Shaldon Optimists pay their tribute to the National Health Service<br>credit: Fleet Air Arm / RNAS Yeovilton

By Conrad Sutcliffe

SHALDON Optimists groundsman Charlie Woolnough has created his own tribute to the National Health Service for their work during the Cornona Virus crisis… while cutting the grass!

Woolnough has been keeping the Hazeldown Oval in trim for the hoped-for start of cricket in Devon later this summer.

Charlie WoolnoughWhen Woolnough realised the area used for car parking was becoming unkempt, he pointed his mowers in that direction and cut out a message of support to the NHS.

Shaved into the grass are the initials NHS inside a heart-shaped frame.

Said Woolnough: “My daughter works in the NHS and I have seen just how hard she and her colleagues have been working and how much strain they are under.

“While cutting the grass at the club in my one-man tractor, I noticed the parking area was getting overgrown.

“On the spur of the moment I decided to do something to pay tribute to the NHS and just got carried away.

“I drew the letters NHS first then put a heart around them, all done freehand with no help from GPS.

“”You can’t see from ground level what it looks like and you don’t know who is going to see it.

“Luckily a Wildcat helicopter crew from RNAS Yeovilton flew over the ground and saw my handiwork. They took a picture and passed it on to us.”

 Charlie Woolnough's tribute to the NHS