Life during lockdown

I have lived in my flat for just over 2 years and when I open my windows I saw a lady that lived opposite but didn't know her until we had lockdown we now both come out and chat to each other over the balconies she had to be shielded and stay in and I think she looks forward to the chats I show her things I've made and as I was making masks I said I would make her one she was very excited and said could we meet for coffee when she is allowed to go out again which I would love to do it's really nice and I wouldn't have probably known her otherwise

My road already did community gardening and council spring cleans. This year, encouraged by a local RHS In Bloom group we were going to enter their Its Your Neighbourhood competition.  This meant we already had a WhatsApp group to keep us in touch, and a history of coming out onto the road to do things together. Since lockdown others have joined the group. We use it to swap stuff, do errands for each other, organise a surprise singing of Happy Birthday to a 10 year old, remind people about NHS clapping, putting stuff in our windows. Some of us have been working for years to make it an old fashioned neighbourly road. It has worked. Our oldest resident died during the lockdown, and we will support her daughter on Friday when the hearse comes by coming to our doors to pay our respects. You have to work hard over a long period to build up a community spirit, you often wonder if it's worth the effort. When something like this happens you know it absolutely is. I've always said that if you want to change the world you start in your own street. 

I use my website www.citycountdown.com to highlight the ways that people can stay connected and entertained during the lockdown. There is an epidemic of loneliness in London right now but fortunately there are countless initiatives aimed at helping people stay connected and not feel so isolated. 

Rosita

Our immediate neighbour's knocked on our window to tell us they had baked a banana loaf and lett it along with a note listing all ingredients in case of any allergies ( I keep epipens on me at all times because of  food allergies) and both their home number and mobiles, Myself and my husband are shielding and found this so thoughtful and reassuring, The loaf was still warm and delicious. Our neighbour's knock on the window every week to tell us they are going shopping and to let them know if we need anything. They are a young couple with two children and the husband is shielding as he has type 1 diabetes. We  are lucky in that our children and grandsons do shopping for us, however we feel blessed knowing that we have neighbour's  who show what community spirit is really about. Looking outside of your own box and being willing to help others who are not  blood family to you, but who act like extended family members.

One - to help NHS - have made Scrub bags for nurses.

Second - in our street and the adjacent one a WhatsApp group has been formed. I am getting to know names of people I did not know before. We make suggestions to each other. Every Thursday many of us are out at 8pm clapping or banging saucepans. Really good to see everyone together. 

Third - one member is collecting foodbank items each week and that is being taken to where it is needed.

I'm part of one of the Mutual Aid groups in London in Barnet, organizing Golders Green and Garden suburbs.

We already helped more than 800 people over a month in the full Borough.

Our most demand jobs are picking up a prescription, shopping and soon we will open a food hub.

If you are interested in volunteering or need help, please, visit our website https://barnet.mutualaid.co.uk/

Just to said that we tried so many times that the Borough provide us with some help from the beginning and we always have been ignored. 

PAVEMENT TRAFFIC. I would like to see all streets enforcing a one way system for pavement traffic in order to help with social distancing. There's a random sprint into the road whenever a person is coming the other way - it would be helpful to have guidelines. In addition, it would be very good for joggers to know how to treat other pedestrians. They appear quite aggressive, usually because they are breathing heavily and moving fast and apparently quite unaware of others on the street. I have not noticed even one jogger making way for a slow moving walker. The joggers are moving fast so should make the diversion into the street.

We live in SW London - our class at school (Ladybird Class mums) have been baking and cooking for a 40 member team working the night shift in the covid-19 setup at the back of Epsom Hospital. Sadly the night shift have little access to resources/shops/food and they rely on help from others. Katie who works in the hospital (on another ward) spear headed this and I am just delighted to be a part of it! My 8 year old donated her mini rolls to the cause and my 5 year old donated her apple juice cartons. I am so proud of them & love the school spirit too! Stay safe :)

An avid yoga practitioner and author of the book "Develop Health and Inner Peace Through Meditational Yoga" I am planning to launch a series of illustrated videos on the yoga practice developed by me and described in my book. The book is currently available via amazon or ebay. 

I am in the process of setting up a website (MeditationalYoga.co.uk) and would be releasing these videos via social media sites. One of the key features of my practice are 'pranayams' (breathing exercises) which have significant benefits for the health and functioning of the internal organs including lungs.

The practice is aimed not only at developing and maintaining health but also achieve inner peace.

I'm very proud to see so many volunteer groups spring up and so many have good hearts and ideas on how to achieve community support. I'm being extra cautious with my social distancing as I have asthma and seemed to feel the vulnerability even before lock down was announced. I always want to help in such times and have been frustrated at not being able to be out and about so I opened an online neighbourhood group for Asthmatics and it's been wonderful to have others to speak with and see them support one another. I was astounded at how many people with asthma were worried, not sure they were in a higher risk group, needed advise if they became ill or wanted to feel they weren't alone. At least I managed something useful from the comfort of my home. Now onto how to go from having a small business to zero income. 

So many people in a similar situation. I'm hugely relieved at test, trace and treat being announced this week.

Hoping our society will learn that Individulism, competition and selfishness is out and community, support and co-operation is very much the in thing. 

Health and safety to you all. 

I live in Newham and, despite my age (69) and health conditions, am not categorised as in need of "sheltering" although I've been advised that I should shelter.  I was very touched that I was phoned by someone from the council to see if I needed support in any way. I am fit, healthy, active and have a freezer and cupboard full of home grown food, so I don't need that support. However, I am very grateful that they also phoned a, neighbour for whom I normally shop, and who has had a knee replacement cancelled and struggles to get out and they have provided support  for her.

I've also been impressed by the response of people in my local area. I have lots of offers to add my shopping needs to other peoples deliveries and we help each other through a WhatsApp group.

i joined a Covid19 support group, before the lockdown, and am helping to coordinate volunteers to shop for others. More recently I joined a Scrub Hub, to sew scrubs for NHS and care workers. Although I volunteered for these to help others, I I now realise just how significantly this has helped me in dealing with the isolation of living alone and being unable to have the daily contacts with friends and family that were a normal part of my life.  
 

Although  we're in the middle of the worst crisis I've seen in my lifetime, the response of the local community and council has been absolutely amazing. We have come together to support each other in the face of very extreme adversity. 
 

Somehow, this has brought out the best in us and my hope is that we are able to maintain this real sense of community in the future.

Stay safe!

My local council - Lambeth - is organising help for people (as I don't need help I can't say if it's good or bad) BUT they have also used Covid-19 as a smokescreen to force through without any scrutiny their appalling plans to demolish 6 council estates. This is causing huge distress & carbon damage, spending hundreds of millions, creating serious financial risk  & the result will be far LESS council housing. I have no confidence the Mayor will do anything about it, as he has already let them get away without balloting the residents, who have made it super-clear they don't want their homes destroyed & they don't trust the council.

In my street of 70 houses, 50+ have formed a WhatsApp group. This exchanges information, offers shopping, ask for shopping and prescription collection, exchanges fun videos, exchanges recipes, gives tips on what is available locally, and has decided to organise a front garden party for VE day. I have got to know (virtually) many more neighbours than I ever knew before.

Right at the very start of the pandemic when older people were being advised to stay home, our street organised themselves with a list of neighbours, house numbers, names and phone numbers who were happy to be contacted if help was needed and posted a letter through everyones letterbox.

Everyday, at 12 midday, there is a lady who sings an aria from an opera, only for a few minutes, but each day, the clapping and cheering gets louder and longer. This is something that I look forward to everyday. Someone giving of themselves selflessly in this manner just shows what a great community we live in.