‘I sometimes feel I’m not as important as other people’: Carer nominated as Norwich’s unsung hero

Unsung heroes nominated to receive packets of crisps donated by Kettle Chios. Pic: Kettle (Image: Archant)

Victoria Trattles, from Angel Road, beat dozens of others to win Norwich Castle Quarter’s competition to find local people who’ve gone above and beyond the norm to keep their loved one protected in the coronavirus outbreak.

Other firms also have been awarding those deserving a bit of recognition too such as Bowthorpe-based Kettle Chips which sent out bags of their crisps to people nominated for helping others during the Covid outbreak.

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Victoria Trattles who looks after her parents and two autisitic children. She wheeled food over in a shopping trolley through the isolated streets of Norwich during the worst of lockdown. Pic: submitted (Image: Archant)

For Mrs Trattles, who looks after her two parents and her two autistic children, winning the £150 cash prize gave her a real boost. “I think as a carer you sometimes feel you are not as significant, as important as other people. So to win means so much because I know there was a lot of competition from other people doing so much for others too.”

The win couldn’t come at a better time as she’s celebrating her wedding anniversaary with husband Jason; they’ve been together for 22 years and married for 10. “I want to buy something that I can keep, somethig that tells a story,” she said. And she also hopes for a fish and chip anniversary supper and a bottle of Prosecco.

Mrs Trattles battled through lockdown to get shopping to her parents Jenny and Brian Jupp who live a few streets away, sometimes having to wheel it over in a shopping trolley. She also has to look after her two children, 14 and nine, who both have autism and one has learning difficulties too.

Kelly Mitchell, who came second in Castle Quarter's Hall of Fame competition. She works in a supermarket and throughout the coronavirus outbreak has done the shopping for her mother and neighbours, delivering it to them after work. Pic: submitted (Image: Archant)

Mrs Trattles does her parents’ shopping, cleaning, laundry and also helps cook for them despite suffering her own back problems and pain in her hips but still finds time to run a blog giving advice to other parents in similar situations. She was nominated by family and friends.

Castle Quarter centre manager Robert Bradley said: “The selfless actions of all the key workers who were nominated are outstanding.”

Norwich firm Kettle Chips donated packets of crisps to people including Steven Barnett Hall, manager at Rose Meadow Care Home, North Walsham, who was nominated for keeping the elderly residents safe and as cheerful as possible through the worst of coronavirus.

Kettle Chips donated more than 35,000 packets of crisps to unsung heroes and 18,000 bags of crisps, to Fareshare, an organisation working with 11,000 charities across the UK.