Share your pandemic memories as part of new Exeter project to mark five years since Coronavirus came to the city
An audiobook is being created to mark five years since the crisis hit Britain
People can share their memories of the extraordinary period when coronavirus came to Exeter and the impact the pandemic had on their lives as part of a major new project in the city.
An audiobook is being created to mark five years since the crisis hit Britain. It is designed to record the painful experiences of bereavement and loss experienced by many, but also the humour, disruption and strangeness of lockdown.
Contributions will be anonymous and can also include tributes to the role of emergency workers and loved ones. The audiobook is designed to help everyone in Exeter and the surrounding areas to reflect on the challenges of the pandemic half a decade on.
Some of the memories will also be included in a new ceremony to be held this spring by the Lord Mayor of Exeter at the city’s covid memorial in Northernhay Gardens.
The audiobook is being organised by Professor David Tollerton, from the University of Exeter, as part of his ongoing research on how the impact of the pandemic is being marked by communities.
Professor Tollerton said: “The pandemic affected people in so many different ways, there is no one unified feeling about what happened during this crisis.
“This is a chance for people to anonymously share their memories – whether sad, reflective or humorous. They can be focus on a specific moment or be more general in nature. We can then create together a lasting record of this momentous time.”
People’s contributions should be single sentences beginning with the words ‘I remember”. This can relate to anything you witnessed or felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may be a memory of lockdown, social distancing, illness, bereavement, community responses, or the acts of NHS staff and keyworkers.
Contributions should be from people in the Exeter region. If you refer to someone, only first names should be included. Participation is entirely anonymous. The maximum length is 50 words. The deadline for submissions is 31 January.
Selected submissions will be included in an online memorial audiobook which will be publicised in March 2025, marking the fifth anniversary of the first lockdown.
Take part in the project by going to: https://forms.office.com/e/4wuNrqDmSQ.
