Sat 06 June 2020, 11:00
Tottenham HotspurLifelong Spurs fan Nikki Peddie has been right at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus in her role as a nurse with the NHS at Southend University Hospital.
Working 14-hour shifts, totalling up to 60 hours a week, she’s had to deal with the pain and trauma of COVID-19 first-hand, in addition to self-teaching her teenage sons Dylan and Sol during any time she gets at home.
Consequently, she’s been nominated by her boyfriend Dan as our latest Hotspur Hero as part of our campaign to recognise and champion key workers during these testing times – although she was admirably modest when telling us her story, insisting her patients and their families should get the real credit as the nation looks to control the virus.
“I’m a nurse, right on the front line,” explained Nikki, who lives close to the hospital in Southend. “We deal with people that are coming in who need intensive care so we’re in full PPE, all that kind of business. I don’t consider myself a hero – the real heroes are the families and the patients.
“Nursing is about patient contact but that’s obviously difficult at the moment and they haven’t got their families there to advocate for them either so yes, it has been tough. They’re long days but we’ve got really excellent managers and we’re running a rotation system in and out of our unit. Our managers are really supportive.”
Formerly assistant manager of Southend Manor’s youth team, Nikki’s support for Spurs is equally committed. In fact, she and Dan were introduced over their shared love of the Club: “We met online on a dating site – I’d put that I was a Spurs fan and that linked us up together, so that was quite mad! We’ve been seeing each other for about 18 months now,” she smiled.
“Spurs is a family thing for me – I’ve just grown up with it. My grandad was a Spurs fan, then my uncles, so I’ve just always been a Spurs fan from as early as I can remember. Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle are two of my favourites from the past. My eldest son loves Eric Dier and my youngest is a striker for Southend Manor, so he likes (Harry) Kane and Sonny, but we love them all really. I was assistant manager of that team (Southend Manor) as well, but I’ve had to take a step back – they’re not playing at the moment anyway because of the coronavirus. We’re members at Spurs, so we went to the opening game at the new stadium. Just seeing the stadium for the first time was amazing.”
Help us highlight our #HotspurHeroes
In addition to Nikki’s remarkable efforts, we’ve so far heard the stories of Surrey teacher Rob Moses and fundraising NHS receptionist Danielle Morrish from London.
Who will be our next Hotspur Hero? You can nominate a Spurs-supporting key worker today.
Submit your nominations by emailing hotspurheroes@tottenhamhotspur.com with the following information:
• Name of Hero and where they are from
• Occupation
• Why they are being nominated
• Your contact details
Show your appreciation on social media too, using the hashtag #HotspurHeroes.
