It’s been an age since I last wrote an article and even now (10th June) it seems a little surreal that so much of life appears to have moved on, to whatever the new ‘normal’ is now.
It was only a few weeks ago that we were being told to stay at home, wash our hands etc. Life for many was going from one depressing news bulletin to the next, stopping every day to hear the latest horrifying statistics at 5pm and clapping our hands on a Thursday, in recognition of the selfless work of our fabulous NHS and brave keyworkers.
Personally, I’m a little concerned that we’re coming out of lock-down too early, seemingly fully engaged in pushing forward into the post Covid era, even though this pandemic is still ever present. It’s never nice to be wrong, but this is one occasion that I hope I am, and everything is going to be just fine.
Along with many others, I’ve spent much of the past 11 weeks coordinating an amazing group of exceptional volunteers. They have and still are, selflessly looking after their neighbours, friends and people they’ve never met before. Collecting medication and essential supplies for those that are self-isolating or ‘shielding’.
Technology has certainly been to the fore during this period. All of my meetings have been on Zoom, Teams, Skype etc.
I’ve also been hosting a twice weekly ‘virtual quiz’ for residents on Facebook, we’ve now had 22 events in the 11 weeks of lockdown. The original idea was to offer something to take people’s minds off Covid, even for an hour, but it’s developed into something so much more. Each quiz feels like a proper community social event, lots of new friends being made and great fun to be a part of.
With the Bishop’s Hull Flower Show sadly being postponed, a local resident suggested creating a ‘virtual’ show, which I’m currently assisting with. Taking photos and videos of people’s gardens and popping them onto social media. There’re some beautiful gardens out there and I’d like to thank those of you who have kindly shared yours, for us all to enjoy.
From my own perspective this period has been a mixture of every emotion, however, I prefer to look at the positives that have come out of this and above all, hope that the truly incredible community spirit, together with the newly found respect for our keyworkers and NHS staff, continues into our new future.
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