Kettering family give tablets to care homes so others don't suffer same Covid agony

The family of a Covid-19 victim who died in lockdown without any contact with his family are giving tablets to care homes so others don't suffer the same way.

Kettering community champion Roy Hunt, 83, died at KGH on April 19 after he tested positive for the virus when he was taken in with a suspected chest infection three days earlier.

Because of the lockdown he had not seen wife of 63 years Kay since early March after his care home ended visits - meaning he died without any contact with his family for more than five weeks.

Roy was one of 15 residents at Temple Court in Albert Street to die with Covid-19 or suspected Covid-19. After his death his family set up a fundraising campaign to buy tablets to allow care home residents to keep in touch with family members and friends if they can't be visited.

And they raised so much money that they have now bought seven Samsung 10" tablets which they will now give to local care homes.

Roy's daughter-in-law, Kelly Payne, said: "We hope this will have a massive impact for residents in homes that have not got video calling facilities.

"With Kay the thing that hurt her the most was that she was not able to see him for so long.

"They do not want any other families to potentially go through that.

"If she could have changed one thing it would have been the ability to see him, let him know that she loved him, that she had not forgotten him and that he was not on his own."

With virus rates increasing and fears of another lockdown, the tablets they donate could prove incredibly important over the winter months.

Roy's family initially set a target of £500 but smashed it within 12 hours and eventually got up to £1,200.

Kelly said she wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who donated.

She added: "Hopefully people know that they have contributed, no matter how small, to helping so many people, potentially thousands.

"Everybody came together and has helped these care homes keep their residents in contact with their families, loved ones and friends."

Roy moved back to the UK in 1987 after working in South Africa and settled in Kettering, where he and Kay became active in their community.

They opened and ran the Grange Resource Centre and cafe in Grange Place for many years, fundraised for the pocket park on the Grange estate and even helped plant the trees around it which won them an Evening Telegraph award in about 2002 for their voluntary work.

Roy and Kay had five children, 17 grandchildren and many, many great-grandchildren.

Message from the editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive.

We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you