How was it for you?
Lockdown reminiscences
Can you help us? We are looking for volunteers to record Falkirk’s experiences of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Pandemics, fortunately, are rare. The earliest known were occurrences of Bubonic Plague or ‘Black Death’ which visited the Falkirk area several times. We know that men were appointed to mark afflicted homes, bury the victims and clean the affected houses. During the 1645 outbreak, large gatherings including weddings, funerals and parties were banned, isolation hospitals were set up, the uninfected stayed at home as much as possible and, eventually, the plague abated.
While we can see similarities with today’s attempts to control the spread of the epidemic, we are only getting a glimpse of the actions of those who governed. There is not a single surviving report from the ordinary people who lived through it.
Today, we are in an ideal position to record our experiences for future generations. Each of us has a story to tell, from the everyday to the special. Some may be funny and entertaining; others will describe great loss and sadness. We want to reach out to as many people as possible to record their experiences of lockdown. These can be about any aspect of your lockdown experience and may take the form of prose, poetry, music, photographs, drawings or paintings. How these will be presented is yet to be decided and we are also looking for volunteers to form an editorial team. This is your opportunity to tell your great, great, great grandchildren about the pandemic.
If you are interested in taking part in this initiative, either as a contributor or as part of the editorial team, please contact Eva at eva.finlayson@nhs.net or 07979700112
