A PROUD daughter says her mum has gone above and beyond to care for elderly residents during the coronavirus crisis.

Claire Smith, 35, nominated her mum Maureen Donohoe as part of the our key worker campaign to highlight the amazing job frontline staff have done for our communities.

Maureen, 60, works at Westbank Care home in Troon. It is her first job after years spent out of work while looking after a terminally ill close friend.

In her first year as a full time carer, nothing could have prepared her for COVID-19, but her daughter has been amazed by how her selfless mum responded.

Claire said: “My mum hadn’t worked for a long time, but aged 60 she decided to start a job as a carer.

“I have been so proud of her. She has gone above and beyond to help her colleagues and the residents she looks after.”

Being a key worker seems to run in the family, with Claire also on the frontline as a nurse at Crosshouse Hospital.

And she has been impressed with her mums approach to dealing with the threat of coronavirus.

She said: “My mum is very much like me, she is just a very caring person who loves looking after people.”

“She is a bit of a worrier, and gets anxious over this kind of thing, but she has just got on with it. I felt it was important to highlight that, as it won’t have been easy for her.”

Each week, we will continue to highlight our exceptional key workers

We want to hear from you. We want their stories, their background and we want to know why they deserve to be recognised. Over the coming weeks, we will be shining a spotlight on the best and brightest from South Ayrshire.

Visit www.ayradvertiser.com/nominateyour-key-worker/ to enter.

  ****************

Scotland is in lockdown. Shops are closing and newspaper sales are falling fast. We're not exaggerating when we say that the future of the Ayr Advertiser, and the vital local news service we've provided since 1803, is under threat.

Please consider supporting the Ayr Advertiser in whatever way you can – by paying just 90p for a copy of the paper, when you're shopping for essential supplies for yourself and others, or by subscribing to our e-edition here.

Thanks – and stay safe.