The Marches School is working on a community wide project to collate and share lockdown experiences.
2020 marked a key point in history; for the first time in living memory everything stopped, and families were told to stay in their homes. Normal routines of attending school, meeting people, visiting shops, hugging friends and family could not happen – a situation that lasted for over four months. 2021 has started with a repeat of Lockdown across the country.
After just getting used to the new normal we now find ourselves in a third Lockdown, again facing uncertainty and our own separate challenges.
The Marches School has adapted to adhere to the new normal and now seeks to connect with and encourage the local community to join with them in creatively reflecting on what COVID 19 has meant to the community of Oswestry and how we can record this for future generations to look back on. The pandemic will form part of history and students will no doubt study what the world is living through now in years to come.
At a time when we are all so committed to staying apart, it becomes even more important for people and communities to come together in new ways. During the first Lockdown, neighbours who had been strangers became like new families. For others, however, life became a time of sorrow and loneliness. We seem to find ourselves back at the beginning, this time with the hope of a new vaccine, however we still face the challenges of Lockdown today.
James Lowton, Head Boy at The Marches School adds “This is a project all of the Marches School community are excited to be part of. We know lockdown has been difficult in many ways, but it has also provided time for people to learn a new skill, be creative and take time to reflect and put their thoughts on paper. To be able to capture this and create a record is hugely rewarding and we look forward to watching this project develop.”
The experience of lockdown has been different for everybody, as has its impacts and consequences, many of which remain unknown to us.
The aim of this project is to encourage all to share their lockdown experiences representing our diverse community using a range of platforms to showcase the work.
There are no restrictions on the type of work that can be submitted. Work can range from written diary pieces, fictional or factual short stories, artwork of any kind, music, drama (either scripts or filmed drama pieces), installations, interviews (written or video recorded), poetry (written or video recorded), song lyrics, photography, or video – anything that captures what it has been like to live during these unprecedented times.
Darryn Robinson, Deputy Headteacher comments “Students are keen to positively engage with and understand how their community feels and see this project as a way to take the lead in supporting reflection on and recovery from this year. All submissions will be collated on a special Lockdown Diaries website https://lockdown-diaries.co.uk/, with a selection also published in a book. The book will be produced and sold locally, and will contain not just written pieces and imagery, but also a way to engage with multimedia submissions via QR codes. We hope the community will all get involved to mark this point in history and produce a record for communities to enjoy in years to come.”
The Marches School is keen to stress that all members of the community are encouraged to contribute to the project. They welcome all those keen to offer a submission, ask a question or offer an idea to make contact via mardiaries@mar.mmat.co.uk.
Community members who feel they have an idea – but do not have the skills or equipment to carry it through – are equally encouraged to get in touch and all efforts will be made to produce everyone’s ideas.
