A COSTUME supervisor was named winner in a national award and received a surprise visit The Duke of Sussex himself, for creating PPE for NHS workers during the pandemic.

Dulcie Scott, from Mickleton in Gloucestershire, won the 2021 WellChild Awards in the category "Volunteer in these Awards". The event, which took place on June 30 in London, celebrated the resilience of children living with serious illnesses and honoured the dedication of those who go the extra mile to help the families.

John Scott, the friend who nominated Mrs Scott for the WellChild Award, said: "Realising that there was no money to be earned as the film industry ground to a halt she set up a Go Fund Me page to help cover the costs thinking she would raise £1,500. Fast forward a few weeks and she raised over £100,000 and set about coordinating the making of thousands and thousands of sets of scrubs all to be donated for free to NHS and charity staff."

WellChild set up a PPE distribution hub during the pandemic. Mrs Scott and her team supplied the charity with thousands of masks and hundreds of sets of scrubs to distribute to families and carers with seriously ill children across the UK, she also encouraged other organisations who were making PPE to donate to WellChild for distribution to those in need. The team also made thousands of masks which were again supplied for free to those in desperate need of it.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prince Harry said: "No parent wants to hear that their child will suffer; that they will face extraordinary challenges that will affect them throughout their lives. And yet, after meeting all of the WellChild parents and the kids themselves over the years, you’ve managed to give all of us a sense of optimism, a sense of hope and strength that no professional, no bestselling book and no amount of advice can ever give any of us. So thank you for being you."

The Duke of Sussex, met each winner in turn to congratulate them as they received their Award. He then had an informal chat with all the winners where he heard how the last 18 months had been for them and their families and how they had received support from WellChild and from each other through the WellChild Family Tree community.

The event, was attended by celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Ronnie Wood, Amanda Holden, AJ Pritchard and Abby Quinnen and Anne-Marie.

Colin Dyer, WellChild chief executive, said: "There are more children and young people than ever before in the UK living with long-term, serious health needs. The Coronavirus outbreak has placed these children and families under more pressure than many of us can comprehend. The WellChild Awards 2021, in association with GSK, will be a unique opportunity to recognise and highlight the immense challenges they have faced and to celebrate the remarkable positivity, resilience and spirit they have demonstrated. It will also help us to shine a light on the dedication of those around them, from siblings, professionals and volunteers who have gone above and beyond to help them through such challenging times.”