The UK Covid-19 Inquiry: Have your say on the Covid pandemic today
Our story is valuable. More than you might think. We each endured the pandemic in a unique way so it’s important for all of our stories to be shared.
Help the UK Covid-19 Inquiry to understand the full picture by sharing your experience, because every single story will matter.
Independent and impartial, the Inquiry is asking you to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences to help us better understand the impact of Covid and shape future recommendations for generations to come.
'I was terrified Covid would steal my dreams from me'
Stepping up: Ashley worked throughout the pandemic to support his mum and familyAshley Durant, 22, was in his second year of sixth form in March 2020 when lockdown closed his college, leaving him at home with his mum and four younger siblings.
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“I was about to start my final project, a play, and it just wasn’t the same to rehearse and perform over Zoom.”
Ashley dreamed of being an actor, but his part time job in Savers meant he was considered a key worker. And coming from a single parent family meant Ashley had to step up at home too.
“It was hard to transition from a normal teen into an adult overnight, but I had no choice."
"My mum was also poorly; it was heartbreaking to see her like that. As the eldest child, I took on a lot of responsibility and did everything I could to support her and my family."
"I had no opportunity to actually be a teenager. I was terrified Covid was going to steal my dreams away from me.”
"My son was forced to become an adult overnight"
Ashley’s mum Shavana, 39, had been seriously ill, having had five surgeries for a thyroid condition before the first lockdown. A single mum of five, Shavana felt scared, anxious and isolated.
“Ashley took a step back from his studies to help, which was heartbreaking."
"He shouldn’t have had to take care of me. But I’d been incredibly unwell, and my mental health really suffered as I tried to comprehend how close I’d come to dying."
Ashley not only supported the family, but he aced his studies and is now about to graduate from university.
"I am so proud of him. I’m so inspired that I’m going to study nursing so I can help other people. If ever something like this happens again, I hope everyone has somebody to lean on.
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"Without Ashley, I don’t know what I’d have done. He was forced to become an adult overnight and no teenager should ever have to do that.”
‘We were devastated when we had to close down the mosque’
Isolated and devastated: Pashmina felt disconnected from her community, and Zoraiz was disappointed in his initial gradesPashmina Kashif, 44, is the office administrator of the Belfast Islamic Centre. She lost a huge part of her life when lockdown meant the mosque had to shut its doors.
“It was very difficult that we were unable to pray together,” she says.
“I felt sad and isolated, and almost disconnected from my religion. As a family, we all worshipped together at home, but it’s not the same because it was just whenever we got the chance. We missed our friends so much.
“During Ramadan, we made food packages and sent them out to our community so that we could symbolically break our fast together even though we were physically apart."
"After lockdown, Covid helped me appreciate my community even more.”
"Online learning meant I didn’t get the grades I wanted"
Pashmina’s son Zoraiz, 22, was at Bradford University when lockdown hit. He was sent home, with all of his classes suddenly online.
“It was very unsettling. I’d never experienced online learning before and I really struggled with it,” he says. “It was a crucial year for me, and the upheaval meant I didn’t secure the grades I needed. I was devastated."
"We tried to keep perspective; we were all home, safe and healthy, and it was lovely to be together."
"I was worried about the impact on my career, but thankfully, I have since gone on to study medical sciences at Swansea University, and I completed my degree with the results I needed. I’m now looking forward to studying at Nottingham University’s medical school.”
Share your story to inform the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, visit everystorymatters.co.uk
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