Bradford 101 ages 30-38 on life in pandemic

NEXT: AGES 40-49: A&E nurse: 'The grieving has only just started'

Cain Lewis, 30, Volunteer, From Cullingworth

It all started after lockdown was announced, both me and my partner were adjusting to working from home with our three-year-old boy, Leo. I noticed the impact this was having on our child’s mental health. He was no longer seeing his nursery friends, teachers or his close family members.

One thing he did want to do everyday was to dress up in one of his superhero costumes and was asking me to be Bumblebee from Transformers. Leo was up for going out giving other children a wave during lockdown. “I will dress up as Spiderman for the children,” he said proudly.

Kafayat Adegoke, 30, actor, performance maker, presenter, from Bradford

Covid-19 has made people realise that most work meetings can be done at home. I’m not really an extrovert. I need someone getting on my nerves while I’m out somewhere again. I’m yearning just to smell someone’s body odour again, to make it feel a bit more like normal life again. I want everyday chaos again. I get down times through all this, when I don’t want to do anything for the next few days. This pandemic has put everything in perspective in life. I’m just taking each day as it comes. You don’t know what’s next.

Catherine Lodge, 31, social worker, from Gilstead

At first we faced a battle to juggle work and childcare, as we normally rely on nursery and grandparents. I worked lunchtimes and evenings to fit in my hours while caring for my three children at home. We struggled to get nappies and baby milk in the shops due to the panic buying. The children loved being at home with us and we enjoyed the outdoors together, felt closer to our community and saw our twin girls learn to walk. We worried about our loved ones and how the isolation would affect them, but we have kept in touch via video calls. Our son started school this year, which was a little difficult without the normal induction stages.

Kimberley Allanson, 32, school administrator, from Eldwick

I feel like we were one of the lucky ones. We were safe, healthy, we were managing on the money we had. What I wasn’t prepared for was the impact it would have on our children and just how amazing they were with handling it all. My three-year-old son understood the parks were closed. On our daily walk he asked to sit on the bench and say hello to the swings. He turned to his little sister and said, “Don’t worry we can go on the swings again soon, we just have to wait for the germs to go.” I had to hold back the tears.

Ishfaq Farooq, 33, director of Mylahore Restaurant, from Bradford

MyLahore felt the pandemic both financially and emotionally. For our family-run business it was all about creating a positive from the negative. We wanted to help support all our team members and their families. We made a decision to do takeout and delivery. This was a financial strain, but we wanted to keep feeding the nation and keep our teams employed. We have been heavily involved with the NHS staff and other key workers, and we assist the elderly and vulnerable with everyday meals.

Zubair Khalifa, 34, Bradford Council worker and SMKS community centre volunteer, from Manningham

I am blessed to be a key worker, working with children that have disabilities. I got to see first-hand how this pandemic affected them, their parents, carers and teachers. My heart opened up to people I did not know. Even if I could not get close to them, I could show them support. I helped people to get the help they needed, from coronavirus tests to applying for universal credit. Before we were using people and loving technology. Now we are using technology as a tool and loving people for who they are.

Tricia Arthur-Stubbs, 35, Dance Teacher, from Shipley

It’s been a mixed bag and a challenge at times, not being able to work teaching dance classes or see my family. However, I decided to dance down my drive 2020 times, in a different style each day, to raise money for foodbanks in Bradford and India and raised over £920. I’d heard about kids walking around saying that they wanted to go back to school because they weren’t eating. I thought that was just heartbreaking.

Sharena Lee Satti, 36, poet, author and creative artist, from Bradford

Lockdown has affected us all and the isolation has been one of the most difficult things to bear for most people. Not being able to see friends and family. Not being able to socialise and not attending the places we usually would. So I decided to set up a regular online Zoom meeting for poets and creativities who wanted to share their poems but couldn’t due to the pandemic. I created a safe, welcoming space for all to share their words and keep connected.

Vince Virr, 37, dancer and choreographer, from BD4

I experienced the pandemic firstly in China in January before escaping just in time to be locked down on home soil. As an artist in residence with Art Space for Kids, I was part of that first rush in the world to create online creative content. While, back here I saw my dance career collapse. However, being back in Bradford has helped me reconnect with the city, my family and Peggy, my 90-year-old great aunt. The gentle weekly reprimand for getting her the wrong oranges or sausages was a normality that made me smile.

Jimmy Singh, 38, owner of Akoustix Drummers, from Bradford Moor

Myself and my staff have felt the effects tremendously. Spending years building our name and sticking to a strong work ethic led us to our success catering particularly for weddings and parties. We started off with a booked up diary, but with the restrictions customers had to cancel or postpone their events. During lockdown we showcased one of our drumming pieces at the BRI. This seemed to be a big hit with staff and made it somewhat different to the usual Clap for our Carers.

NEXT: AGES 40-49: A&E nurse: 'The grieving has only just started'

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