A KEY worker mum has been reunited with her sons on Arran after 10 weeks apart due to coronavirus.

Elaine Brown, 40, was asked to return to her former job as a high-dependency nurse to fight COVID-19.

So she took the difficult decision to separate from her family, including her five-year-old boy Euan who has a heart condition, three-year-old son Keir and partner Ross Fitzpatrick.

Because of Euan’s extreme vulnerability and the fact Elaine would be facing patients with COVID-19, she decided the best thing to do was also ‘the hardest decision she had ever had to make’.

Ross took the two boys to stay with his parents on Arran on March 22, the day before lockdown was announced.

Elaine said: “There were good days and bad days. We’re lucky we had Skype to speak to each other twice every day.

“It’s bitter sweet though, all you want to do is give them a proper hug and you can’t.”

Initially, the family thought they’d be reunited after five weeks, but the separation ended up be more than twice as long.

Having received special dispensation from her line manager at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the harbourmaster to take the ferry, Elaine enjoyed an emotional reunion with her boys earlier this month.

She said: “Coming back, and getting big hugs from them, squeezing the life out of me.

“I was desperate to get back to my boys and to Ross again.”

Euan, Keir and Ross have all been staying with Ross’s parents, Jean and John Fitzpatrick, on the island.

Elaine said: “We’ve been really fortunate that Jean and John could take the boys.

I didn’t want to worry them too much about what was happening.

“We told them mummy was working in the hospital, helping make people better, and they were on holiday in Arran with Nanny and Papa.”