Living During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Description

Living during the Coronavirus Pandemic: Poems, artwork and reflections by children and adults, is a melting pot of poems, artwork and reflections that radiate hope, compassion, resilience and positivity created by authors of all ages and backgrounds with two things in common: a wonderful talent and a profound desire to find a way to give something back to the NHS in return for their hard work and dedication during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Completing this charity project has been a labour of love and dedication for five volunteers, an honour and a pleasure, and each piece has been treated with the utmost respect. We hope this book moves you, makes you feel deeply and is treasured. Generations to come will be able to travel back in time for an insight into what life was like during the Coronavirus lockdown for children and grown-ups.

It is a piece of history in your hands.

100% of proceeds from this product will be donated to NHS Charities Together (registered charity no. 1186569). The estimated minimum donation per product sold is £7.50.

Sujets

• Anthologies
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Legend Press
• Date de parution: 30 novembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781800315488
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 8 Mo

Extrait

Legend Times, 51 Gower Street, London, WC1E 6HJ
[e-mail] | www.legendpress.co.uk
Concept for the book Terrie Grinham, Dr gueda Moreno L pez, Dr Fiona
Burns and Jules Cooke 2020
Illustrations Tanya Leverington
The right of each individual author to be identified as the authors of their individual work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data available.
Print ISBN 978-1-80031-5-471
Printing managed by Jellyfish Solutions Ltd
Edited by Terrie Grinham, gueda Moreno L pez, Fiona Burns and Jules Cooke
Back Cover Artwork by Sarah Topley and Tanya Leverington
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This book is dedicated to all NHS workers, key workers and their families. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication, every single day, but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
100% of proceeds from the sale of this book are to be donated to NHS Charities Together.

100% of proceeds from this product will be donated to NHS Charities Together (registered charity no. 1186569). The estimated minimum donation per product sold is 7.50.
Foreword
This book has been the much-loved work of our group of committed volunteers. Like so many people, the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has forced us all to change the ways we live our lives. We have all been affected in some way; some people have been furloughed, some people have been home-schooling, some people have been isolated from family and friends, and most people have spent much more time at home. No matter our age, we have all experienced a change to our daily normal , and COVID-19 has left virtually nobody unaffected.
The original idea for the book was the brainchild of Terrie Grinham. In her own words Terrie says:
I joined the NHS in mid March as a community based healthcare assistant. It was busy from the get go. When I was off and not homeschooling I was spending a lot of my time, like most, online. I was reading so many inspirational poems and personal accounts of working on the front line and I was in awe. As time progressed and we went into lockdown these posts were becoming more and more regular. The artwork and truly moving posts from people all around the world filled my heart with so much hope for the future and pride of our unsung heroes. These creations deserved to be displayed for years to come. But how could I do that? How could I ensure these pieces weren t lost in years to come?
Terrie decided to write a post on a Facebook group named Family Lockdown: tips and ideas, asking people if there would be any interest in helping her collate these works and create a book where all donations were given to the NHS. She was overwhelmed with the response that her post received, waking to hundreds of comments and over 1,800 likes. People wanted to be involved in documenting this pandemic, and the offer of submissions was incredible. A few comments amongst the hundreds were two ladies, Agueda Moreno-Lopez and Jules Cooke who offered their help and have been on board since day one. Agueda was honoured to take the role of project coordinator.
Along the way, the team has expanded and now includes Fiona Burns, Tanya Leverington and Tom Chalmers. We realized early on that we all had the same goal for the project and we were ready to get stuck in.
At times it has been di cult to juggle the development of the book with our other commitments but the passion for this project has kept us going. We have all felt deeply connected to this project; and have loved creating a book with the work of so many wonderful people, what it represents and the opportunities that it has provided to so many. It has created a real focus and has got us through some dark times.
To be able to see this book in print is such a proud and rewarding moment. The book you are holding in your hands is a piece of history, from real people, young and old, who lived it first-hand. It is a true reflection of these di cult times. The shared vision, sheer determination and hard work of the team turned this project from an idea to a reality. All the pieces we have included remain true to the original submissions, with no grammatical or font changes to the text in order to preserve the essence of the authors. After all, this is everyone s book. We have divided the book into two parts; Part I is made up of child friendly chapters, for families to share and enjoy together. Part II are the grown-up chapters, which due to the emotional and distressing content are not be suitable for young readers.
We hope it fills you with the same amount of love and hope it has given to us.
Thank you for supporting us, to support the NHS.
Stay Safe and Enjoy.
Preface
Coordinating this charity project: An unexpected journey
Fate meant this charity project arrived in my life as a blessing and a gift, just 24 hours after my best friend passed away, 2 weeks after England had gone into full COVID-19 lockdown. I felt robbed of my one chance to say goodbye to my dearest friend. Not allowed to travel, meet others or hug, we could not mourn our loss together. Grief remained stagnant, unspoken. Put on hold.
It was a dark and unsettling time. Boris Johnson had just given his speech announcing full lockdown in England two weeks prior and I remember the heavy feeling of the nation s bleakness and the despair that followed. Then the submissions for this book began to fill our project email inbox, first a trickle and then a downpour of entries. It was clear, that like me, lots of other people were searching for ways of making sense of these strange times that enabled them to express their own intense emotions.
The emails brought a plethora of heartfelt poems written by adults, endearing poems and thoughtful stories by teens and charming little poems and handmade drawings by young children. Beautiful artwork from people of all ages and walks of life, who during lockdown, discovered a new artistic talent or dusted off their watercolours and brushes and began to paint again. There were heart-wrenching, inspiring accounts from NHS hospital and paramedic staff, working hard during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic that gave an insight into the enormity of the reality they were facing every day. There were some light-hearted entries too. Wonderfully funny, creative, housebound adventures put together by parents desperately trying to sooth their children s disappointment when their long awaited holidays and special days were cancelled due to lockdown.
And there it was, on my computer screen, a temporary antidote for the profound grief, hopelessness and trepidation I felt early on during lockdown, momentarily alleviated by the ping on my laptop announcing another submission awaiting to be read. Every poem, every drawing, every written piece I read moved me, resonated deeply, validated my own emotions and experiences of living in lockdown. Some entries made me smile with tenderness and pride, I cried floods of silent tears reading the harrowing keyworkers reflections and day after day, almost without realising it, this project became my haven, restoring my hope and, one poem at a time, soothing the eroding feelings of loss, worry and uncertainty. Reading each piece as it came through was a gift of hope and warmth, a virtual hug, a reaching out as fellow human beings walking hand in hand even when physical touch was not allowed.
I think this book has soul with many voices telling one story in over a hundred different ways. It beautifully reflects the generosity of spirit, human resilience, profound compassion and the power of kindness that is often only ever seen with such intensity in times of life-threatening crisis.
I feel deeply honoured and grateful at having had the tremendous fortune of coordinating this beautiful project. This book will always have a very special place in my heart and will take pride of place on my bookshelf until it is passed on to the next generation.
Dr gueda Moreno L pez
Tonbridge, Kent
23rd August 2020
In loving memory of Dr Fiona Burns.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the amazingly talented authors whose touching work shines through the pages of this book.
We are deeply grateful to an incredibly talented illustrator, Tanya Leverington, for sharing our passion for this project and volunteering so much of her own time to beautifully illustrate the book with such charm and sensitivity. Thank you also for her sound advice and support throughout.
This book would not have made it into your hands without the enormous generosity, encouragement and support of a fantastic publisher, Tom Chalmers, and his team at Legend Times. Thank you for believing in this project
Contents
Dedication
Foreword
Preface
Memorial
Acknowledgments
PART I - For Families Children
CHAPTER ONE - Family Poetry and Art Work
#Carryingthecountry, Kieran Watson
When the World Went Weird, Alix and Penelope Reeve
A Jar Full of Kisses, Agueda Moreno-Lopez
Social Distance!, Evangeline Hindle
Don t Burst Our Bubble Yet, Dana Drake
CORONAVIRUS, Humphrey Hamilton Barnes
#COVID-19, Poppy O Driscoll
30 Years From Now, Megan Bemrose
Three Generations:
The Day The World Stopped, Kay Armstrong
The Day The World Stopped, Kathryn Armstrong
The Day The World Stopped, Kayla Armstrong
Can we do it again mum? Liz Binks
The Great Wave, George O Driscoll
Drawing, Ruby Grimwood
Poem, Helen Ben Fulcher
I don t want to go to school Mummy, Aimee Lines
CHAPTER TWO - A Note from The Children
Coronavirus Poem, Lana Gohil
Lockdow