Covid-19 Stories Blog

COVID-19 COMMUNITY STORIES

These stories have been kindly shared by children, young people and adults in our community, from personal accounts to the experiences of key-workers. People have described their lives at home, work and and school and shared their feelings, challenges and hopes. At Gladrags we wanted to capture local living history and create this resource for teachers and community / youth workers processing the events of Covid-19 within their schools, community projects and well-being settings.

Our FREE initial collection of 30 stories, written between May and September 2020, is now available in pdf (download copies below) and editable powerpoint verisons (please contact us for a copy).

Covid Wellbeing Resource - primary schools - whiteboard version (pdf)

Covid Wellbeing Resource - primary schools - print version (pdf)

Covid Wellbeing Resource - secondary schools / community projects - whiteboard version (pdf)

Covid Wellbeing Resource - secondary schools / community projects - print version (pdf)

You can take part!

As we continue to live in the age of Coronavirus, we are still inviting people of all ages and all sections of our community to give voice to their experience, so do please share this page freely or download our E-POSTER. For more info and to submit your story please download one of the following forms:

       Worker perspective        Personal perspective        Child Perspective

For detailed questions that help with putting a story together, either your own, or those of people you are working with / interviewing, please download one of the following sheets. They can be edited to suit your specific purpose.

Questions - worker       Questions - adult / young person     Questions - child / young person

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"As a Primary Deputy Head I am keen to source real accounts of different people’s experiences of life since lockdown due to the coronavirus. It is vital for pupils to hear about these experiences to support their understanding of how others have and are coping and to develop empathy with different people."

Nigel Watson, Coldean Primary School, Brighton 

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Thank you to East Brighton Trust for funding this project.

 Some names and places have been altered to protect identities.

Photography as an Outlet

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Iain Capie.photographer jpg

I'm Iain. I live on my own in Tunbridge Wells. I’ve been dealing with mental health problems for 30 years, anxiety for 25 yrs. I’m not worried about the coronavirus for myself but I get a bit down,  a bit unsure sometimes because I don’t want anyone else to get it. Being stuck indoors can be anxiety provoking, I can start to ruminate and wonder if everyone I care about is going to be ok. My anxieties tend to snowball and I can have an anxiety attack. 


But … I’m challenging it and getting through it. Instead of automatically taking a tablet to calm me I’m filling my time with new things which helps me get through and stops me getting so bored. I have a passion for photography and would normally always have my camera with me, taking street photography. So I have been going down town, to the Pantiles shopping centre and the local park and taking pictures anyway, even if people aren’t about. I’ve learnt new interesting techniques and style from youtube video tutorials. On ‘street photography London’ the guy has a videocam on his body so it feels like I’m actually there going round with him and he’s showing me what he’s doing. It’s a good teaching forum for me in lockdown.

Pantiles deserted - Iain Capie

I do miss the shops not being open though, not being able to get my weekly magazines from WH smiths or checking out the music at HMV. I miss the community café downstairs, ‘The Kitchen Table’. I would go in there most days. “Crossways” who run it support people with mental health problems. It’s a good place to socialise, anyone can go there and it’s also a safe place to chat as they have people there who can support you. Damon, a support worker, still supports us who live upstairs, he calls a few times a week so that’s good.

I do feel cut off sometimes; I don’t have the same support as before, especially visiting mum and dad fortnightly for weekends. I whatsapp my family and seeing their faces, my brother and sisters, especially mum and dad makes a big difference – they are shielding and dad isn’t so well, it’s good to see that he’s ok because I do worry about him sometimes. Actually video calling is a real help and I want to give them a big hug as soon as I can.

Iain - photographer

On June 5th I went to Hastings by train. I had a facemask, I took a tablet and the train wasn’t busy so that was all fine. It was great to get away from my flat and have a change of scenery, get photos of things I couldn’t get otherwise. The weather was good for photography, a bit clouded over which reduces the light and gives you definition on your subject against the sky. I got some good photos of boats, buildings and street portraits. I spotted one man with a cool long white beard and hair and asked him “do you mind if I take your pic? You look like Gandalf, you get called that often?”. “Yup” he laughed. It was good to laugh.

Street portrait by Iain Capie

Street portrait 'Gandalf' by Iain Capie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll put some on my website. It’s all new to me but I’m making one to share my best photos over the years, www.iaincapiephotography.com. It’s a good project to have just now and I really want it up and running by my birthday, 17th June, so my family and friends can see my photos, it will be a treat from me to them on my Birthday.

By Iain, June 2020

 Street Art - photo by Iain Capie

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