How Bradford people can share Covid experiences with inquiry

Anonymised versions of people’s experiences will then be archived by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and form part of history.

‘Every Story Matters’ is part of work by the UK’s independent Covid-19 inquiry.

The campaign is coming to Bradford for two days this week in the hopes of learning lessons for the future.

'We really want to hear what you have to say'

Anyone who would like to speak out can head to Forster Square Shopping Park on Wednesday (February 14) and Thursday (February 15) to have a chat with the team.

The team will be there between 10am and 4pm.

You don’t have to have caught Covid-19 to contribute.

Anyone who would like to write down their experiences online can fill in the form by visiting https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/every-story-matters/

Meanwhile, on Thursday, young people aged 18 to 25 are set to share their heartfelt experiences on the record about the pandemic and its lasting impact.

Manchester Road, one of Bradford's busiest road, dead as everyone was forced to stay at home (Image: Newsquest)

These real life experiences will help the inquiry’s investigation into the Government’s handling of Covid, shape recommendations and help future generations to come.

Any details that could identify you - including names, places and organisations you mention - will be removed and stored securely.

It could be about your life, work, community, family, wellbeing, or something completely different. 

Inquiry Secretary Ben Connah said: “The Inquiry must hear experiences from all corners of the country to ensure we get a full picture of the pandemic’s impact on people living and working across the UK. 

“I really would encourage people to come and meet us so they can influence the work we’re doing. 

“Each of us has a story to tell about the pandemic. Sadly, we know that hundreds of thousands of people lost loved ones, and many more became ill or suffered hardship or isolation. We really want to hear what you have to say.”

'Without their help at the hospital, I don’t think I would have survived'

Bradford was hit particularly hard by the pandemic with worsening health inequalities, financial and digital poverty, and school closures impacting students in different ways. 

In 2020, the T&A shared the personal stories of 101 Bradford people aged from 0 to 100 about living through the crisis.

Some of the people who contributed to the T&A's Bradford 101 project

Wilsden boy Rory Earley, who was five at the time, said: “I wanted to hug and play with my grandparents, but I could only see them through the window and on video calls.”

Mary Chorley, who was 92 and living at Elmhurst Care Home, Undercliffe, at the time, said: “Everyone in the care home has come together as a family. Is there ever going to be an end to it? I’ve never known anything as bad as this, at least in wartime we could see our family and friends.”

Mohammed Mukhtar Khan, a 52-year-old Hackney Carriage driver who was hospitalised with Covid-19, said: “Without their help at the hospital, I don’t think I would have survived. I had breathing problems, a fever and a lot of other complications. Thankfully, I pulled through with the medicine they gave me. They’re risking their lives for people like us to get well.”

Saeed Butt, then-58, said: “Some people succumbed to Covid-19. I had to express my condolences over the phone. There was no face-to-face, no sitting with them. In religious terms, we go through a specific process, but I wasn’t able to do that."

Natasha Graves, a dance teacher from Thorpe Edge, said: “The pandemic is the hardest time I’ve ever been through. My dance school closed, so finance was a big problem, but my support network of my dance family was gone. My dad sadly passed away in Cyprus alone and we couldn’t be with him. That will haunt me forever. But through it all I had my son by my side, we ate well, we talked, we became best friends, and for that I’m grateful.”

Mike Simmonds, the Telegraph & Argus’ photographer, said: “There were visits to witness the heroic staff at the hospital, ambulance crews facing the virus. Seeing, but not photographing, old men in pyjamas, hooked up to oxygen, being wheeled into who knows what. Those faces I see when I close my eyes and I wonder what became of them.”