BARROW came together to open a new NHS facility in just two hours as town leaders say: ‘We stand with you all’.

Barrow’s council leader has spoken of her pride in the community of Barrow after a team of volunteers helped set up one of the county’s five recovery centres.

The British Army joined volunteers from the council, BAE Systems and the NHS to convert Furness Academy into a temporary hospital to expand bed capacity.

The mammoth challenge was completed in just 48 hours.

Cllr Thomson said: “Knowing our own staff and contractors had stepped forward to help at Furness Academy without a second thought filled me with pride.

“This is Barrow through and through - people helping each other even in the most difficult times.

“We hope this recovery centre won’t be needed at all, but my thanks go to everyone involved for making sure it’s there and ready just in case.

“We need everyone to continue to do all they can during this national crisis.

“For the majority of us, simply staying at home and observing social distancing rules will ensure we save lives.

“However, there are many people who are out there working incredibly hard to keep essential services running.

“This is a simple but powerful message from our town to key workers across the nation.

“We stand with you all.”

A spokesperson for Cumbria Local Resilience Forum said: “Work will be carried out over the coming days to develop these facilities further and ensure they are ready to receive patients if required.

“This extra capacity will only be used in an emergency and if hospital capacity is exceeded.

“Much work has already been done to increase bed capacity in our hospitals and it is currently sufficient to meet the demand.

“We urge everyone to heed the ‘stay at home’ message to help slow the spread of infection and avoid the need for these emergency facilities to be brought into action.”