Initiative seeks to use Clap for Carers campaign to reward NHS staff and key workers with medals and medallions
A Shepreth-based company has used its expertise in a bid to reward the skill, courage and commitment of NHS staff and key workers.
Touch of Ginger is a specialist designer of premium products to blue chip businesses and global events, described as recognition-gifting.
Among the medals it has supplied have been for the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and for UEFA Euro 2020, now postponed until 2021.
As with many businesses, it is temporarily closed, but joint owners Gary Moore and Adam Cash have used their creative skills to produce a concept in response to the sacrifices being made by key workers.
“We are experts in this area, producing high-quality, high-end recognition gifting – that may be sporting events in the form of medals or trophies, recognition to industry for achievement, recognition in all sorts of ways in the sense of high-end corporate gifting,” said Gary.
“It’s a war being fought by health workers and ordinarily a military medal would be given for any kind of campaign, that’s how it works.
“I thought why don’t we do a service medal for the NHS as a recognition.”
They have designed an NHS Service Medal, of polished silver featuring the NHS logo surrounded by a coronavirus motif and distinctive tri-coloured ribbon.
There is a Key Workers Medallion, which is a crown-sized medal featuring a coronavirus motif resembling cogs turning within cogs on the front and clapping hands on the back.
The plan would be that the not-for-profit scheme would be funded by the sale of a Clap for Carers pin badge to the public.
“A medal in a conventional sense of being a medal on a ribbon with a pin that can be attached to a uniform or a lapel seems appropriate to me,” said Gary.
“For the key workers, we thought a coin would be brilliant because the volumes are very much larger as it’s many millions, so a coin seemed appropriate.
“The idea was that every Thursday night we are all out there clapping on the Clap for Carers campaign so that would be a really good way to collect it all up – produce a pin badge with the hands clapping and that then funds the medal process.”
They have lodged the scheme with the Crown Commercial Service, the government’s procurement arm, and are trying to get the government involved in order to get its consent.
“The design doesn’t have approval from anyone, either NHS or government officials, and I’m careful to say that the designs are concepts and that they are for visualisation purposes,” said Gary. “This is not for commercial gain, this is for recognition of the job done – people are out there on our behalf so we can stay safe and that is the driver behind all of this.”
His next plan is to approach some of the country’s leading supermarkets to see if they would be prepared to sell the Clap for Carers badges – with the prototypes due next month – at till points.
He added: “You can buy a badge, wear it with pride, demonstrate you’re on board with the whole thing and the money goes to a good cause.”
Touch of Ginger has made medals and medallions for NHS staff and key workers and Clap for Carers pin badge. Picture: Touch of Ginger - Design concepts, NHS and HM Government logos are for illustrative purposes only. (34594182)
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