On Wednesday 8th April, a Syrian BAFTA awarded film-maker signed up to become a hospital cleaner. Tweeting an emotional video Hassan Akkad applauded the NHS staff who had lent their services to the UK’s healthcare system from across the world. He said,
“The nurses and the ward hosts and the cleaners and the porters are the spine of the hospital. And they are from everywhere, the Caribbean, Chad, the Philippines, Spain, Poland.
“I hope if this teaches us one thing, it teaches us to be kinder to one another despite where we come from. I hope this changes us for the best.”
Hassan has voluntarily joined up a group of cleaners and has been disinfecting Covid wards at his local hospital after receiving training. He had escaped from Syria in 2015 and his documentary won the BAFTA award for chronicling his journey from the war-hit Middle-eastern country to Londonl.
