Frontline NHS employees across Test Valley will benefit from discounts at local shops and businesses as a thank you for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Andover-based company, The Lifestyle Card, has teamed up with Test Valley Borough Council to deliver 800 cards to NHS workers, including doctors, nurses and paramedics.

Sean and Fiona Caruana, company directors at The Lifestyle Card, said: “We wanted to thank our local NHS staff for their strength and selfless support in these unprecedented and challenging times. By joining forces with Test Valley Borough Council we have been able to deliver Lifestyle Cards to hundreds of local NHS workers as a small gesture of our appreciation.”

The card gives them access to offers at nearly 500 businesses in categories such as food and drink, health and wellbeing, shopping, hair and beauty, sports and leisure and pet services.

Although there are currently restrictions on trading, many businesses are still offering their services. The card will also last until December.

Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Councillor Phil North, said: “We cannot begin to thank our NHS workers enough for their outstanding care, commitment and sacrifice as they battle one of the most challenging health crises our country, and the world, has ever faced. I’m really grateful to The Lifestyle Card for working with us and this gesture is just one of the ways we hope to show our gratitude for their incredible work.”

Lande Newton, primary care commissioning manager at NHS West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “We would like to sincerely thank the generosity of both The Lifestyle Card and Test Valley Borough Council for this generous and unexpected offer. We have felt so much support from the Andover Vision team, the Andover community in general, and from all the volunteer and faith organisations that work with us to help combat the problems coronavirus has brought into our community.”