The magazines, which contain fly-fishing related articles, stories, puzzles, flies, fly-tying and instruction articles mainly related to an outdoor life in lockdown have gone into 26 different hospitals countrywide, from Tunbridge Wells to St Thomas’s in London, to Glasgow Royal, say the publishers.
“Working in a Covid hospital must be hard work, extremely worrying and a miserable experience at the moment. Many people in the medical profession are fly fishers, and that’s how they normally would relax. Hopefully, our Lockdown Special issue will bring some light relief, release, enjoyment and distraction from the realities of the wards during the day-job at these difficult times”, said Mark Bowler, Fly Fishing and Fly Tying’s Publishing Editor who, like the rest of the magazine staff, is working from home.
“Currently the magazine is compiled by staff operating from kitchens, lounges and attics from Banff in Scotland to Wiltshire, and across to Kent”, said Mark.
In addition, copies will be delivered to the Project Wingman lounge, at Watford Football Club. Project Wingman is a group of furloughed, grounded or redundant airline crew from across every UK airline, who are dedicated to serving NHS staff during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Project Wingman objective is: ‘Since NHS workers give first-class treatment to their patients, our ‘First Class Lounges’ are our way of giving NHS staff the treatment they deserve’.
The Wingman Lounges provide a space to unwind, de-compress and destress before, during and after hospital shifts and, say Wingman, its volunteers have the skills and time to help those most in need of a smile.
