Uplifting news: Easter eggs donated to NHS workers, and twins on the front line

Thousands of Easter eggs have been donated to hospitals and healthcare workers, and a set of twins has been on the front line at London’s temporary NHS Nightingale hospital.

Here is a look at some of Saturday’s more uplifting stories you might have missed.

Easter eggs have been delivered to hospitals around the UK as a thank you to NHS staff and those forced to spend the bank holiday away from family.

More than 1,800 eggs were given out by the Chocolate Society, which set itself a challenge of seeing how many it could make in a 24-hour period.

Speaking on Instagram after completing the challenge, Al said: “We have produced more than we ever thought we could. I am super proud of the team.”

The company also raised more than £3,000 for Heroes, an organisation that helps support the NHS and will help distribute the eggs.

– A set of twins has joined forces to help save lives on the Covid-19 frontline

British Army Lieutenant Colonel Phill Moxey, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, led a team which helped to transform part of the ExCel centre into a hospital.

His brother Paul, a vascular surgeon at the capital’s St George’s Hospital, is on call to aid the new Nightingale facility’s dedicated medical team.

The Suffolk-born twins, aged 42, made radically different career choices as children and this is the first time their individual skills have been brought to bear on the same mission.

Paul Moxey said: “I think the Nightingale is a triumph for NHS England and the Army team that have put it together so quickly. It shows what we can do as a country when we put our minds to it.”

– Russians have eased isolation by recreating famous artworks using items in their homes

Thousands of photos have been posted to a Facebook group, each showing the original work, including the Mona Lisa and the Girl with the Pearl Earring, and the mock-up made at home.

Katerina Brudnaya-Chelyadinova, a co-founder of the project, said: “A boy from Italy wrote a post in English saying that our group brought him out of the depths of the tragedy that is happening around him.

“If this can bring happiness to someone, somewhere on the opposite side of the world, then all of this isn’t for nothing.”

– Royal hat-maker Philip Treacy has joined the “visor army” in coronavirus fight

The Irish milliner, who is famous for designing hats for A-list celebrities including Lady Gaga and Madonna as well as members of the royal family, said he and his studio staff will be making the special headgear for healthcare professionals across London.

In an Instagram post he said: “The current scenario meant an extraordinary shift in the way we live our lives and re-evaluation of what is important.

“No-one is unaffected and all support, little or big, is a step closer to better days.”

He said the visors are “simple to make and no special skill is required”, as he encouraged others to pitch in if they could.

– A man has launched a social media challenge to raise money for protective equipment

Entrepreneur Matthew McGahan started the “upside-down challenge” to raise money for the charity he founded, Mask Our Heroes, in memory of his father Alan Howard McGahan.

The fundraising initiative, which aims to provide protective suits, masks and visors to hospitals, has been supported by celebrities including writer Irvine Welsh and actor Tamer Hassan.

The challenge has seen people posting photos of themselves upside down to raise awareness for the charity.

Mr McGahan said: “We expect our loved ones to be looked after when they are in hospital, we expect them to get the best care. At this terrible time the least we can do is make sure these wonderful dedicated bunch of boys and girls are also properly protected.”