TODAY marks one year since England entered its first nationwide coronavirus lockdown, changing the lives of people across Wyre Forest and the rest of the country.
The last year has been filled with heartbreak for many families, either caused by loss or the many challenges brought about by the pandemic, but there have also been many positive moments when community spirit has shone through, neighbours came together to help others in need, and people went above and beyond to make each other smile.
Here is a round-up of some of the most heartwarming stories to come out of the Covid pandemic in Wyre Forest...
Pillowcases helped our NHS heroes
In April 2020, home-stitchers across Wyre Forest answered frontline workers’ calls for donations of drawstring bags to safely wash their uniforms during the pandemic.
Hundreds of handmade wash bags made out of pillowcases have been donated to NHS staff, police officers, carers and mental health workers across the county thanks to the co-ordinated effort of Wyre Forest residents on social media.
Kidderminster teaching assistant Helen Hyrons began making the bags in response to an appeal from Worcestershire Royal Hospital staff to avoid workers spreading germs by carrying uniforms home after their shifts.
Helen recruited the help of others on social media and a small team of seamstresses donated hundreds of wash bags and also crocheted headbands to workers on the frontline of the crisis.
Pubs turned lockdown into something positive
In March 2020, pubs bars and restaurants across the country were forced to close down at short notice following the Government's announcement of a nationwide lockdown.
The owner of Worleys at The Swan and the Hope & Anchor in Stourport, Mimi Plant, said she was keen to turn the difficult situation into something positive.
Rather than the ales going to waste, the Worleys team put out an appeal on Facebook for people to bring their own containers to either of the pubs for staff to fill with ale in exchange for a donation towards KEMP Hospice.
Mimi told The Shuttle at the time: "I just thought all this ale will go to waste so what can we do? I put a post on social media and within minutes we've had people turn up!"
The pubs raised £365 for KEMP.
Deliveries were a lifesaver for people in need
When the coronavirus outbreak meant Wyre Forest's most vulnerable residents were unable to get hold of food or essentials, selfless individuals stepped up to the plate and donated their time and money to help those in need.
In March, Steve Gould, from Bewdley, and his daughter Sarah Davies, who lives in Spennells, started delivering food and collecting prescriptions for people who were shielding or self-isolating.
The pair set up the 'Man With a Van Who Can' Facebook group to co-ordinate the efforts of people wanting to help vulnerable and elderly residents across Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley.
Wedding caterer David Sidwell started delivering essentials to people in need after wedding cancellations left him with a unit full of excess food.
Ombersley company TechTeam loaned him a van and David set up his "shop on wheels", making up to 25 deliveries of fresh food and tinned goods each day.
Another community support group was set up by Wolverley's Dale Preece-Kelly.
Dale started the Coronavirus Support Group at the start of the Covid outbreak last March after his self-employed work stopped. He asked for volunteers and was blown away when more than 250 people stepped forwards.
12 months later, the group is still running and has over 3,000 members.
Music brought communities together
When people were isolated from their families and friends during the first lockdown, a few kind-hearted people in Wyre Forest used their musical talents to bring people together.
In March 2020, holiday park singer Joseph Griffiths put on a show in his street to entertain neighbours in Avocet Drive. Residents stood on their doorsteps and driveways to enjoy the hour-long show, which was live-streamed on Facebook.
A month later, Kidderminster sisters Imogen and Alexie Bayliss hosted their own "lockdown garden party" from their front garden in Westcott Road to pay tribute to workers on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nineteen-year-old Kidderminster carer Chloe Higgins and her saxophone-playing boyfriend Sam Pagett sang from their front lawn in Canterbury Road as neighbours came out to Clap for Carers.
And in Bewdley, seven-year-old Emilia Butler raised nearly £400 for the NHS by playing the guitar for her street.
Fancy dress postie delivers smiles
A postman from Kidderminster brightened people's days during lockdown last year by doing his round in fancy dress.
Gareth Webster dressed up as Wolverine, Bat Girl and Wonder Woman while delivering post in an effort to make his customers smile last April.
He told The Shuttle at the time: "I had some spare costumes and I'd seen some other posties up and down the country doing it to give people something to laugh at during these trying times. I thought why not do it in Kidderminster?
"I've ran out of costumes now so borrowed my wife's Bat Girl and Wonder Woman costumes. It was quite cold today in a skirt."
Rainbows showed our love for the NHS
It became a symbol of hope during the pandemic and gave people a way to show the county's NHS heroes they were appreciated.
Rainbows decorated windows across the district, a balloon rainbow was set up at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, the Hemmings family in Bewdley painted their door in rainbow colours, and the Firth family in Kidderminster gave their garden fence a multi-coloured makeover.
Bewdley Riverside resident Ellie Hooper used her homemade rainbow creations to raise money for a good cause.
Ellie crocheted over 500 rainbows, some of which were donated to NHS frontline workers, with the proceeds going to Bewdley-in-Kind, supporting people who were shielding during the Covid pandemic.
Fundraisers inspired by Captain Tom
National hero Captain Tom Moore showed us that we didn't need to leave the house to raise money for good causes, and inspired a host of lockdown fundraisers here in Wyre Forest.
In July, daredevil postman Shaun Marshall ran 147 times up Kidderminster's Sion Hill to raise thousands of pounds for KEMP.
The town posie ran 44.25 miles up and down the infamously-steep hill in a 12-hour fundraising feat which collected more than £3,000 in donations.
In May, father-of-two Jon Fleming, 46, completed a 26-day challenge to complete a marathon in his back garden and ran roughly 15,600 widths of his patio in aid of Compton Care in Wolverhampton.
Stourport's Dominic Cooke was all set to run the London Marathon last year, which would have been his first ever marathon, to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation.
But when the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, 22-year-old Dominic was eager put to his months of training to good use and clocked up 1,833 laps of his garden in five hours and six minutes, while also raising money for the NHS.
Factory showed a Whole Lotta Love for the NHS
A sportswear company in Kidderminster made thousands of pairs of scrubs for workers on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis after receiving a generous donation from Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant.
The rockstar donated thousands of pounds to MG Sportswear, based in the Horsefair, which helped to make hundreds of sets of scrubs for healthcare workers across the region.
During the nationwide scrubs shortage in April, MG boss Gino Ruffinato set about raising cash to fund the materials needed to produce the uniforms.
After raising thousands of pounds, Gino and his team were able to make around 4,000 pairs of scrubs for workers on the frontline.
Gino was recognised for his selfless work with our Lockdown Heroes award in December.
Selfless builder reunited loved ones
A builder in Kidderminster donated his time and money to build Covid-safe visitor pods to enable care home residents to see their loved ones in the lead up to Christmas.
Mark Harvey began building the pods, which are made out of wood with a perspex window, after seeing a segment on the news about a woman who wasn't allowed to see her mum who lived in a care home due to coronavirus restrictions.
The 47-year-old father-of-four put a post on Facebook offering his expertise and was inundated with requests.
The father-of-four paid for the first three pods out of his own pocket, at a cost of around £200 per booth, before a member of the public set up a Go Fund Me page to help pay for the materials.
Mark's pods allowed care home residents to be reunited with their families after months apart.
He later told The Shuttle: "One resident actually stopped me on my way out, thanking me so much that I had made it possible for her to see her brother on Christmas day for the first time since lockdown."
Our appeal raised £10,000!
The Shuttle Run appeal which launched last February to mark our 150th anniversary raised £10,000 for Wyre Forest homeless charity HELP.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, donations flooded in from readers and the appeal reached its fundraising total in September.
In the wake of the Covid outbreak, HELP's services were called upon to support more people than ever before.
The money raised from the Shuttle Run Appeal allowed HELP to buy its own van, which is now being put to good use collecting and delivering more donations - including bigger items such as furniture and household appliances - for some of the most vulnerable people in the district.
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