Support from around the globe for nurse who received note telling her she was a “disgrace”

Deb Leighton's daughter found this note posted through her letter box after returning from her role as an NHS worker for Peterborough Hospital PICTURE: Deb Leighton (Image: Archant)

A nurse who received a note telling her she was a “disgrace” and had been reported for supposedly breaking lock-down rules has seen an outpouring of uplifting messages as a result of the publicity.

Bex Williams, who works on a children’s ward at Peterborough City Hospital, was left distraught after she discovered the note which read: “You are a disgrace and you have been reported! Stay at Home, Saves Lives”. It had been pushed through the door of her Godmanchester home while she was at work.

Bex, a single mum, had just completed the first of three 12-hour night shifts and told The Hunts Post she was upset, but since speaking to her local paper on Monday, the story has been picked up by national and international media.

She said: “My phone just ‘blew up’, I started receiving hundreds of messages on Facebook.

Deb Leighton's daughter found this note posted through her letter box after returning from her role as an NHS worker for Peterborough Hospital PICTURE: Deb Leighton (Image: Archant)

“I had loads of friends message me saying, ‘do you know that you are in the national papers’?

“I couldn’t believe it had gone national, I even had people messaging me from the Czech Republic, Spain and the US.

“Apparently the story had been published on some news websites in other countries too.

“All the messages I have received have been really nice, I had some really lovely ones.

“One lady from Spain wrote, when I read your story, it made me feel really upset for you and your colleagues, you are all doing amazing jobs, keep up the good work.”

As a result of the publicity, Bex was interviewed on ITV Anglia, which aired on Wednesday night at 6pm.

Bex told the reporter that the anonymous individual who wrote and posted the hurtful note through her letterbox, should have asked her first whether she was a key worker.

ITV Anglia’s reporter Stuart Leithes interviewed Bex, and she said: “Just go up to someone and say why are you leaving, you know there is a lockdown, why are you leaving the house.

“Then someone can have the opportunity to say I am actually a key worker, I am actually going out because I have to work.”