Researchers want to fill the archive, called Life During Covid, with photos, videos, artwork and words from the public, in particular people over 65 or people of any age who have been shielding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parents of vulnerable children have also been invited to take part, along with unpaid/family carers of people living with dementia.
People can upload their experiences at www.lifeduringcovid.org. These stories will then be published online, and will inform research publications, presentations and potentially form the basis of a longer audio-visual documentary reflecting on the COVID-19 period.
Dr Ceri Wilson, who is compiling the archive alongside Dr Pauline Lane, Rebecca Chandler and Dr Julie Teatheredge, said: “We are living in unprecedented times and everyone is trying to overcome their own challenges during this global pandemic.
“It is a time of reduced social contact, of isolation and concern, but there will also be positive stories that have come out of lockdown too.
“We are looking for people to share their experiences of the COVID-19 lockdown with us to form an archive that can be looked back on in the years to come.”
The work is being carried out by ARU’s Positive Ageing Research Institute (PARI) and academics from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, with assistance from StoryLab. This archive is an extension of StoryLab’s initiative The Frontline, where stories of frontline workers during the pandemic are being collected.
For more information about contributing to the Life During Covid project, please contact Dr Ceri Wilson at ceri.wilson@aru.ac.uk