This week my street celebrated a lovely Creative Day, with our locked-down neighbours sharing artwork and music on a street WhatsApp group.
I organised the event to boost community spirit in a sociable street that is now silent in a time of social distancing. Children who used to play in the street together now take it in turns to go outside. So Creative Day was a cheering way to see what hobbies everyone has been up to in their respective houses, and it was a source of inspiration!
Our neighbour opposite, an invertebrates keeper, kicked off Creative Day with her super video presentation of a leaf insect! My partner sent videos playing his banjo and our son shared some dinosaur drawings.
I made this picture of my son painting rainbows on our window – a symbol that households across the country are using to connect with each other from a distance. These symbols of hope are often in tandem with messages of support for the country’s treasured NHS health workers. Messages thanking the NHS are a heartfelt morale boost for my partner who is frontline ambulance crew in a hard-hit area.
As the day went on, the message group filled with neighbours’ arty hobbies. Others’ contributions included DJ mixes (which I enjoyed in the sun while drawing in our garden), collages, and photos of baked bread.
A neighbour set up the group recently so we can ensure each other are OK from a distance. Though I know people living on our end of the street, the group has been a great, virtual way to get to know others further down the road. Though we’re socially distanced, thanks to smartphones many of us can get to know each other well at last. 🙂
It was nerve-wracking setting up the initiative – it could have been a total flop and I nearly backed out! But I had a warm response from many and as I scrolled through the WhatsApp messages at the end of the day, I smiled at one neighbour’s happy words: “Creative Day Rocks!” 🙂
Rebekah Curtis 