Covering Covid

It's hard to know what to do in a crisis like this, at the start everyone felt helpless...

At first I didn't know how best to help, I volunteered and joined local Covid-19 supporter groups, but I also wanted to do something positive with my skills.

I have always helped out at The Furzedown Project, (for older people) with their online assets and social media, but now they are closed their members are really missing the support and friendship they offered, the manager was particularly worried that almost all information and help was online with nothing printed, causing a lot of distress.

So I produced a couple of informative newsletters which could be easily printed and handed out to people self-isolating without online access. Reports are they were very useful to start conversations and also address misinformation like those saying people over 70 should be shut indoors for 12 weeks.

I've also been helping at the local community art gallery which is closed - but by keeping the windows as a pop-up gallery it helped brighten people's day and support artists who are displaying there - including auction pieces for @criticalNHS which raised £1900.

I have also been keeping creative and producing colouring-in stories (Toot's New Normal) and cartoons to lift spirits like the one at the top of the page. These are only small things but in this #NewNormal life every little matters...