By Jill Stocks
Horsforth Community Assets Project is looking for volunteers to contribute to a photo book to mark five years since the start of the covid 19 lockdown.
March 9, 2025 has been announced as a UK-wide day of reflection by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport for communities across the country to come together and “remember loved ones and reflect on the impact of the pandemic”.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on all of us. This Day of Reflection is an opportunity to remember the friends and loved ones that we lost, as well as the sacrifices that so many people made.”
As part of this commemoration HCAP is looking for residents of Horsforth to help them create a book of memories from the time a copy of which will be given as a gift to the museum for posterity. Copies will also be available to purchase.
The working title for the book is “2020 The year that changed a community – a global pandemic’s impact on a small community in pictures.”
Members of the public are invited to send their photos in, whether they be amateur or professional, along the themes of masks, homeschooling, key workers, love and loss, nature, exercise, our bubble, virtually together and the Horsforth community.
While submissions are welcome from all, there are a few criteria which must be met; the photo must be yours or by someone who has agreed to take part, they must be high quality (mobile phone pictures will be accepted), and if another person or persons are on the photo you must have their permission and the photo must be linked to Horsforth.
The photos will then be judged by a panel for inclusion in the book and any unsuccessful applicants will also be notified. There will be no profit made from the sale of the book. The deadline for contributions is Friday, 14 February.
To submit a photo for inclusion, follow this link.
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Why would we want to celebrate or commemorate such a dark and manipulative time? The COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t a moment for pride—it was a time when people were misled, fear was weaponized, and individuals were forced into compliance with measures based on shaky science. The vaccines, which many of us knew were dangerous from the start, were pushed onto the public with little regard for transparency or long-term consequences.
This ‘Day of Reflection’ feels like an insult to those of us who questioned the narrative, who refused to be lab rats, and who watched others suffer due to draconian lockdowns, economic ruin, and the mental health crisis that followed. Instead of celebrating masks, homeschooling, or isolation, we should be demanding accountability and recognizing the harm caused by these policies.