Monthly Archives: May 2020

The People

Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Dave Sinclair

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from running wizard Dave Sinclair. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown! 

On the face of it running might look like a “nice to have”, but running is much more than that for many of the people I run with – and for me. It’s a social life, a way of managing day to day stress, a way of keeping healthy and fit, a way of coping when things aren’t going so well, and a way of seeing beautiful scenery.

I moved house, went on holiday to celebrate my birthday, came home and BAM! LOCKDOWN!

Or that’s what it felt like anyway.

Moti Running club (pre lockdown!)

I was very lucky to get in my new place just before lockdown – there’s no damp on the walls here and I have a view, which is handy during lockdown. It was a close call getting the move done in time.

Lockdown is a mixed bag for me. On the positive side, I don’t miss queues of traffic on the A470, the car park being full already when I get to work, or the incessant noise and intrusiveness of cars every time you go anywhere.

I’m really enjoying hearing the birds singing.

Without the commute I’m enjoying that extra time to chill or to exercise more, I eat better because I have to organise food shopping more efficiently and I am sleeping as long as I ought to be but never did before.

On the other hand, so much of what I usually do is based around being with people, and I love that aspect of my work. I miss that a lot.

Most of all I miss coaching my run club, Moti Cardiff, based out of the Moti store on Albany Road. And I miss parkun!!! I’d hoped to reach my 200th parkrun this year but no chance now

I miss our Moti Running Club post-run visits to the Pear Tree pub on Wellfield Road for my hot chocolate – extra hot please! I hope the team at the pub who looked after us so well every week are all doing ok.

Post Moti-running-club session at the pub!

Along with a great bunch of people I also help organise CDF Runners, a run club based in town, and a regular series of runs called The Big Social Run Cardiff. All of this stuff is based around spending time with people. Great people.

CDF Runners pre lockdown

We run, we have a laugh, we chat, we eat cake and we support each other on our personal running journeys. This crisis has knocked most of that on the head, but not all of it…

Leading a club, helping organise events, and supporting club members – it gives me a sense of worth and value in life, it’s something I personally care about, outside of my day to day job. And running with other people is really central to that.

We are lucky that we are still able to run solo and get our endorphin fix – it’s more important now than ever. Friends in Spain have only just been able to exercise outside after 50 days of proper lockdown.

Like most of the many great running clubs in Cardiff and further afield we haven’t let lockdown curtail our sense of community.
We have weekly Zoom calls, quizzes, a virtual relay and other fun running activities, and we share pictures of our runs to encourage and support each other. Club committees are doing a lot of work in the background to keep supporting their members through this really difficult time.

Club Zoom get-together

Running is really important for good mental health and a campaign that really highlights this is Miles for Mind.

Runners dedicate the miles they run or walk during May to the campaign and raise money for Mind, which does such amazing good work around supporting people and their mental health. It’s an incentive for the runners and helps with that feeling of being part of a team and a community. I’ve signed up again this year and love doing it with team mates.

All of this virtual socialising is particularly important for me because I live on my own – it’s just me and Lola, my amazing dog. I’ll be honest – I LOVE living on my own, but that’s based largely around being able to go out and see friends whenever I want to, and now I can’t. So those calls and team activities mean a lot to me.

Dave and Lola the dog

I’m grateful for still being employed and I work from home. I work for the University of South Wales as an Equality and Diversity Adviser, and we’re still extremely busy. We’re currently working on marking IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia) (17 May) and Refugee week (15-21 June).

Equality matters just as much during a crisis, if not more so. We’ve seen incidents of domestic violence rise significantly during lockdown, and we can see from many reports that the virus affects marginalised communities significantly.

People can feel even more isolated if they don’t feel they have their usual supportive communities and friends because of lockdown, and many people are forced to cohabit with unsupportive housemates or family. Everyone finds this situation difficult, but for some this is even more profound. In amongst all this there is incredible community spirit, most evident in the many local COVID-19 support networks that have sprung up.

I love seeing the regular updates from my friend Moseem, who helps organise the Cardiff Muslim Volunteers group, offering practical support and supplies to anyone in the community – the elderly, low income families, and those isolating. He’s going out of his way to help others and does it with a smile on his face the whole time. He is one of many.

For me personally, I’m coping well – I think! I knew early on that I might start over worrying about things.

I used to be someone that was totally news and media obsessed. Now, I don’t listen to the news throughout the day, I have removed news apps from my phone, I have limited social media, and I only catching up on events first thing before work – online, and from a reputable source.

I find this way that I can digest the news throughout the day in time to relax in my spare time rather than be anxious and find my sleep affected.

I’m lucky enough to enjoy running on my own. My training has actually upped a level since lockdown and I’ve also got myself a turbo trainer for indoor cycling so I’m doing something six days a week now. I like nothing more than running trails and it is amazing how many there are close to us in Cardiff. It’s easy to find quiet places if you try – sometimes the concrete jungle is the way to go because people aren’t over-crowding those areas!

There’s a lot of social media about inconsiderate runners and cyclists, but we could really do without this divisive talk. What we do have is considerate and inconsiderate people, whether they are cyclists, runners, or walkers.

In this time of limited social contact it lifts my spirits when someone steps aside and waves you through or when they thank you for doing the same for them. Little things. A thumbs up from another runner or walker. A friendly smile. Be nice to people. Be the person you want others to be.

I think it’s going to be a long time before we get anywhere near back to normal, and that does seem a daunting thought.

But it’s important to take it a week at a time, a month at a time. I would rather return to normality when it’s safe than too soon so I do have worries about the forthcoming relaxation of measures. Already, today being 7th May, the roads are far busier, but I’m not sure why.

My thoughts really do go out to those who are going through extreme hardship through this, and for those who have lost people. I just hope that the displays of community spirit, solidarity, and appreciation of local business and the actual important people that keep the country going stay after lockdown and don’t just dissipate

Likewise, we are seeing many other European cities rethink their infrastructure to make them centre around people, and not cars, and wouldn’t it be fantastic if Cardiff could lead the way on this in the UK?

Dave Sinclair is originally a Newportonian, living in Cardiff now for about eight years. He works at University of South Wales as an Equality adviser and lives with his dog Lola. He leads Moti’s Run Club in Roath and is one of the founding members of The Big Social Run Cardiff. He organised the first LGBT Pride Cymru run in 2019 and was Welsh Athletics / Run Wales Group Leader of the Year 2019. 

Follow Dave on Twitter @cardiff_dave or Instagram @cardiff_dave.

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The People

Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: L

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from L. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown.

If I am feeling motivated, I take advantage of it. If I am feeling down, I try to be kind to myself. I am not a super mum. I’m just a mum getting through this one day at a time.

Lockdown, or what ever you want to call it, started well. The few weeks at home before the Easter holiday were full of activity for home school, getting used to working at home and enjoying the lovely weather. We cleared our jungle of a garden and made a den, got used to being together and enjoyed it. We decided to have a break from homeschooling for the whole two weeks of the Easter holidays, and since then most of our routine has gone out of the window.

Our family is myself, my husband and our two kids ages 10 and 6. Both of us parents suffer from depression and anxiety and take daily medications. Both of our children have support in school for emotional and anger issues. So as you can imagine, we’ve had good days and bad days. The kids play with each other, and fight about as much. We lie in until late, really late some days, try to work and try to stay active.

We go out for our daily exercise maybe every two to three days. We have adopted Chapter Arts Centre carpark as our personal skate park, so the kids zoom around doing laps and learning new ‘tricks’ while us parents walk laps and chat about how our mental health is and what we’re having for tea.

Some days I’ll do some work (I’ve set my hours between 11am and 3pm) and feel like I’ve been productive, supported my team and produced something useful. Other days I’ll feel massive guilt for doing nothing, for getting distracted by funny videos on Facebook or lovely houses on Instagram.

Some days I don’t worry about not doing much homeschooling, letting the kids play Animal Crossing on the Switch and watch YouTube videos. Some days I’m in tears, worrying about how far behind they are, how little writing they’re doing, how they’re missing out on doing cool stuff like other kids are.

We’re doing our best. As everyone is. But sometimes our best just doesn’t feel good enough.

I thought I’d be cleaning and sorting and decorating, I thought I’d be doing daily workouts and doing science experiments with the kids. But I’m not. I’m giving them extra hugs and kisses. Allowing them to use their imagination to play their own games. Allowing them to sleep as long as they want and need. Talking to them. Making sure they are ok. Asking if they miss school, and honestly, they don’t. Apart from seeing other people, they are very happy and settled at home.

Not everyone is able to keep to a schedule and do something everyday that might be seen as worthy or productive or creative. But we can do what we need to cope, to keep our children comfortable and to allow our mental health not to rule over everyday.

I am not sure what my kids will remember of this time at home, but I hope they will look back on it and see that they were loved, warm, fed, enjoyed playing games and watching cool TV and films, relaxing and just being themselves. And that’s all I want for them right now.

If you need advice on managing your mental health, Cardiff Mind also have some resources you can access immediately, including online guides and counselling services.

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The People

Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Lauren Mahoney

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from Lauren Mahoney. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown!

In the weeks leading up to lockdown I watched, day by day, shops shorten opening hours, coffee shops hand out free coffees to NHS workers, and panic buyers strip the shelves of toilet paper.

The world was about to fall into some coronavirus apocalyptic rave, while I observed from the sidelines. Shops starting closing more frequently, some held on, knowing, once this was all over, they would never open the doors again.

Before that fateful Monday evening, I was a customer service something and nothing. I worked in the centre of town. The days passed in a routine; blurred and samey. Wednesday was Monday and Friday was Tuesday. Now I am a cook by morning and writer by afternoon. Each day is a new project, a new lease of creativity. There is no drama, no office politics. I can just be.

With all the panic that ensued in the first weeks of lockdown, I began focusing on shopping locally as much as I could. I saw a wonderful camaraderie online too, with people buying from bakeries and fishmongers. Suddenly I started to notice things that had always been there. I started to notice Cardiff again.

Maybe everything seemed brighter from the blazing sun and the lack of people and cars, but suddenly the city seemed more alive to me than it had for months. Having just emerged from winter hibernation, I was ready to shed my winter bacon and tackle spring with all the gusto of a Joe Wicks workout.

The empty city centre streets had more promise; spring is still here, even if the people aren’t.

Have I used this time to become the best version of myself I can be? Have you? Don’t worry, nobody is judging you. There is no FOMO any more, no crap nights out in Popworld. Just do what you want while you can (within the limitations, of course!) That blurred samey routine life will be back before we all know it. You probably won’t ever get around to litter-picking like you’ve been meaning to, so don’t beat yourself up about it.

The world will go back to normal at some point, perhaps that’s a normality many are craving? Maybe, by then, I will have shed my winter bacon, but I can’t stop baking chocolate pies right now. I enjoy how quiet Roath Park is and how everyone and their dog form the longest queue ever, outside Tesco on Albany Road every day.

Mostly, I miss the pub and I miss my friends. I miss a Slim’s Salad and a large full-fat iced Coke.

I probably won’t be the better version of myself I think I am right now. I like the right now, the stillness, the quiet and the chocolate pies.

None of us know what is around the corner – it could be me litter picking – until then, bake the cakes or don’t bake the cakes. Binge-watch a TV show, read all the books, and try not to litter.

We still have a planet to run.

Follow Lauren online at her blog My Edible Adventure, on Twitter @myedibleadv and Instagram @myedibleadventure_

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The People

Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Michelle Townsend

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from Michelle Townsend. She took her prematurely-born daughter home from hospital, just days before the lockdown. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown. 

Ten days before the lockdown was announced our baby girl finally came home from hospital, she had been there for 131 days.

In October last year at 26 weeks pregnant I began to feel unwell and was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome; the only option to save me and our baby was to deliver her early. I had arrived at hospital at 11am and by 3.35pm our baby was born; she weighed 1lb 10oz.

I was too unwell to see her at first so my husband had to go alone returning to my room with pictures taken through plastic of the smallest and most perfect thing I’d ever seen.

At first we counted the hours and then the days, slowly learning things we never imagined we’d need to know about neonatal medicine and premature babies. Then every day for over four months we went to the hospital, sat with her, held her, learned to feed and care for her, all the time navigating wires and tubes and trying to create some sense of a new normal from the situation we found ourselves in.

Our entire focus was her and getting her home. Finally after many setbacks and a lot of tears that day came in early March; we were over the moon.

Premature babies often have respiratory problems as a result of being born before their lungs have a chance to develop fully. In our case the delivery was such an emergency that there wasn’t time for the full course of steroids usually given to mothers who deliver early to help the baby’s lungs to grow. Breathing was always an issue for our little one, we were delighted and surprised that she made it home without on-going oxygen support but she does have chronic lung disease and a heart problem that may need further treatment. As a result she is a vulnerable little baby and even before Covid-19 took such a hold on us all we were being advised to introduce her to family and friends slowly and be very aware of infections and germs. It seems we all live in that world now.

So we are spending the lockdown with our baby, getting to know her, learning how to grow her, and settling into life as a family of three (plus the cat). She is home and we could not be more grateful, but after such a tough start in her life this is another challenging period for us.

We are isolating as much as possible, if we get sick then so will she so we are taking every precaution we can while trying to look after our own well-being. Friends are shopping for us and collecting prescriptions (premature babies come home on a lot of medication, I have a small pharmacy in my kitchen) and we are very careful about where and when we go outside. But we are going out for walks with her and we have a renewed appreciation for Cardiff’s beautiful open spaces, I feel like I see them differently now like coming at something from a different angle and not just because I’m pushing a pram. I find striking the balance between keeping her safe and making sure she, and we, get to go outside very tough. I worry about taking her out and I worry when we go out alone to exercise that we may be putting her at risk but I also worry about not taking her out enough, I believe she needs the fresh air and open spaces and I know we certainly do.

We miss our family terribly and feel so sad for our baby’s grandmothers who are desperate to be with her. A night of babysitting wouldn’t go a miss either. Fortunately they both came to see her and managed a cuddle before the lockdown was announced but since then it has been video calls only. A family of small faces on a screen and an even longer wait for her aunties and uncles to hold her. She is six months old now and has only been held by Mummy, Daddy, Granny, Nanna and the incredible nurses and doctors who cared for her. I have a lot of anxiety – standard new parent stuff I’m assured but also the worry of vulnerable baby and concerns about her development in this period. I reassure myself that she won’t remember it and that for everything she is missing she is gaining a lot of time with Mummy and Daddy and our undivided attention.

We are fortunate to both be off work at the moment thanks to shared parental leave, the first half of my maternity leave was spent at the hospital and now the second half is being spent in lockdown. The memories we make from this period are not the ones I might have imagined for us but we will treasure them nonetheless. Her first smile and laugh, taking her into our tiny garden, attempting to bath her while our crazy cat tries to join in, our new routines, our new baby language, our new outlook on life, our new life.

Sometimes it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I’m so excited for people to be able to meet her and to take her out and about but I know it may be quite some time yet and that feels frustrating and sad. But then I remember those 131 days in the NICU, the hardest days of my life but also the most humbling. There are babies in there now whose parents can only visit one at a time or in some cases can’t see them at all. There are nurses and doctors who aren’t seeing their own loved ones so they can look after ours. There are families who don’t get to bring their babies home at all and have to say the saddest of goodbyes. The resilience, compassion, kindness and strength I saw during that time gives me hope. Those 131 days were relentless and bleak but also sometimes full of unexpected joy and laughter, they were dark and tough but also taught me so much. These days can and will do the same for many of us I’m sure. And now, now we’re home they feel almost like a dream, like a short albeit hugely significant chapter in a really long and hopefully exciting story. Like those 131 days these lockdown days will eventually pass, so despite my frustrations and anxieties and sadness I look at my little baby smiling and frantically kicking her legs on the carpet below and I know it’ll all be alright.

Follow Michelle on Twitter @micheymathers

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The People

Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Anonymous #2

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from an anonymous contributor. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown! 

It’s a cliché, but we sleepwalked into this. In the first half of March, I did lots of ‘normal’ things: a weekend away, a night out, visits to the gym, work as usual. All these things now seem bonkers.

And then everything happened so quickly: on the evening of Monday 16 March, the head of the company for which I work emailed us all to insist that everyone who could, should work from home from the following day. My office mates and I went in the following day to collect what we needed (I am not ashamed to say that I stocked up on wine on the way) and now we’ve been working from home full-time since 18 March.

Working from home  is something I have never done before, by choice. I live alone; I get plenty of quiet time so actively enjoy going into work and the joys of office banter.

Victoria Park, by We Are Cardiff

I live in Canton, very close to Victoria Park. I am lucky enough to have my own house with a small garden out the back. All those weekends in the last few years that I have spent up a ladder painting ceilings and walls felt worth it at the time, but my goodness am I reaping the rewards of my toils now! I absolutely love my house. My dining room has become my workspace, complete with the pot plants from the office (getting them home was no mean feat). So no desk sharing or video meetings in the bedroom for me.

 

The first couple of weeks of WFH were hard: I got distracted and felt that I was getting little done. But I have developed a nice routine that I quite enjoy: exercise (often a jog around Vic Park), shower, breakfast, check emails, daily team video call with colleagues, then normal working hours. Without my commute home, often up to an hour on a smelly bus (yep, it can take that long to get home from town at 5.30pm on a weekday), the evenings do seem long: I am ‘home’ at least an hour and a half earlier than I generally used to be.

Living alone for a long time, I have perfected the art of pottering and entertaining myself, so the long evenings have been okay. But living alone during lockdown is…. pretty tough.

I am in good health and my income has not been affected (although I work in a sector that will be hit very hard by the effects of the pandemic, so I am not counting my chickens). I am grateful that my family and friends are safe and well and I feel for the people living alone in poor health, with children or a sick or frail relative, or living with an abusive partner. I’m in a position to be able to donate to charities and have given to Age UK, Refuge and Foodbank in recent weeks and urge you to do the same if you are able.

But being a single thirty-something woman living in a small city is tough at the best of times so lockdown living and the likelihood of months or years of social distancing does offer some ‘interesting’ perspectives on my situation!

I now spend more time talking to friends and family, making use of all the wonderful free technologies we have available to us (and if you are listening in on my calls with my mum, Vladbot, you will be sorely disappointed. We will never reveal where we hid the diamonds). Whilst I would certainly not define myself as vulnerable or in need, I really appreciate the friends and colleagues who have acknowledged that I am alone and increased frequency of texts and calls (you know who you are!!).

My patio

It is pretty solitary living alone right now and, although I had already reconciled myself to the fact that meeting a suitable man belongs in the realms of unicorns and flying pigs, it is sobering to think that options for those of us alone are going to be pretty much zero for months, if not years, to come. A friend suggested that I try the dating apps again and join the trend for Zoom dating, but that doesn’t really enthuse me. In order to get a feel for someone, I need to talk to them in person. There is no substitute for face to face contact.

I haven’t had any physical contact with another person since, I think, receiving a hug from a friend’s child on 14 March. That is a long time. It’s scientifically recognised that humans suffer for lack of contact with others (look up ‘skin hunger’). I’m fine for now, but the uncertainty of not knowing when I might next get a hug is not great.

My advice for anyone reading this who has a friend, colleague or family member who lives alone, even if in good health and no financial concerns, is to show you are aware that they are alone and ask them directly how it is. You can’t change their situation but showing you care means an awful lot.

What have I learned from this experience? There are too many things to list, but they include:

  • the real value of small pleasures (repotting a house plant, drinking a coffee sat in the sun on my little patio)
  • that working from home, for my kind of role at least, can be done without too many difficulties or video call gaffs. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be
  • judging by how often I have to dust and vacuum, that I shed approximately ten thousand hairs and two kilos of skin a day
  • huevos rotos (my bastardised version of) is one of the best things ever if you fancy some comfort eating: chips or fried potatoes topped with fried onion, peppers, chorizo or serrano ham, and egg. Send our Spanish friends mad and top it with a bit of grated cheddar (btw, I love Spain, having lived there twice, and can’t wait to go out there again…).

When not shedding hairs or cooking/eating/drinking wine, I have inevitably spent a lot of time outside working hours reading and watching TV. I so enjoyed ‘Falling for a Killer: Ted Bundy’ on Prime that I am now listening to true crime podcasts. I registered to be a volunteer with Cardiff Council but, hearteningly, so many people have signed up that we may not all be needed. I’ve been trying to do what I can in other ways: staying in (of course), shopping for a friend isolating at home when her kids had bad coughs, and clapping one Thursday evening. On the subject of which, I feel the need to say (and sorry not sorry for making this political) that clapping should distract no one from the fact that THE NHS IS NOT A CHARITY. Nope. Key services, in the NHS and beyond, need proper investment by government, long-term. Foodbanks and charities cannot and should not have to fill the voids.

Rant over!

So, what do I miss apart from the office banter? Tragic as this may be, I miss the gym. I have been doing the best I can at home with some small dumbells and a couple of resistance bands.

I have been very disciplined in doing 30-60 minutes of exercise pretty much every day. I miss it the days I don’t do it. A colleague made a comment that I was being a bit of a goody two shoes in doing this and putting everyone else to shame. But, from my point of view, he’s cuddled up at home with his cherished spouse and I am, well, not. We all have our cross to bear and we all have our own ways of managing. I also miss going out with friends, enjoying the lovely restaurants and bars that our home city has to offer. I really hope that as many as possible can survive this. Most of all, and like lots of people, I think I miss the ability to make plans, even if just a spontaneous trip over to a friend’s for coffee.

Anyway, I’m not putting pressure on myself to achieve a load of lockdown achievements. We all need to be kind to ourselves and others. It’s a sunny Saturday morning, so I am going to go and read my book in the sunshine for a while. Looks after yourselves lovely people of Cardiff!

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Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Tamsin Stirling

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from Splott resident Tamsin Stirling. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown! 

To say that I have lost track of time is not quite true. I do find it difficult to remember what day it is a lot of the time, but I am also acutely aware of the passing of time.

Each day at two o’clock, the information on new cases and new deaths is published. Every afternoon I look at it – the researcher in me I guess – and try to process what it means. A flattening curve is good right? But how can it be considered ‘good’ when so many people have died, so many others are struggling for their lives and yet others are not safe at work because they do not have adequate PPE?

We are super lucky. We live in a house with a garden, are both able to work from home, still have money coming in, are able to pay bills, buy the food we need and able to go out once a day because neither of us have any ‘pre-existing conditions’ – how I hate that term.

So many people in the community have no escape; families in flats, people who can’t go out at all, people living in overcrowded situations, in shared accommodation, in violent and abusive relationships, people who have frontline jobs who have to go to work every day, people who have lost their jobs – the list goes on.

Yes COVID-19 is affecting everyone, but it is absolutely not affecting everyone in the same way or to the same extent. And this is very very obvious in our community.

For me, lockdown has been characterised by two big things. Firstly walks with my camera. I have been exploring my immediate neighbourhood in a very detailed way. Luckily for me, it includes the shoreline – Splott beach, the foreshore and wetlands. The tidal range is so high that there can be no shoreline at all or seemingly miles before the edge of the water. I have found new bits and rediscovered bits I already knew.

I have seen the steelworks from many different angles, seen species of bird that I had not seen before and searched for, and catalogued, different types of brick on Splott beach. I have also taken a lot of photographs which act as a kind of visual lockdown diary. Taking photos is a kind of meditation for me; it helps me to slow down and look really carefully. I have taken more photos since lockdown than in the last six months.

The second thing is connection. With family, community and friends. As my cousin in Canada said, we are being more intentional in making contact with people we care about. Checking in, sharing experiences, worries and humour – lots of humour. Like so many people, I have become familiar with Microsoft Teams, Zoom & WhatsApp video calls for work meetings, but also for social contact. And in the community, a mutual aid group has developed, now with over 1000 members on Facebook.

People sharing information, ideas, queries and things – plants, paint, furniture – all sorts of stuff. I have ‘met’ neighbours for the first time even though I’ve lived in the same house for over 20 years. On the street, more people say hello and ask ‘are you ok?’

On Twitter the other day, I was tagged by someone saying describe your COVID-19 journey in six words. My six words were walks, insomnia, worry, friends, community, WhatsApp.

Tamsin, Splott, 28 April 2020

Follow Tamsin on Twitter @TamsinStirling1. 

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Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Bernard James

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This instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from Bernard James, who runs the Atlantic Wharf Residents Association with his daughter, and is soon to turn 81 years old! We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown.

Docks Feeder canal – photo by Bernard James

As a widowed man of just two months short of 81, some people could assume that the lockdown would have little change on my life other than getting provisions.

I can honestly say – anyone that thinks this would be very wrong. As an active oldie the lockdown has had great affect. If you have spare time, and a lot of people have in the present situation, I will relate to you how it has changed my lifestyle.

Our libraries are closed and I am now denied my three or four books that I read every three weeks. I really miss my afternoon reading hour and again before going to sleep at night.

Just 12 months ago I was recovering from a heart bypass operation, part of the ongoing recovery programme has been regular exercise to raise my heart rate. Health Wales has an arrangement with “Better Gyms” that allows gym membership for a substantially reduced rate, I took advantage of that and attend Splott Hub where a Health Wales trainer runs a class. I enjoy that as one can exercise in a group, making it quite companionable.

The gym has now closed due to the situation, and that has made quite the impact on my lifestyle.

Photo by Bernard James

I feel quite guilty that my daughter is taking all the risks by doing the shopping. It is useless trying to get a slot on the supermarket home delivery service, one has to wait four weeks for a slot.

I feel lucky that my daughter has lived with me since my wife passed away, so I have her companionship. I have always liked to do the supermarket shopping, but my daughter has taken on the shopping role as she feels that it is too risky to have me mixing with so many people, some who take little or no notice of social distancing.

The council closure of the cemeteries has hit me hard as I am unable to visit my wife’s grave at Pant Maur. This was especially so when my daughter and I were unable to go on the anniversary of my wife’s passing.

The council decision to keep the allotments open has been good for me, even though they have restrictions on how long one can be there. The allotment means a lot to me for physical exercise, mental also, thinking of what and when to grow gets quite complicated sometimes.

My allotment in happier times! Photo by Bernard James

I have to travel three miles to the allotment as there are none in the Butetown, Cardiff Bay area.

The council actually took a proposed allotment site for the south side of Cardiff out of the Local Development Plan. When I complained to the previous Butetown Councillor about that he said that he had only had two people who wanted a plot, and one was me.

Can you believe that other than two of us, nobody else in the Butetown ward wanted an allotment plot. There are two year waiting lists in some other areas of Cardiff.

Part of my daily walk. Photo by Bernard James

As I have a dog and no back garden I take the dog out for three short walks each day. We don’t stay out long and ensure we keep our distance from other people.

The closure of restaurants and public houses affect me in lesser ways, even though I always enjoy a visit to them. I am worried about the long term affect of this lockdown on jobs, and on the city centre.

Many shops and entertainment venues may never open again, the city centre that was so vibrant could become a ghost town. I dread the thought of that.

It frightens me that people seem to like the thought of more people working from home and not commuting to the city centre. After all it is these commuters that give the city its life.

I think I have written enough now. Keep safe and look after yourselves.

A ghostly Lloyd George Avenue. Photo by Bernard James

Bernard James was originally born in Caerphilly. He worked and lived in the south of England until 2001 when he moved to Atlantic Wharf.  He worked as a guide on the Open Top bus, and now he and his daughter run the Atlantic Wharf Residents Association.

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Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Rosie Dent

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from Rosie Dent, who runs the @pontcanape food Instagram. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown! 

I live in Pontcanna with my partner Dean and my best friend, Buddy the cat. I would definitely find this situation much harder without them (I promise that’ll be the only cheesy sentiment in this letter, probably). It’s impossible to get bored or lonely with Buddy around, he’s a cheeky little ball of energy and acts as an effective alarm clock too!

We actually began our new life indoors almost two weeks before most people, we were both unwell with COVID-19 symptoms so had to fully isolate for over a week because our fever didn’t shift. We had one day, well until 5pm, of “freedom” before that incredibly surreal moment the PM told us we must stay indoors. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment.

If I’m honest, I’ve not found the lockdown as difficult as I would have imagined. I’m taking in the news, but am struggling to process the scale of what’s happening in Cardiff, Wales and the world right now – how can you? When it comes to my little bubble, I’m enjoying this pace of life one day at a time and I’m enjoying taking some time with less pressure to be busy. Although there have been moments! 

I feel extremely fortunate when it comes to work. I work in the public sector in a communications role. We help communities across Wales by supporting the third sector. It’s a challenging time, but there are some incredible things happening out there, people really are stepping up to support each other more than ever. It’s humbling.

I can easily work from home and am still able to work efficiently and effectively. As a team we work and live across Wales anyway, so we’re used to working remotely. We’ve found that we’re actually talking to each other more now, which is fantastic. I work from home regularly during normal times, but now I’ve levelled-up my set up on the kitchen table – right next to the fridge…perfect!

Just before lockdown we were renovating our garden. We still don’t have proper outdoor furniture and the raised beds are empty, but the fence and decking were thankfully finished. We’ve gone from a small patch of mud and weeds to a nice calming outdoor space to relax. It’s also helped to keep me busy, giving more space for pots to grow veggies! I’m in my second year growing and I’ve ended up with far too many jalapeoño and courgette plants – I would usually give them away, but it’s a little more difficult now. 

My vice during this time has been cooking.

I love to cook and have become a little obsessed with food over the past few years. I’ve been cooking relentlessly since lockdown began, thinking about starting to make the next meal as soon as I finish one! I’ve been ordering veg boxes from Kemi’s which has made cooking even more enjoyable. I order them for a Friday and it’s like a game of Ready Steady Cook deciding how to use all the goodies! 

I’m really pleased to see more people buying local and appreciating the amazing small businesses we have in Cardiff.

Personally alongside the Kemi’s boxes I’ve ordered some beautiful coffee from Hard Lines in Canton, loads of beer from Pipes, plant based pies from Saveg, picked up some bread from Alex Gooch and of course, stocked up on Oatly barista from Little Man Coffee (such a bargain for any fellow Oatly addicts out there).

The extra time has allowed me to get into making food that takes a little more patience and time than I tend to have. I’ve made a couple of batches of kimchi, made my first corn tortillas and I’ve started bigtime on my sourdough game. I’m hoping to keep the freshly baked sourdough breakfast on a Saturday morning routine going long after this ends. 

I’m feeling healthier than usual, I think it’s thanks to adding a lot more veg to my diet and more of what I’m eating is made from scratch. I’m also more aware of the waste produced in the kitchen and have upped my game when it comes to reducing waste by saving veg scraps to make stock and I’ve started regrowing veg from scratch, starting with lettuce, it’s honestly so easy.

I do miss eating out. I miss grabbing a Lazy Leek burger at Kings Road Yard, I miss “pizza club” – where we catch up with friends at a different Italian/pizza place, doing it on Skype isn’t quite the same.

I miss digging into small plates at places like Nook or Bar 44. This hiatus is temporary, but in the meantime I’ve been trying to recreate the restaurant experience at home. I’ve been doing some copycat meals from some well known chains starting with Wahaca, Wagamama and YO! Sushi. I’ve been sharing these on my Instagram @pontcanape in the hope of inspiring others to get creative in the kitchen. 

Instagram has helped me during this time. Generally too much time on social media isn’t a great thing for me, but at the moment feels like time well spent, engaging with other like minded people, getting ideas for things to do and make and passing on my own ideas and trying to inspire others. 

One thing that has really helped me during moments where I’m feeling restless or fed up was the quote “You’re not stuck at home, you’re safe at home.”. I usually dislike inspirational or motivational quotes, but this one has really stuck with me and gives me the reality check I sometimes need!

For anyone struggling, remember this is temporary. Do whatever you need to do. Cooking is helping me, but if you can’t be bothered, that’s fine, if you want to sit and do nothing, that’s fine, if you want to work out all day, that’s fine. Do what makes you happy, keeps you sane and most importantly, stay safe and healthy. One day at a time.

Rosie works in the public sector and runs a Cardiff plant-based food Instagram account – @pontcanape.

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The People

Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Steve Austins

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from Steve Austins, co-founder and director of Bengo Media. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown! 

We run Bengo Media from home anyway, so the work situation hasn’t changed a huge amount – although my use of video calls has skyrocketed. Thankfully the month has been busy and we’ve even picked up some new clients. The biggest challenge has been the need to record all our podcasts remotely and we’ve now created a series of new products to help clients record from home. All of this with a new baby in the house!

The hardest thing about the lockdown is not being near our mums. Both live on their own, outside of Cardiff. They do have friends looking after their shopping etc, but the thought of how lonely this must be for them is heartbreaking. And, of course, neither of them will be able to meet little Jessie for a while either.

We are doing regular video calls with the family on WhatsApp. Teaching our mums how was the second hardest thing about the lockdown BUT it was so worth the effort.

I miss the little things most. Falling short of my Parkrun PB by miles; catching up with friends and talking about nothing in particular; going to the corner shop to pick up something my waistline won’t thank me for. Oh, and I miss coffee shops.

However, we’re blessed to have such great neighbours. We’ve had shopping done for us, meals delivered to our door and a birthday cake baked for Marina. Ours is one of the smallest streets in Grangetown and this crisis has brought us closer together as a street. Long may that continue.

All in all, I’m a fairly happy homebird – learning how to be a family of three has been an amazing experience. And, when she’s old enough. I can’t wait to tell Jessie all about being a lockdown baby

Bengo Media give voice to your podcast vision. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveAustins76. 

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Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Ceri John Davies

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This instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series is from Ceri John Davies. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown!

Lockdown in CF24

Lockdown 2020 sounds like some Hollywood film that maybe went straight to video, but the reality is a gruelling real-life drama, where many are fighting the COVID-19 virus, both personally and professionally. The heroes of the film are our health workers and essential service providers.

In such trying times, when so many are battling so hard, it’s a hard issue to contemplate, but lockdown for me has so far been a positive experience. A change in lifestyle to a quieter and slower pace suits me far more than what went before. I have long been aware of my preferences and in recent years have been lucky enough to make lifestyle changes to create a better work life balance; lockdown has taken it to the next level.

I work at a desk with a laptop, and my employer has long been pushing a smarter ways of working approach. I have been a fully mobile worker from day one. Pre lockdown I took advantage of this mobility, working at home, cafes, co-working sites and at my parents’ home in Mid Wales. I must confess it has probably been easier for me to adapt to lockdown that many.

I am a long-time homeworker, one-time provider of co-working spaces and campaigner for this type of work (this is an article I wrote on the subject – Working for a better Future) – so was probably well ahead of the game. I was not only a believer but worked to convert others to the benefits of home working and remote working.

Modern tech if you have it, allows a completely different way of working. For me and my colleagues, Microsoft Teams was already embedded in every meeting pre lockdown and is widely used by colleagues across the board, including for regular social catch ups and a weekly quiz. If anything, I speak to some colleagues more now than when I was a few desks away.

Some irony here … as I am writing this article offline as currently the Wi-Fi has gone down, and we await with interest what our provider can do! It’s not the first time this lockdown and probably won’t be the last. The future, whatever it may be in Wales will need to be tech enabled and reliable, that super-fast broadband promise would be a welcome delivery.

So work is fine, when possible, the biggest change has been having my ten-year-old and seven-year-old at home at the same time. Home-schooling would be a doddle right? Not so much!

Our children go to an amazing Welsh language primary who provide daily work for both children. My eldest is probably pretty self-contained, she gets the work and she does it – maybe with a little help from mum and dad, and frankly my ability to show her long multiplication will be a highlight of the year! He has still got it!

My youngest – less so. Getting the motivation, be it for the Joe Wicks morning PE which we all started with (but only two in the house have really continued with) has been our biggest challenge. More often than I would have liked, the teaching of the seven-year-old has quickly descended into an “inset” day. With two parents working from home and often the need for one-to-one instruction, motivation, and supervision, it has been the most difficult aspect of our changed circumstances.

Their school has been great, but we have also added in a lot of teaching of our own. The children have been allowed to home cook a lot more (I’m getting a little fed up of cake, truth be told!). The paints have been out more regularly, and I like a home science experiment, so we have been doing and videoing quite a few of those. We are making a cloud in a jar this afternoon!

Tech has enabled us to do a lot of things that they wouldn’t have been able to do. Guides is online weekly, and Brownies starts this week. My admiration for the volunteers knows no bounds for the efforts they go to. We persevered with piano lessons for a few weeks via the online option, but frankly they weren’t working for anyone, teacher, child or parent so we have had to pull them, but we are continuing to pay our tutor and banking the lessons for when lockdown eases.

My children were pretty digital au fait before the lockdown but the 10-year-old has benefited most as she was gifted an old phone early on to stay in touch with her friends, which the seven-year-old still doesn’t have. She has taken to the tech a little too well and a little too fast for my liking! They both get to Facetime friends at playtime, but we have also tried to go back to the future and have written letters and cards to friends and family near and far.

Outside, school and work it’s been a welcome quieter time.

I defy anyone to say that less traffic, less noise, less pollution is not a welcome change to Cardiff.

Despite only one excursion a day, we have enjoyed these times out of the house. Often by bike we have been fortunate enough to explore the grand parks that surround CF24; Bute, Roath, Heath, and the secrets they have. We have ventured a little further afield within the guidelines and the peace on the roads makes our great city fabulous to cycle around, exploring places with a seven-year-old I wouldn’t normally try by road. We have gone as far as the Bay, Llanishen Park and Forest Farm for our daily exercise.

The weather has helped no end and we are fortunate to have a small garden that we have spent time in enjoying the weather. It’s never had so much care given to it, nor our garage which has been painted and cleaned out, jobs that have been on the ‘to do’ list for upwards of ten years.

We have even managed the odd camping trip to our small lawn, complete with enough bedding to make Sherpa Tensing weep. The veg patch is in and growing fast and we have also embraced the newly launched CF24 Sunflower Competition.

The weather and the garden mean that we have BBQ’d and eaten many meals outside. In fact, I’d say we are eating together more as a family or as a couple. Lunch with my wife is now a regular event, not once in a blue moon. Turns out she’s a lovely woman. Why do we eat together more now? You would think we would perhaps want more space from each other, but so far that’s not the case. It’s not just eating together, we always did play family games, but we are playing more, although Monopoly may well not survive lockdown, but a demand for a regular games night is on the cards.

We have missed family and friends, but we are regularly talking to all those we can phone, and my daughter with her new phone has mastered WhatsApp video – who knows how many times she calls her Mid Wales based nan and grandad. Several a day I am told! Through Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp it is easy to see what everyone else is doing and managing, and through Zoom I even stay in touch with the Thursday night football boys and an incredibly competitive weekly sports quiz.

In normal circumstances, I’m usually filling my downtime with planning what to do,  normally it’s away from home, exploring something, or somewhere, visiting friends and family. Being at home so much is unusual. However, with everything I have described, it has really clicked for us.

In all honesty I have not enjoyed Cardiff this much since my time in University all those years ago.

Lockdown for many is terrible, we can’t escape that, and I’m clearly glossing over the arguments and tantrums that we have endured in my house.

My thoughts are regularly drawn to those really impacted by this virus, those fighting it, those including many friends on the care frontline who we worry for daily.

It is without doubt a terrible time, but I do hope that some of the benefits that we have and see around us are not lost as the world tries to return to normal. That normal was not that great, and I want us to plan the normal we want to return to. I am sure we as a family will have some changes for the better, I just hope wider society will as well.

Follow Ceri on Twitter @ceritheviking.

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The People

Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Hannah Pudner

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Today’s instalment for the Letters from Cardiff in lockdown series comes from Hannah who is Global Director of External Affairs for United Purpose. We’re looking for your stories, so please contribute to Letters from Cardiff in lockdown! 

I live in Riverside.  On match days I can hear the roar of the crowd, can feel the carnival atmosphere running through the streets and almost taste the beer swilling.  There’s a castle on my door step, an ale house on every corner and on bin day it stinks. It’s the funnest, kindest place I’ve ever lived. I bloomin’ loves Cardiff.

The onslaught of the virus over February and March felt like a slow motion tsunami.  We could see it coming, we all saw the pictures from Italy, but the surreal-ness meant it was all deniable. I remember when the death toll went to double digits – to 22 – I felt sick.  What would the me back then think about a toll closer to 30,000.  I’m glad she had no idea what was to come.

I’ve been working from home for a while now. I’m on the exec team of United Purpose, an international development charity head quartered in Cardiff.

We work with very poor communities in Africa, Asia and South America – helping them get out of, and stay out of, poverty.  The type of poverty that is absolute.  Where people don’t have access to clean water so babies regularly die of dysentery; where people don’t have enough food so stunting is a common; where people don’t have their own home, or even their own country.

We support refugee camps, we build water wells and show communities how to maintain them. We teach women skills so they can earn their own livelihood and send their children to school. We help small holder farmers understand changing weather patterns so their crops can be more resilient to climate change.  We’ll also teach them business skills and co-operative models so they can get better prices at market. And now COVID-19 has hit, we’ve pivoted to an emergency response, providing communities with extra clean water, sharing hygiene messages and equipping rural healthcare centres with PPE.

I run our global external affairs work, and now I’m doing all this from my husband’s office, overlooking my neighbour’s delightful garden. And while I sit and stare out at the trees, admiring how fast the Dragon Heart hospital has been developed with the bed capacity of 2,000, it’s hard not to dwell on the challenges faced by the poorest communities. Malawi with a population of over 18 million is looking at how to cope with only 17 ventilators and 25 ICU beds for the entire population. It’s one of the poorest countries in the world – not everyone has access to clean water, most don’t have formal healthcare, a third of the population is stunted due to lack of calories in infancy, and one in ten has HIV/AIDS. This, coupled with the unpredictable nature of the virus, means the situation is grave.  It’s a similar pattern in other poor countries.

The need is great, the crisis is acute and there is so much to be done. It’s a worry in a time of worries.

I worry for my 550 colleagues across the world too.  The finest bunch of dedicated professionals I’ve ever met – they do the real hard work.  We gave the option of evacuation to those staff who ordinarily live in the UK.  They had to choose where to see through the pandemic – to risk staying where they were, or to risk the long journey home. Some stayed, some came home.  But the vast majority of our staff are from the countries they work in e.g. Gambians in The Gambia.  They have no choice to leave; they are home. And that home generally won’t be equipped to deal with this pandemic. A low point for me this month was updating our death in service policy to factor in a global health pandemic.

But there have been some lighter moments.  I have been working with a Nigerian super star, Sunny Neji to develop a song about hand washing and social distancing.  Songs via radio are by far the best way to reach rural, illiterate sub-Saharan communities.  It’s so catchy the children are singing it and their parents are taking on the serious message.  It’s gone viral in Nigeria and the piece of work has really made me smile.

But I have a confession. While the enormity of all this can weigh heavy, it simply does not stop me mourning my own life being put on hold. I have all the water and food I need, and I nice house with a lovely view from the office. And if I get seriously sick, which I probably won’t, there’s the Dragon Heart hospital. I’m so fortunate. And yet the self-pity waves over me. I’ve seen the absolute poverty with my own eyes, I know how lucky I am.

But all I want is to see my mum and Dad and have a pint of ale in Crafty Devil, Canton with my pals. Enjoy the summer festival of this amazing city has to offer and generally have a reason to brush my hair.

So I’ll stay in this little office, constantly reminding myself I’m not simply working from home, but working from home in a global pandemic; and it’s ok to want my life back.

Hannah is Global Director of External Affairs for United Purpose, a Cardiff based international development charity that works with three million of the world’s poorest people in Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, The Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Guinea, South Africa, India, Bangladesh and Brazil.   Hannah is from Neath and has lived in Cardiff for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @hannahpudner. 

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The People

Letters from Cardiff in lockdown: Anon

This instalment of Letters from Cardiff in lockdown is from a person who’s very special to us, and has chosen to share their lockdown experience. If their story hits home with you, there are people that can help.

Lockdown liberation – a complete contradiction in terms, right? No. Apparently not. At least not for me.

Nine years ago I got married. The usual fairytale stuff – or so I thought. Like so many relationships, the outer perception was far brighter than the inner reality. What appeared happy, loving and ’successful’ was unhealthy, coercive, and lonely. Really lonely.

I lived life on pins for 18 months, lying to those closest to me. If the truth be told, I was lying to myself too. The delusional “it will all be fine if I work hard enough to help him change“. The crippling “why was I too stupid not to have seen this earlier?”. The poisonous “it’s probably my fault anyway”.

But one day something happened. I don’t really know what exactly. I just broke. I broke and I left it all behind. I had £20 to my name, packed a rucksack I still had from school, and went home to my Mam and Dad. And then I cried. I cried for my 20s; I cried for the home I thought I’d created here in Cardiff; and I cried for the family I’d hoped he and I would create and raise together.

Seven years on, in these strange lockdown times, I’m still on my own. Turns out that the bit of me that deals with anything beyond platonic relationships has proved to be stubbornly unfixable. The thought of a relationship is petrifying – what if I pick another bad egg? What if, despite repeated attempts by friends, family and therapy to convince me otherwise, it turns out that he was right, and I was the disaster after all?

It’s paralysed any attempts to move on in THAT domain for years. Any glimmer of interest striking the fear of God into me, followed swiftly by a “well I’m not going to do anything about that because imagine the utter shame of showing an interest in someone only to find them avoiding you like the plague once they work it out”.

But then lockdown arrived. And everyone is quite literally avoiding each other like the plague. And there’s time to talk to people, to let things grow. To avoid the crippling horror that overcomes you when you imagine bumping into someone the day after you may have suggested the most tentative of interests in getting to know them a little better; or worse still, imagining having to explain the sorry story of a pretty abusive relationship in person at some point.

And guess what? Lockdown has been liberating. It’s freed me to show the most tentative of interests. To strike up a conversation I’ve been too petrified to even contemplate in Real Life, on The Outside. And I’ve felt excited at the prospect of WhatsApp pinging, in a way that I thought had died long ago when the apparently unfixable bit got broken.

So yes, lockdown is almost entirely grim. It’s succeeding in exposing all the gaps I’d tried to fill with other people and other things, and has made life resemble a bit of a leaky colander for the time being.

But leaky colanders let mucky water escape, and while I feel a bit ridiculous admitting that it’s taken a global pandemic for it to happen, it’s probably about time for the mucky water to be flushed out.

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