations from the "Hit the Ambulance Gamers" Facebook group, which encouraged "random acts of kindness" for paramedics.

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With the help of their older sister Tia, 16, they sent letters to ambulance services across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

They also sent letters to the Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and air ambulance services.

Mrs Hutchinson said their next challenge was "simply to send letters and posters or postcards featuring the wording 'Not All Heroes Wear Capes' to as many people as possible".

They have also been decorating rocks and creating clay ambulances that they have been hiding for people to find.

"It's nice and positive and the world needs that right now," Mrs Hutchinson said.

The boys have decorated rocks and created clay ambulances which they call "Norfolk Nee Nors"

Dr Tom Davis, acting chief executive of East of England Ambulance Service, said: "We'd like to thank Tommy, Toby, Tia and their mum for the wonderful drawings and treats they sent to our stations.

"We had a marvellous response from the public and it was gestures like these that really helped to keep our crews' spirits up last year, so we'd like to thank everyone for their ongoing support."

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