Staff at a nursing home where nine residents died after contracting coronavirus say they are "overwhelmed by support" from their community.
Wren Hall Nursing Home in Selston reported on Monday, April 13 that nine of its residents had died following an outbreak of the deadly virus.
The residents, who were all aged between 71 and 91, died over the Easter weekend after testing positive for Covid-19.
However, following the news the Ashfield community has rallied around the nursing home, with more than 4,500 items of PPE delivered to its site to protect staff members as well donations of buffet food.
People in the local community have displayed messages of support at their homes, which has boosted staff morale.
A spokeswoman for the home said there had been no new reports of cases of Covid-19, no more deaths and one resident has been taken out of coronavirus isolation.
Anita Peet, manager of the nursing home, says the outpouring of public support has been "tremendous".
"You would not believe the support we have received and the things people have done", she told Nottinghamshire Live.
"We are overwhelmed with support. We have had a buffet delivered for staff, 4,500 face masks and on Tuesday we had facial sheets and other PPE equipment.
"We've been able to support out local GP surgery with PPE equipment thanks to donations.
"The generosity of people has been overwhelming, we are so grateful and it has boosted staff morale.
"We've also been able to move one resident out of isolation, we've had no new cases and no new deaths.
"Staff have a WhatsApp group and they are saying they feel emotionally incontinent by the support."
One member of the community who has supported Wren Hall with PPE items is Pam Frankham, owner of wedding dress making firm Sew Wedding.
Pam's orders have dried up as a result of the pandemic, so she has started making PPE equipment for hospitals, nursing homes and the community - all free of charge.
She says it was "heartbreaking" to see the deaths at Wren Hall, so she has offered cotton masks, face scrubs and bags to support staff caring for residents.
"It's extremely important for the staff to have this equipment", she told Nottinghamshire Live.
"The sooner they have this equipment the better, and I think if homes like Wren Hall had the kit sooner, we may not see so many deaths.
"I'm getting calls each day from people in care homes who are frightened to death that they haven't got the right equipment for the job.
"It is heartbreaking for the staff that so many residents died, when I spoke to Anita I could hear how devastating it is for them.
"Looking after the residents day in, day out, you become part of their family."
Pam's masks, which are 100 percent cotton, are machine-washable - meaning they can be reused.
She has set up a fundraiser to continue creating the masks, which can be viewed here.
