The Thursday clap for NHS and key workers is back tonight, renamed Clap for Heroes.

It was a feature of the first lockdown back in the spring of 2020 - and now it's returning.

On the strike of 8pm on Thursdays during the first lockdown, people paid tribute to those working hard in the NHS as well as carers everywhere.

Many people in Hitchin joined in, taking time to leave the comfort of their homes to acknowledge the efforts of frontline staff leading the fight against Covid.

Now the weekly clap is returning at the start of the third lockdown - and Hitchin Nub News spoke to an NHS nurse who has been on the frontline of the fight against Covid from day one, to talk to us about Clap for Heroes under condition on anonymity.

Read on to find out she feels about the forthcoming public show of affection, ten months on from the start of the pandemic.

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While my colleagues and I appreciate the public clapping our efforts it does rather feel like an empty gesture at the moment.

Having been on the frontline from the start of the pandemic, I would much rather people simply followed lockdown rules - including social distancing and the 'Hands, Face and Space' guidelines - than clap for us a minute every week.

What would I suggest the public does? I would suggest that if the public really wanted to help, they could perhaps volunteer an hour of their time a day, or a week, or even a month - to help an elderly neighbour.

I would suggest cooking a meal - and delivering it using social distancing - or having a chat on the phone to someone who feels vulnerable, would be a far more valuable thing to do.

While a pay rise would be nice no-one signs up to work in the NHS driven by money.

We'd all just rather people took ownership of their health and only attend A&E after a genuine accident or emergency.

We're here to help people. That's what we do.

And that's what we're proud of despite all the challenges we face on a daily basis when we literally put our lives on the line. We're not complaining, that's what we signed up to do.

But my advice to people would be: Don't worry about the clapping, why not volunteer to help out - or at the very least, help us to help you by observing all the guidelines designed to keep everyone safe - so we can all beat this.