Shop owner Pritpal Dale, in the United Kingdom, is currently living away from his family to avoid potentially spreading the coronavirus virus to them. Dale has been self-isolating from his family since the coronavirus lockdown in the UK, to run his store. On March 24, he moved into the flat above his shop to isolate himself from his wife Barinder, and their children Karam, 10, and Ishar, 7, as well as his elderly mother. They live in Leicestershire.

On Thursday, his customers, during the ‘clap for key workers’, demonstrated their gratitude to him by giving him a scrapbook filled with thank you messages. Known as Paul to his customers at Toothill Convenience Store, Dale said, “I came out to clap, as we do, and then one of the residents came over and said ‘this clap is for you’.” He was then presented with the scrapbook full of thank you messages.

Dale said, “I was choked up and lost for words. It was very humbling and still overwhelming.”

Dale had also been delivering people’s shopping to them and going on runs to pay their bills during the pandemic.

Designer of the the ‘thankyou book’, John Dimmick, said, “Paul has been an absolute hero. He’s the hub of the area while having to isolate himself from his family during lockdown.”

One message called Dale an “unsung hero”. It said that the sacrifices the family had made were “remarkable”.

Describing being away from his family, Dale said, “Not being able to hug or kiss my kids is getting to me; as a parent it’s your natural instinct.”

Umm Muhammed Umar