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Manchester residents share experiences of lockdown life in new arts project

The project hopes to tackle loneliness and mental health issues as a result of lockdown.

Hannah Starkie - 20th November 2020

Tameside Council has commissioned Mossley-based GW Theatre Group to carry out a new multi-sensory project based on life in lockdown – combining film, music, poetry, live performance and art.

The Ripple Project is asking Tameside residents to send in their lockdown stories – no matter how big or small – for a scheme that brings people together and raises awareness of isolation and mental health issues amid the pandemic.

Part of the project – titled Building Intergenerational Bridges – will involve secondary schools teaming up with care homes and elderly people in their own homes to draw together snippets of pandemic experiences.

All contributions will help to form a digital story archive titled The Story of Lockdown, which will feature in the final installation and exhibition event on 23 March 2021 – marking one full year of quarantine.

Tameside Council Executive Member for Lifelong learning, Councillor Leanne Feeley, said: “This year has been a challenging time for everyone but I’m really proud of the resilience and sense of community shared by Tameside people, which is helping to get us through.

“The Ripple project is a great way of capturing these unique times as well as the fantastic sense of community spirit and belonging we share in the borough.

“It is also a safe and exciting way of bringing us together to help tackle the isolation and anxiety that so many of us are feeling during these unprecedented times. I encourage everyone to take part.”