‘Covid heroes’ from University of Northampton nominated for award after housing vulnerable during pandemic

A team of ‘Covid heroes’ from the University of Northampton has been nominated for a national award after going above and beyond the call of duty to help the community during the pandemic.

The estates and campus services department organised the refurbishment of mothballed student halls of residence in March 2020, in order to reopen the accommodation to house vulnerable people and key workers during lockdown.

Due to the team’s hard work, the university was able to provide 500 rooms for healthcare staff and patients.

Twenty six rough sleepers were also provided with accommodation, as well as a handful of victims of domestic abuse.

The team, which also provided a number of key support services for students and the community during lockdown, has now been recognised with an award nomination from the Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE).

Becky Bradshaw, director of estates and campus services, said: “The pandemic placed the team under immense pressure over the last 12 months.

“They stepped up to ensure our students and staff were safe and secure, while also offering incredible support to our wider community.

“We pride ourselves on having a team of people who are always willing to go the extra mile to support others, and it’s pleasing to see this effort has been recognised by the award nomination.”

The department also helped to set up the drive-thru public Covid testing centre on campus, looked after students who continued to live on campus and provided a place for the Red Cross to use as a storage facility for its food delivery campaign.

Earlier this year, the team’s hard work was recognised as they were awarded with a Rose of Northamptonshire award.

Colleagues will find out if they’ve won the Estates/Facilities Team of the Year category, on Thursday evening (April 15).

This the second time the estates team has been recognised by AUDE – in the 2019 awards it was highly commended for masterminding and overseeing the university’s move from two campuses to the then-new Waterside campus.

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