Coronavirus Experiences Project
Our community showed resilience and pulled together throughout the pandemic. This webpage will be a space to share your stories and experiences and will help us all reflect on how the pandemic made us stronger and appreciative of the community we live in.
You can contribute to this webpage by submitting your reflections/stories and memories via the Coronavirus Experiences form.
Your Experiences & Memories
The pandemic was an extremely difficult time, prior to the first lockdown it seemed almost inconceivable that the everyday freedoms which we took for granted would be in any way affected or taken away.
The pandemic for me introduced a sense of 'forgotten years' two years with very few 'banner events' which normally breakup a year didn't happen. Like many people, I spent two of my own Birthdays' in some form of lockdown. Now it's 2022 and I still have to keep reminding myself that it's not 2020 or 2019 but rather 2022.
I do wish the pandemic never happened – people have lost loved ones and I think we've all experienced a form of hardship over the years of the pandemic. As the years pass and this all becomes nothing but a memory, I hope it remains just a memory that fades and we don't experience this again.
As a Councillor for Bradley Stoke, I want to say thank you to all the staff at Bradley Stoke Town Council that kept the Council functioning during the pandemic – their ways of working were like everyone turned upside down overnight. I also want to thank all the essential workers who also helped people in need and kept essential services going as best as possible.
Now it's 2022, it's been great to see life getting back to a form of normal, large groups assembling, people interacting, and seeing all the events the West of England has to offer return.
Ben - 31st July 2022
School lessons on Zoom and we had weekly family Zoom quizzes.
Going to mummy's work creche when the school was shut.
No one in my house caught COVID when the pandemic was bad, but mummy and daddy caught it when hardly anyone else had it.
My brother and I didn't catch COVID.
Anonymous (aged 9) - 11th July 2022
I worked all the way through the pandemic as a Postman/Driver for Royal Mail delivering many things to my customers x
Matt - 21st May 2022
It was a scary time, there was no planes in the sky and the roads was virtually empty. My son wasn't able to do his GCSEs and also missed out on a prom. However communities came together including ours, we clapped for all the NHS staff and other key workers. Notes were put through doors with offers of help in getting shopping. We were allowed to go out for a short time to exercise with our household, which for some meant a walk to an lonely elderly relatives house and walking around their front garden, whilst their relative could see them through the window. Every tea time wax about sitting in front of the TV to watch our politicians talking about the rules, a possible cure and sadly numbers of people who currently had covid and those who died. Masks, hand gel and keeping our distance became the normal and the excitement of seeing a friend in the social distance queue in tescos and yelling at each other to be heard. Shop workers playing music and trying to get us to dance as a way of relieving the boredom of the long queues. Postmen dressed up as characters to make children smile and rainbow paintings was in most household windows. Online quizzes became our social life. It was a scary time...but it also felt like we were trying to do our bit to stop the virus from spreading and to keep ourselves entertained.
Amanda - 21st May 2022
I do not feel that Coronavirus affected me too much. I had to shield for many months, but I was fortunate to be able to get my shopping and medication delivered to my home. I could still meet with my family although we met outside and had to social distance.
Anonymous - 20th May 2022
Feelings of guilt at having to choose which of my three family groups was going to be my “support bubble” which essentially meant no close contact with the other two groups – this was so difficult as we are a close family and before COVID-19 pandemic we would all meet up most weekends
Freezing family walks across local fields during the height of winter - including at least one where it snowed!!
Weekly Friday evening family and friends “Zoom” quizzes – none of which I won!
Christmas 2020 where we were permitted to meet as a family for the day but ate our Christmas dinner in the cold with windows and back door left open. We appreciated how lucky we were to be able to meet together on that day as many families across the country were not so fortunate.
My three year old grandson asking me if the “rona germs” had gone and could he hug me now – made me so sad to think that a three year old knew about the pandemic
Hesitation/trepidation about watching COVID-19 news briefings on TV, always wondering what new announcements would be made
Driving to work along deserted motorways – a rather surreal experience
Unleaded petrol at 99.9p per litre
Queueing to go into shops, having to pre-book tickets to go places and “Eat out to help out” meals
Masks/hand sanitiser/gloves/signs and notices – such important elements of the past two years
Sharon - 18th May 2022
COVID for me was a real struggle. I gave birth to my son in February before the 1st lockdown, so all of my expectations of being a first time mum were effectively torn away from me. The loss of family and friends contact took a real toll on my mental health.
When I think if COVID, I don't see many positives and honestly wish it had never happened.
Gina - 11th May 2022